Sign Language can be a miracle intervention for children with Autism. It was after introducing signs to my autistic 3 year old that he used his first words and signs simultaneously "more juice"....still gives me goosebumps!
What I have come to learn from using signs with other children with Autism, may be surprising.
If we are teaching a child a sign, such as "more" during lunch and snack time, and the child is learning to do the sign when he wants "more" food on his/her plate. We may think we have successfully taught them how to communicate "more", when what we have actually taught them is to communicate "food", or more specifically "I want food now".
If we are teaching the child to do the sign for "bathroom" or "potty", and every time they show us the sign we rush them to the bathroom. Instead of "bathroom", they may have learned "leave". Their thought may be, if I don't like this activity, or if I'm tired of it, or bored, I can do this sign to get out of the situation."
If we are teaching the child to ask for "help" when they come to a difficult part of a game on the Ipad, and they learn to get the "help" PEC and bring it to you so you can "help" them with that part of the game, it may be easy to think they could apply that to any time they need "help" with something, like opening their juice box. But if given the PEC, the child would be expecting the Ipad, even at lunch, even holding his juice he is unable to open. To him, the PEC of the helping hands means that specific Ipad game.
Keep these thoughts in mind if you have children you are working with sign language and PEC's.
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