Literally Speaking

Matthew is trying so hard to communicate. He has a few words, but still reaches that point of not being able to tell me what he is thinking. When he learned how to shake his head no, some of that frustration was lifted. The tough part was that he couldn't figure out how to say 'yes'. Damien and I have been trying really hard to get him to make the connection by emphatically shaking our heads 'yes' and applauding him when he made the effort to do so. He tried and tried but it just hasn't clicked. Instead of giving up, I just kept trying to give him different ways to say yes.

He knows most of his body parts and so I thought that if I said, "Say yes with your head"- he might make the connection. It didn't work. Later that day, I asked him if he wanted a bottle (because I knew he did) and he started hitting the top of his head with his hand. I thought nothing of it. Then later when I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk- I realized that he was again hitting his head. And then I made a connection. I kept telling him, "Say yes with your head" so he figured the way you say yes is by hitting your head. Now that we have a new, albeit silly, way to communicate, understanding what Matthew wants or needs is a lot easier. Sure, he walks around all day hitting himself on the head but at least we have a way to communicate!