To Mara: I keep meaning to tell you how sensitive Elliot is. Anytime he thinks he’s hurt my feelings, or that he’s done something bad, he is over-the-top apologetic and tells me that he loves me and asks if i’m ok, if i’m happy, (“You happy?”) and on and on. It is amazing. It’s like he has empathy hard-wired somehow. He didn’t learn it. iI’s just there in him automatically.
DJDS application – Biographical sketch that I wrote of Elliot.
Elliot is a sensitive and caring young boy who loves to laugh. Anytime Elliot thinks he’s hurt my feelings, or that he’s done something bad, he is over-the-top apologetic, tells me that he loves me and asks if i’m ok, if i’m happy, (“You happy?”)
It is amazing. It’s like he has empathy hard-wired somehow. He didn’t learn it. It’s just there in him automatically.
He is kind to the point that he won’t hurt bugs or insects and calls plants and trees his “friends”.
Elliot loves music, he loves to laugh and dance, and to play games. His favorite music is anything silly or spooky. He dances to his favorite songs.
His favorite games are physical ones like variations on hide-and-seek, wrestle-play, etc.
Elliot is quick to learn and is very curious. He asks lots of questions about flora and fauna, often the same questions again and again, but he
retains the knowledge.
His greatest strengths are his sympathy, empathy, curiosity, resiliency from disappointment, and his sponge-like absorption of knowledge of the world.
Although Elliot gets along well with other children and has plenty of friends at school, one of his challenges is learning to share. Sometimes that
is not just sharing of physical items like toys, but the sharing of people and relationships. However, this seems age-appropriate and not much to be
concerned about.
