When the boys see so much it can be hard for them to filter the information they need from a question. Like a computer chugging along and slowing down when it has lots of tasks going on, my boys need time to work. They need time to process and then act.
David needs plenty to time to form his thoughts into a communication. I need to wait. Eventually he manages to Makaton that he wants to watch Finding Dory. Great - I'll put it on.
Anthony needs lots of time to process and understand what I'm saying. I need to wait. At the cinema today I bought snacks he was familiar with along with the more traditional popcorn. He was prepared for the idea of having popcorn but when I asked him I still had to wait for about 20 seconds for him to process what I was saying and accept my suggestion.
20 seconds doesn't sound like a long time? Try it in the middle of a conversation, it feels like an age. After getting the popcorn, he had some and then returned to his more familiar snacks.
I'm not at all bothered that he only had some popcorn. In fact it's quite daring if Anthony to eat things he's not used to. But if I'd not waited he'd have missed out on it and perhaps been disappointed later.
So good waiting, and watching of Finding Dory and eating of popcorn. Return our homepage to see more of my Babbles & Baubles Christmas series, helping us communicate at Christmas.
This is so true - I sometimes forget that my son often needs processing time before giving an answer. At year 10 parents evening last year we took him along with us - at the end of each appointment most of the teachers would turn to him and ask, "have you got any questions for me?" This would be followed by approximately 20 seconds of silence (felt like longer) with my son eventually saying a simple, "no" in all cases but one. I felt like I was in a strange comedy sketch. thanks for hosting #SpectrumSunday
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