The Switch That Flipped

Yesterday afternoon (because I'm well into Sunday now!) a switch was flipped in Axel's mind.

I have been showing him signs, forcing him to stop and watch my hands before certain things, like signing "please" if he wanted something I have, or "drink" when he was thirsty, etc. (He learned "drink" very quickly because he's a thirsty boy!) But, although he had learned some signs, and was using them appropriately, it still didn't make sense to him, this business of forcing him to watch.

Until yesterday afternoon.

He wanted to go for a walk, and had managed to get his jacket and all his other outdoor gear together and on, but he needed help with the zipper. I've been using the sign for "help", and he'll imitate it, but it doesn't have meaning for him yet. In the world of ASL we say he doesn't "own" that sign yet.

But then I forced him to watch me sign "zipper" or "zip". He refused to look, I refused to zip. I got my jacket, put it on and signed "zip". He looked down at his jacket, signed zip, and I jumped in with "BRAVO!!!!" and zipped it up.

The rest of the evening he was imitating everything I did, sure that it had meaning. But most importantly, when I make him stop and watch, he understands that what I'm showing him has importance, and meaning, and will get him something, weather that be a zipper done for him, or drink of juice.

Man, I love watching the wheels in his mind turn!