W-H.......

Remember Roger*? He's my little guy that, on paper at least, I won't attempt to diagnose.

I'd guess he falls somewhere on the Autism spectrum if I had to guess, but as I've said before, it really doesn't matter in how I deal with him.

He's a child... and deserves the best I can do for him. So I have in my mind that he's different, and I make allowances for that while still making sure he adheres to safety rules and rules for how we treat other people.

He's actually made a bit of progress this year. I'm super proud of him, because I know that for him to change a behavior or remember a way of handling a situation isn't easy for him to do. I try hard to be consistent, gentle in my tone, and make a point to either give him a sort of half hug or stroke the back of his head when he's done something great along with verbal reinforcement. I can tell it makes him feel good, and at the end of the day, that's really what my job is. To make kids feel good. About themselves, the program, life in general.

One of the things about him that is different is that he doesn't have a lot of animation in his face or his demeanor. He's... deadpan. He rarely talks to anyone, adults included. If I ask him a question, he'll answer, but usually in a monosyllable.

His expression is just neutral about 99% of the time until one of his family members arrives to pick him up. You can tell by the look on his face that he's happy to see them. I find it endearing, because of course that half smile he's showing means a great deal of joy on the INside. :)

He notices everything, though. The lack of facial and physical animation isn't because he's fast asleep mentally.
He's a sharp kid. One afternoon, for no reason I could discern, he spent about five minutes regaling me with facts about bugs and habitats for them. When he was finished, he didn't wait for feedback or discussion. He simply stopped talking and walked away. You never know what you're gonna get with him. :)

He was at the break program the week I wasn't there working. When I went in on Friday morning, he was one of the kids who mobbed me, although he hung back until the other kids had gone back to their activities. He accepted a brief hug, but he had other things on his mind.

"That kid? Over there? The one in the white shirt? He said a BAD WORD!!!'

"Oh dear," I responded. And even though I wasn't technically at work, he had come to me for help. So as I walked over to where 'that kid in the white shirt' was, Roger actually bounced beside me.

"D'ya want me to just tell you what he said?" he asked.

"No, that's okay Roger, I will go talk to him."

"Yeah. But I heard him! He said the W-H word!!!"

So I talked to the other little guy. I said mildly, "We try to use appropriate language while we're here. Do you think you can remember to do that, please?" That was the end of my 'lecture'. There's no point in beating a kid over the head with his mistakes, it doesn't help them feel better, and certainly isn't an incentive to try to do better.

He looked at me shyly. "I forgot it was bad to say 'hell'," he told me. "I won't say it anymore."

So evidently I've been spelling it wrong all these years. 
From now on, W-H-E-L-L.

::snort::