Monkey developed a unique way of “tickling” me some time ago. He would simply place his hand on me and grin, I was expected to shriek and laugh. It was a great game for the two of us to play but I realized no one else was going to understand what he was doing or what he wanted in return.
A couple weeks ago I decided we were going to teach him how to really tickle. I demonstrated prime tickling techniques on Duhdee and expected that Monkey would pick it up in time. WRONG! He immediately switched to the new method and now he can’t get enough.
He will run up to me try to say “Tickle, tickle” and wiggle his little fingers on me. Today he instituted he OWN approach. The sneak tickle attack! He came up to me and asked for a hug…as soon as his little arms wrapped around my neck though he started saying “tickle, tickle” and tickling my back.
This is just one of the many ways we’re noticing lately that he is taking the initiative, seeking us out and adapting old games in new unexpected ways. I’m loving (almost) four so far!
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It is nice that he likes to see his parents happy. He knows that that is a positive emotion and wants to make you have that emotion.
That’s it…and given the added PDD diagnosis that they’ve given him this gives me hope that we’ll drop the “double whammy” of FX and autism. It really doesn’t matter to me but it does affect the school’s approach to him.