Doesn't Everybody Kiss Blenders?

What if you wanted to tell someone something, but you couldn't talk?  What if you used signs, but didn't have one for everything you wanted to say?  I don't know about you, but I think I would get pretty frustrated! I might even cry or scream!  But that's the thing that amazes me about Matthew.  I'm not saying that he never gets frustrated or cries, but it's not typically because he can't get his message across.  He is and always has been extremely motivated to communicate.  The following scenarios are just a few examples of the creative ways he lets us know what he wants/needs.  

Right around Christmastime we got a food processor.  Matthew was very excited about this new machine and of course the packaging that said machine came in.  I took our old blender down to the basement for storage.  But it turns out the blender was better for certain things like making smoothies.  So the blender was brought back up to the kitchen counter and the new food processor was relegated to the basement.  I was busy in the kitchen, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Matthew blow kisses at the blender.  I thought, "Oh my, that's goofy!"  And then he went over and kissed the base of the blender.  I called Abby over and asked her, "What is he doing?!?!"  "Being Matthew..." she replied.  Pretty soon he started waving at the blender....Lightbulb!  "Do you want the blender to go bye-bye?"  He nodded yes.  "Do you want it to go back in the basement?" Again, he nodded yes.  He followed me into the basement as I put it away.  He pointed to the food processor.  He wanted that to come back upstairs!

Early in January we went out to eat with Grandma and Grandpa.  He had unsuccessfully asked to ride in their car at least ten times while we were in the restaurant.  As we were walking out to the cars with them, he knew that he couldn't ask again so he started scratching on my hand and arm.  At first I thought he was doing it because he was upset, but then...Lightbulb!  It turns out he was trying to tell me that he wanted to scratch the inside of their car.  He likes the way it feels and the sound it makes.

A couple of weeks ago we arrived at Social Skills a little early on a Saturday morning.  We got there and there was only one other boy there.  Matthew started signing "more" and another sign that looked like water. I was confused because he didn't have any water, how could he want "more".  I watched him carefully and he continued to sign more and held up two fingers.  Then he pointed to the window...Lightbulb!  He wanted more than two friends to be at Social Skills.  Luckily, I was able to reassure him that more friends were indeed coming!

While I have received messages in his home-school communication notebook before about things that he has told them that he wants me to know, this week he took it to the next level.  He handed them his home-school communication notebook and a pencil and then signed for them to tell Mom that he wants to go back to the "jumping place".  Two days later he also told them to write that he wanted a new water noodle, an orange riding toy, and a new mat for his birthday.  Next time he'll have to give me a little more notice, seeing as he told them to write this ON his birthday!

I can't wait to see what creative ways to communicate he comes up with next!