Speaking in Tongues

Since Erika speaks in scripts, I want to share the meanings of some of them with you.

An Introduction to Scripts

Erika speaks in scripts, but she thinks and communicates through associations. She finds a similarity in a certain situation, makes a connection, and communicates that connection through her scripts.

Here's an obvious example. I was giving her a shower the other day. I turned off the water, and Erika said, with much animation, "Hey! It stopped raining!" (This script is from a "Little Bear" video.) Well, Erika knows it doesn't rain inside. She knows that the water coming from the shower isn't actually rain. She knows that the water can be turned on and off at will. But the similarities are obvious. The water is similar to rain. The water being turned off is similar to a situation in which it was raining, and it suddenly stopped. And somebody said, "Look! It stopped raining!" I guarantee that she has not seen this particular "Little Bear" video in at least two years, but it doesn't matter. She could recite the whole thing if she wanted to. When she uses the script, it is spoken with exactly the same timing and inflection as the character in the video.

But not all of her communication is this obvious. Context matters. For example, for the longest time, when she was very upset about something, Erika would say, with a very consistent inflection, "Maybe you can drop me off on the moon!" This script is so unique, that I recognized it immediately the first time I heard her say it. It's a Big Bird quote (from the Sesame Street 25th Anniversary DVD), and Big Bird said it when he was visibly upset about something. Big Bird said this line with an inflection that expressed how upset he was about his situation, and Erika was able to replicate the inflection perfectly each time she said it. Without fail, whenever Erika used this phrase, she was extremely upset about something. Like I said, context is important. To Erika, she was using the phrase appropriately. It was actually a very useful phrase between us, since she struggles with spontaneous communication and she cannot tell me "I'm really upset about something." She is, however, making the association about being upset, which prompts her to say "Maybe you can drop me off on the moon." It's like she's created an alternate pathway in her brain, because the spontaneous communication pathway is "broken."

Decoding the scripts

From the previous example, you can see that to understand the intent and meaning of Erika's communication, the script needs to be decoded. My process of decoding goes something like this:

What's she saying?/ What's the script?
What's the original meaning/ origin/ original context of the script?* (*If you don't know, her mom just might!)
What is similar about the current situation that's prompting that script? This is the connection that she's making. Sometimes it's just an observation ("It stopped raining.") and sometimes it's critical information ("Maybe you can drop me off on the moon" = "I am very upset about something right now.").

Different Types of Scripts

Erika's scripts typically fall into one of these categories:

I am trying to communicate something to you that is very important. I do not have the right words to say what I mean, so I will borrow some that seem to apply to this situation. CONTEXT is very important. Some examples include:
- "Maybe you can drop me off on the moon." (as previously discussed)
- "Little Bear...stomach ache." This one originated from a "Little Bear" video in which Little Bear eats too many sweets, and gets a stomach ache. Erika usually acts it out. She will sit with her back to a wall, pull her knees up to her chest a little, and say the line in a whiny fashion. And instead of saying "stomach ache," it sounds more like "stumma cake," presumably because she is unfamiliar with the word "stomach" (but perhaps also because Little Bear ate way too many cakes). I have heard her use this script many times to indicate that she was not feeling well.
I am trying to communicate something to you using a script. The words might not be EXACTLY right, but you can probably figure out what I mean. For example, she has recently started to reply, "No, huh?" instead of just saying the word "No." She is repeating a line that Big Bird says. Big Bird is babysitting baby Ernestine. Ernestine is crying, and Big Bird asks, "Do you want a bottle?" (No reply - the baby doesn't speak yet, and continues to cry.) In response to the continued crying, Big Bird says, "No, huh?" It just goes to show you how quickly a script can replace another. We are currently trying to replace the "No, huh?" with good ol' "No."
What's happening right now reminds me of something else, and I have a script that goes with that. In this case, knowing the script might shed some light on an observation or a connection that Erika is making. Some examples include:

"Give me the hat. Give me the coat. Now the snowpants." (And sometimes followed by: "My OWN fur coat!") This is a script from "What Will Little Bear Wear?" Sometimes she will recite it as she is getting her winter outdoor clothes on.
"Come on, porridge, get cool!" Baby Bear (from Sesame Street) said this as he was waiting for his porridge to cool. Erika has been saying this lately when she encounters something that is hot. She has also been saying this if she sees me cooking on the stove. Perhaps she is noting something more specific than something being hot; she may be observing that there is steam rising from something, as it does from the hot porridge.

I am thinking about some silly scripts. Isn't this fun? Well, it is if you know the scripts! If you knew them, you'd probably play along with me! This goes back to the strategy I mentioned on a prior page: using some of her favorite videos to interact and engage her in conversation. What's interesting is that Erika knows that these are "inside jokes," which not everybody will "get." But she will throw these scripts out there with people who do know the punchlines, and we have a good laugh over them. No video needed! The list here is endless, but some examples include:
- "Cookies done yet?" "No, cookies not done yet." Get ready for big laughs, much animation and acting! (Cookie Monster's Best Bites video)
- "DON'T, DON'T, DON'T...DO! DO eat cookie! COWABUNGA!" (Cookie Eats the Letter D video)
- "Kermit the FROG T-shirt" (Wonderful World of T Shirts video) This is a fabulous classic clip, which was re-released on Sesame Street's "Getting Ready To Read" DVD. It's amazing to watch Erika respond to this type of humor. In addition, the video effectively teaches a simple lesson about spelling. Brace yourselves, because Erika is getting a Kermit the Frog t-shirt for Christmas this year.
I am agitated, and I am repeating scripts that are on my mind, even though they are unrelated to what's going on right now. Examples include: "Say goodbye, Dorothy." and "Elmo wants to learn more about mail." (both from Elmo's World)

Behavior = Communication

Why bother to learn Erika's scripts? I was describing Erika's scripts to a good friend one day, to which her response was, "But you have to know SO MUCH!" It's true, the decoding of Erika's scripts is not always a straightforward process. But until Erika is capable of expressing her thoughts and ideas in a more deliberate or spontaneous fashion, this is what we have to work with. Because she does rely so heavily on scripts, this is all the more reason why we need to be giving her appropriate scripts through the use of assistive technology (Proloquo2Go on the iPad). There is no better way that I know of to leverage her echolalia to work to her advantage.

The consequences of not being understood are too great. Every person seeks to be understood. In the absence of the ability to communicate verbally, behavior equals communication. When you see a nonverbal person "acting out" (read: not acting in a socially-acceptable manner), the chances are very high that the behavior is their only means of communicating something. To the teacher or observer who thinks the non-verbal child is acting "naughty:" that behavior is communication. The inability to communicate in the traditional way is that person's disability. Any special ed teacher who doesn't "get" the difference between "naughty" and "disability" ought to reconsider his/her choice of profession.

What Would Big Bird Do?

A few months ago, during the bus ride home from school, Erika had an "incident" which was reported to me with much drama and in great detail by the bus driver's assistant. One minute, Erika was calm and quiet, as she normally is, when suddenly she began to brush her clothes frantically, while also making repeated screaming noises. She tried to get out of her seat, and, when she was not being permitted to change seats, she tried to open the window. Erika was ansty and unsettled, and continued brushing her shirt and lap with her hands. She did not calm down until a few minutes had passed. Erika was calm by the time she arrived at home, and when the assistant described Erika's behavior to me, I replied, "Well, if the change in behavior happened that suddenly, it sounds like maybe she saw a spider, or there was a fly buzzing by her or something. Maybe that's why she was brushing her clothes, wanting to get out of her seat, and trying to open the window." The assistant hadn't seen any spider or bug, of course. I said to her, "Did you ask her any questions?"

The assistant replied, "Yes, I kept asking her, 'Do you see the flower? Look at the flower outside. Do you see the flower?'"

Apparently, the well-meaning assistant was using this question to try to distract Erika from whatever the real problem was. What I wanted to tell her is this: "If Big Bird were here right now, he'd tell you that 'Asking questions is a good way to find things out.' " (See Big Bird video.)

Simple questions like, "Is there a bug? Is there a spider?" would have elicited an appropriate response from Erika ("Yes, there's a spider!"), and helped to diffuse the situation. Erika's ability to understand others is much better than her ability communicate spontaneously. Erika was not acting in a crazy or irrational manner. Her behavior communicated exactly what was going on. Even us verbal folks respond in exactly the same way if there's something crawling on us or buzzing around us.

Thank you, Big Bird, for pointing out in every episode of Journey to Ernie what seems very obvious, but is often forgotten. Questions really are a good way to find things out. In fact, they are essential on this Journey to Erika as well.