Since autism significantly impairs Alex’s speech, he tends
to speak quietly and hesitantly, unsure of his ability to communicate
effectively. We often have to ask him to repeat what he has said––sometimes
because we didn’t understand him and other times because we didn’t hear him.
However, sometimes he suddenly bursts forth with proclamations of something he
wants to tell us––observations on life, patterns he’s noted, or some fact he
finds especially interesting––announcing these statements clearly and confidently.
For example, yesterday I was showing Alex a large foam cut-out of a hand my dad had gotten for him at a recent Valparaiso University basketball game. While most so-called foam fingers have only the index finger raised as a symbol of being number one, this hand had two fingers raised. When I asked Alex if he knew why it had two fingers raised instead of one, he immediately explained that the fingers were in the shape of a V for Valparaiso.
Then I could tell that his mind was processing something from our discussion. Suddenly, he announced, “V is a somewhat rare letter.” As I showed interest in his statement, he went through all the letters of the alphabet, informing me which letters were “common,” “rare,” and “somewhat rare.” Clearly, he has watched enough Wheel of Fortune to determine the commonality and rarity of each letter of the alphabet as he confidently ascribed a value for every letter from A-Z. Later, he informed us, “There are about four thousand words that start with V.” I’m not certain whether he knew this fact or had looked it up online, but he wanted to share this bit of trivia with us.
Another announcement Alex likes to make is his assessment of people’s voices on television. He is fascinated by people’s voices, especially if they are deep or high pitched. Moreover, if he finds a person’s voice doesn’t meet with his expectations, he feels a need to share that anomaly with us. For instance, he’ll come running to tell us excitedly, “It’s rare for a kid to have a deep voice!” Lately, he has a fascination with older people and what he has dubbed “old man’s voice” and “old lady’s voice.” However, he’s even more fascinated when elderly people don’t have the qualities of the “old man/lady voice.” The other day, he enthusiastically shared that he had seen on television “some 93-year-old man who didn’t have an old man’s voice.” I’m not sure who would have been happier, Alex, who saw the old man with a young man’s voice, or the 93-year-old who had what Alex deemed was a young voice.
In addition to announcing his observations about the world around him, Alex also likes to proclaim changes he has noted in himself. Not surprisingly, he measures time by his own voice changes, telling us, for example, that in 1993, he had a “young voice.” (Previously he referred to his childish voice as a “little voice,” but has since changed the wording. If we use the phrase “little voice,” he will correct us, making sure we use the new lingo of “young voice,” which he now has decided is more accurate.) As with the “old man/old lady voices,” he will often come running to find us when he’s watching television and hears a particular date to announce the status of his voice at that particular year in time. Probably because we respond to his enthusiasm with praise, happy that he wants to tell us something, he never tires of making these announcements.
After bumping his knee last week and winding up with a bruise, Alex realized that certain motions were painful and compensated by favoring his other leg. So that he won’t obsess on an injury, we keep an eye on the healing without saying much to him. Perhaps because we don’t talk about whether it still hurts or not, Alex will happily inform us when he notices he is feeling better. The other day, he must have recognized that his bruised knee had improved because he suddenly exclaimed, “The knee is all better now!” Not only was I glad the pain had subsided, but also that he could clearly express his joy that he noticed his knee had returned to normal.
Maybe the most out-of-the blue announcement he’s made lately came yesterday evening when he proclaimed: “We can go to Chesterton now!” Chesterton is the nearby town where Alex has enjoyed going to restaurants. However, since his loss of appetite started in May, he hasn’t wanted to go to restaurants because he hasn’t felt like eating as much as he used to. The thought of going to a restaurant, which used to be one of his favorite things to do, seemed to bring anxiety, so we haven’t been to Chesterton for a while. We’re hoping that his proclamation yesterday means that he’s willing to try dining out again and perhaps he senses that his appetite is improving. Fingers crossed and prayers said, we’re hopeful that Alex’s announcement means that he is getting better. Of course, we know that moving forward will take some time and patience, but we see his announcement as a good sign that he is making progress. We’ll know better once we make that return trip to a Chesterton restaurant.
Although people with autism stereotypically do not seem to care about sharing interests or enjoyment with others, Alex clearly likes to share what he’s seen, heard, and learned. Since approximately half of people with autism are nonverbal, we know how blessed we are that Alex can speak and tell us what he’s thinking. Moreover, we’re delighted that he wants to interact with people and share his thoughts, feelings, and ideas. By encouraging him with enthusiasm and praise, we hope that he continues to develop his language and social skills, knowing that he has a unique perspective and unbridled joy to offer those who are willing to listen to him.
“I will tell everyone about Your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim Your saving power, though I am not skilled with words.” Psalm 71:15
For example, yesterday I was showing Alex a large foam cut-out of a hand my dad had gotten for him at a recent Valparaiso University basketball game. While most so-called foam fingers have only the index finger raised as a symbol of being number one, this hand had two fingers raised. When I asked Alex if he knew why it had two fingers raised instead of one, he immediately explained that the fingers were in the shape of a V for Valparaiso.
Then I could tell that his mind was processing something from our discussion. Suddenly, he announced, “V is a somewhat rare letter.” As I showed interest in his statement, he went through all the letters of the alphabet, informing me which letters were “common,” “rare,” and “somewhat rare.” Clearly, he has watched enough Wheel of Fortune to determine the commonality and rarity of each letter of the alphabet as he confidently ascribed a value for every letter from A-Z. Later, he informed us, “There are about four thousand words that start with V.” I’m not certain whether he knew this fact or had looked it up online, but he wanted to share this bit of trivia with us.
Another announcement Alex likes to make is his assessment of people’s voices on television. He is fascinated by people’s voices, especially if they are deep or high pitched. Moreover, if he finds a person’s voice doesn’t meet with his expectations, he feels a need to share that anomaly with us. For instance, he’ll come running to tell us excitedly, “It’s rare for a kid to have a deep voice!” Lately, he has a fascination with older people and what he has dubbed “old man’s voice” and “old lady’s voice.” However, he’s even more fascinated when elderly people don’t have the qualities of the “old man/lady voice.” The other day, he enthusiastically shared that he had seen on television “some 93-year-old man who didn’t have an old man’s voice.” I’m not sure who would have been happier, Alex, who saw the old man with a young man’s voice, or the 93-year-old who had what Alex deemed was a young voice.
In addition to announcing his observations about the world around him, Alex also likes to proclaim changes he has noted in himself. Not surprisingly, he measures time by his own voice changes, telling us, for example, that in 1993, he had a “young voice.” (Previously he referred to his childish voice as a “little voice,” but has since changed the wording. If we use the phrase “little voice,” he will correct us, making sure we use the new lingo of “young voice,” which he now has decided is more accurate.) As with the “old man/old lady voices,” he will often come running to find us when he’s watching television and hears a particular date to announce the status of his voice at that particular year in time. Probably because we respond to his enthusiasm with praise, happy that he wants to tell us something, he never tires of making these announcements.
After bumping his knee last week and winding up with a bruise, Alex realized that certain motions were painful and compensated by favoring his other leg. So that he won’t obsess on an injury, we keep an eye on the healing without saying much to him. Perhaps because we don’t talk about whether it still hurts or not, Alex will happily inform us when he notices he is feeling better. The other day, he must have recognized that his bruised knee had improved because he suddenly exclaimed, “The knee is all better now!” Not only was I glad the pain had subsided, but also that he could clearly express his joy that he noticed his knee had returned to normal.
Maybe the most out-of-the blue announcement he’s made lately came yesterday evening when he proclaimed: “We can go to Chesterton now!” Chesterton is the nearby town where Alex has enjoyed going to restaurants. However, since his loss of appetite started in May, he hasn’t wanted to go to restaurants because he hasn’t felt like eating as much as he used to. The thought of going to a restaurant, which used to be one of his favorite things to do, seemed to bring anxiety, so we haven’t been to Chesterton for a while. We’re hoping that his proclamation yesterday means that he’s willing to try dining out again and perhaps he senses that his appetite is improving. Fingers crossed and prayers said, we’re hopeful that Alex’s announcement means that he is getting better. Of course, we know that moving forward will take some time and patience, but we see his announcement as a good sign that he is making progress. We’ll know better once we make that return trip to a Chesterton restaurant.
Although people with autism stereotypically do not seem to care about sharing interests or enjoyment with others, Alex clearly likes to share what he’s seen, heard, and learned. Since approximately half of people with autism are nonverbal, we know how blessed we are that Alex can speak and tell us what he’s thinking. Moreover, we’re delighted that he wants to interact with people and share his thoughts, feelings, and ideas. By encouraging him with enthusiasm and praise, we hope that he continues to develop his language and social skills, knowing that he has a unique perspective and unbridled joy to offer those who are willing to listen to him.
“I will tell everyone about Your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim Your saving power, though I am not skilled with words.” Psalm 71:15
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