Yesterday, I prattled about J’s favorite stims.
Today, it’s all about how he scripts.
What’s scripting? He will say the same words/phrases again and again like they were lines in a play. Occasionally, those around him have lines within these scripts. It is absolutely important that you say these lines or he will hang up then and there and not relent until you do. Failure to comply could in fact end in a meltdown.
You’d think I am joking yet I’m not.
J’s first script is one he still has. It’s simple. He says “hi” and you must say hi or some variant thereof in return. He was doing this last summer, right around when he was diagnosed. It cropped up whenever he seemed to be insecure or unsure. You would get a panicky sounding “hi?” several times in a row and he would only escalate until you calmly returned his hello.
And yes, scripts and all, he’s still considered non-verbal. Why? The words aren’t carrying the traditional meaning. He’s saying them within the script, yes, but he’s doing it for specific different responses. He uses them for comfort as he does his visual stims. Scripts are also entertaining along with that comfort. He finds himself quite hilarious and I do tend to agree with his assessment.
Most of his scripts run to the “minion” side of his language usage. I have no idea precisely what he’s saying. I know it’s a script because it’s the same sounds with the same cadence in the same order again and again but it can take me months to figure them out if I ever figure them out at all. There was one he had that I only figured out because he got a toy phone from his Catherine and started doing all of the gestures that go with it. Turned out it was a phone conversation from the movie “Megamind”. Right now, he’s got a few scripts from “Bubble Guppies” and “Ni Hao, Kai-lan!” going on along with mundane things like everyday conversations.
My house is rarely quiet and when it is, I know to immediately check on him. It’s quiet right now because as I type this he’s sitting on the arm of my recliner beside me having a conversation with his foot as a telephone.
I wouldn’t have him any other way.