Jelly BEANS!

"Can I have some jellybeans?" Asked little B after dinner.

"Sure," agreed Simone. "Here. I'll give you ten jellybeans." Simone placed the jellybeans on the table in front of little B.

"Ten!" Little B's eyes lit up and his tongue darted out to lick his lips.

Simone placed a hand over the jellybeans just as little B reached grreedily for them. "Yes, but I have a deal to make with you. If you do not eat any jellybeans for ten minutes, I will give you another five jellybeans. You'll have 15 jellybeans then!" Simone slowly removed her hand.

Little B, eyebrows knitted together, considered this proposition then grabbed a jellybean between his thumb and index and brought it to his mouth.

"If you eat even one jellybean," Simone clarified, "You won't get any more jellybeans. But if you leave the 10 jellybeans alone, you can eat 15 jellybeans in ten minutes."

Little B's attention wandered to the television.

"Do you understand?" Simone asked.

"Yeth," little B assured his mother.

"So when the clock gets to 4:55, you call me and say, 'Mom, it's 4:55! Come and see!"

Little B's gaze remained focused on the tv.

Hubby said, "This isn't a fair test. He's autistic and he's in his own world right now. He's not eating the jellybeans because he's forgotten they're there."

Little B's eyes slid to the clock as his hand reached toward the jellybeans. "It's not 4:55," he muttered and retracted his hand.

Simone was in the kitchen cleaning up when little B called out, "It's 4:54, Mom! Only one minute left!" Then, predictably a minute later, he said, "Mome, come and see! It's 4:55!"

Not a single candy had been eaten. Simone counted them twice, using her fingers the first time and her toes the second time, to make sure they were all there. "Okay, here are your 5 additional jellybeans," Simone said, pausing to shake little B's hand. Congratulations! You did super, kiddo!

(And he ate the jellybeans one at a time, savouring them over a half hour period...)