Line, Please?

So.

PDD-NOS.

Ben and I have accepted Sophie's diagnosis.  Now we're attacking it like the geeks we are; by reading everything available and studying like we're two weeks away from a final exam.  Sophie has not yet had her evaluation by a Special Ed teacher because she needs some medical tests done first.  Until then, we're trying some things we've read about.

Sophie uses something called echolalia. She hears us say something and can't process or understand it so she just repeats the last thing we said.

Before:
Ben:  "I love you, Sophie!"
Sophie: (just repeating) "I love you, Sophie!"

Sophie also uses "scripts" to describe how she is feeling or what she wants.  She usually takes these from her favorite TV shows; Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,  Imagination Movers and Sesame Street.

Sophie:  "Whassa matter?"
Meaning:  "Something is wrong!"
Origin:  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode "Doctor Daisy, M.D."

Ben and I have been watching and listening to Sophie to see how she uses language and scripts.  We've been trying to modify how we speak to her and see if she responds.

Now:
Ben:  (pointing at himself) "I love you, Sophie!"  (pointing at her) "I love you, Daddy!"
Sophie:  (understanding her line) "I love you, Daddy!"

Now Sophie will come up to me with a grin and say "I love you, Mama!" because she knows that I'm supposed to say "I love you, Sophie!" back to her.  She no longer needs the prompt.

We're working on some more scripts for when she's hungry, tired or needs something.  Basically, we're teaching her how to use pronouns correctly which makes her connect to herself and others the right way.

It's a lot of work but Sophie catches on quickly.  We're already thinking of some flash card ideas and games that we can play.  We also use dialog from Mickey Mouse to see what's going on.  God knew what he was doing when he put me in theater and made it easy for me to learn a lot of lines!