My Favorite

It's no secret (on this blog) who my favorite kiddo is. BF used to ask me all the time, "Who's your favorite?" When I finally realized and admitted that it's J320, he stopped asking me.

Now, he often surveys, "What is your favorite thing that J320 says (or does)?" I had a hard time figuring it out b/c J320's speech can be a messy chunk so by the time I get home, I forget exactly what he says.

Today, I finally figured it out -- and remembered.

That Crazy Lady and I had been in a relatively short IEP (2 hours...vs. 3-4) but we knew that J320 had been acting up all that time...b/c we could hear him on the other side of the wall and we could feel the room shake whenever he jumped. When the meeting adjourned, we went into the classroom. His aide had gone on a break so J320 got even more antsy so TCL decided to take him on a walk. Before she did, she had to tell an aide something so he stood there, starting to whine. I walked over to him (whence he invaded my personal bubble) and I said, "I need to tie your shoe." He stood still and let me tie his shoe so TCL partially prompted, "What do you say?"

J320: I-nee-hel-plea. (translation: I need help please).
We both try to stifle our laugh and TCL prompts again, "No, what do you say?"
J320: takeawalk!
Me: Give me your other foot... [he stomps a little and then lets me tie his other shoe.]
TCL: What do you say?
J320: Iwa'mee-A!

I was laughing so hard at this point! He said, I want Miss Liang! Poor baby probably doesn't even know what he just said but it totally made my day.

This is just a classic case of him getting his language all mixed up due to anxiety and anticipation of his reinforcer. He ends up spitting out every learned phrase contextually related even if it's not in the appropriate sequence. So it's not that he "wants" me per se, but he was just trying so hard to say the "right" thing (i.e., Thank you) that he ended up recycling every possible phrase that he thinks he's supposed to say until he gets it "right." (Yes, it's my job to help him discriminate and get it right on the first try.)

In retrospect, I am actually surprised that he said my "name" without a prompt! (My name went from "Mi'Lee-A" to "Mi-Mee-A" and now to "Mee-A." Sigh.

My favorite thing that J320 says is my name. Sometimes, instead of spitting it out in a chunk like he usually does anytime he talks (except during group therapy during snack time...and apparently, it's beginning to generalize! Woohoo!), he'll kind of elongate it like he's singing, "Mi-mee-Aaaa."