Friday, May 5, 2017

Self-Talking And Eye-Rolling

I was watching from a window inside our house: Joshua...walking around and around and around our pool, talking to himself. His head was nodding for emphasis, and his arms and hands were moving at different points...just trying to reinforce what he was trying to say. 

This is not a new thing with Joshua. He's done it as long as I can remember. Many times during the day, I can hear him upstairs...a low rumble or murmur, as he talks. To himself.

A couple of times, I've gone up there and peeked around the corner. I've been able to watch him without him knowing. It's like he's rehearsing a sermon or something.

Most of Joshua's FRIENDS, the ones who have Down Syndrome, do this self-talking thing, too.

On this day, I had asked Joshua take HIS DOG outside for a while, and play with her. It was sunny and warm. It wasn't like I sent him out there in the rain...but you would've thought I had. Oh, he didn't SAY anything to me...he knew better. But I saw him roll his eyes.

Yep. You read that right. My sweet and loving Downsy man ROLLED HIS LITTLE SASSY EYES AT ME.

From a NADS (National Association of Down Syndrome) article entitled, "If People With Down Syndrome Ruled The World: People engaged in self talk would be considered thoughtful and creative. Self talk rooms would be reserved in offices and libraries to encourage this practice. 

People with Down Syndrome have a reputation for 'talking to themselves.' 

When conducted in a private space, self talk serves many adaptive purposes.


It is a wonderful means to ponder ideas and to think out loud. It allows people to review events that occurred in the course of their day. It allows people to solve problems by talking themselves through tasks. It allows them to plan for future situations. It is also helpful in allowing people to express feelings and frustrations, particularly if they have difficulty expressing their feelings to others." 

It also helps when you are mad at your dog for disrupting your routine. 

"Do everything without complaining..." Philippians 2:14

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