Today I was reading a pamphlet about autism and learned about "pop-up" words. These are words that suddenly appear in an autistic child's vocabulary, sometimes sentences, and seem as though they have been practiced a million times. Then they either disappear or stick in their vocabulary, could go either way.
Today I was spinning around on the floor in the kitchen trying to make him laugh. I hit my elbow really hard on the fridge handle and yelled "ouch!"
Korben didn't miss a beat. He gasped and said "Are you OK?" with the most sincere voice he could. This seems like a small thing to most people, but to me it was a huge step in Korben's speech progress. He was concerned, and asked the most appropriate question someone would ask in the moment, and I had never heard it before. We didn't teach him that. Apparently it was a "pop-up" sentence.
I love that little guy.
2 comments:
Awwwwwww! I love that little guy, too.
My nephew also has autism, so I know what you mean when things he says come out of nowhere CLEAR AS A BELL, when most things he says seem to be mumbled and soft. That is WAY exciting for Korben! Its so hard for them, because I truely believe they KNOW there is a difference in the way they communicate and think....
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