Do you remember that one thing that your child just loved! For Ben it was Blue's Clues and you can see from the joy on his face it was real! On his second birthday we gave him his very own "Steve's Notebook" complete with green crayon and erasable pages. One of his brothers attempted to help him unbox the item but he strong armed it away from them and handed it right to dad to help him open it. After he opened that gift, he didn't care about anything else. He was in gift heaven. He would carry it around, putting the crayon in the spiral binding and taking it out to draw his very important clues on the board.
What was it about that show and those items that connected with Ben? Was it the bright colors, predicable show pattern, catchy tunes? We will never know but he had a set of adorable Blue's clue figurines that he would have undecipherable conversations with way before we knew he had a diagnosis of autism. He would line them up and have them interact with each other in only a way that made sense to him.
His older brothers also enjoyed the show before Ben was born and when we were considering names for Ben prior to his birth, Dan suggested Paprika as that is what Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper named their baby on the show.
Joining your children in the things that they enjoy is one of the best ways to facilitate language as you are already in an area of interest for them.
I will have the Blue's Clues mail song always in my heart.
Love you more,
Mom
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