Beyond Brown Fences

Thursday I was helping my son with ASD with his writing assignment. He had to describe what he can see out his bedroom window. Writing and describing was too overwhelming, so I offered to ask questions and write down his answers. Our conversation went something like the following.

"What do you see out your window?" "I see a fence." "What can you tell me about the fence?" "I see a brown fence." "What does the fence look like?" "It looks like a brown fence." "Does the fence remind you of anything?" "It reminds me of a brown fence." "Can you tell me anything else about the fence?" "Mom, I'm getting tired."

I hoped my questions would help him see beyond the brown fence--the metaphors, the hidden meanings, the story behind broken and replaced boards, the reason we put up fences in the first place. But, if I look at it from his perspective, I am the one who did not see what was right in front of me.