ABSTRACT
Matthew’s eyes were large. Very large. They seemed to occupy most of the space on what was a very large head for a 4-year-old. And they became larger still when he had to look at someone. At those times he seemed to freeze them in a prolonged startle, or by sheer will he was trying to somehow extract them from their sockets so as to see in all directions. What was more unsettling, however, was his stance toward the eyes of those around him. Not by will but through the use of his fingers, he was trying to extract the eyes of his parents and peers when he felt threatened. Although he had not yet succeeded, the scratches and pokes his parents had endured were sufficient to alarm them. In addition, his teachers felt it was only a lack of precision that had kept the eyes of his peers intact. Now Matthew was coming to the Community Therapeutic Day School (CTDS), and we briefly considered feigning a pervasive and rather precipitous deterioration in eyesight that would require glasses for the entire staff.
