Unexpected Conversation Turn with a Neurodivergent Kid

I've worked with a lot of kids with autism spectrum disorder, and this pediatrics coverage is no different. Some kids are verbal, some kids are nonverbal, and some kids speak in a scripted language, meaning that they repeat what they've heard on tv or in movies. 

There are a lot of different schools of thought about scripting, including why people do it and how others should handle it. I see scripting as a unique way that individuals function. They may do it as a coping strategy when feeling overwhelmed or socially anxious. Others may engage in scripting as a way to communicate and connect. Every person is different, and I try to learn about each individual and help them along their way as they improve their ability to function in life.

One kid I've been working with repeats a lot of dialogue from the movie Home Alone, the movie with Macaulay Culkin where his whole family goes on vacation and he gets left behind. When I first met this kid he asked me, "What would you do if your family went on vacation and you were home alone?" Seizing the teachable moment I said, "I'd call a grown up and ask for help." 

For the first month, he continued to ask me this question every week and I would give variations of the same reply, always emphasizing safety and asking for help. However, he continued to ask me this question throughout the duration of our sessions. I didn't feel like I was helping. 

Over the last two months, the question evolved into, "What would you do if you went on vacation and your kid was left home alone?" Again, I always gave an answer that emphasized being safe and asking for help. But I was starting to question the effectiveness of my answers.

So this week I took a different approach. 

It wasn't planned. I just tried something different in the moment. The kid arrived for his appointment. He took off his shoes like he usually did. And he quickly jumped into his usual scripted language. He asked me, "What would you do if you went on vacation and your kid was left home alone?" And I answered, "I don't have any kids. I don't have to worry about that."

And then...

It just ended. The scripted conversation stopped.

We went on and talked about other things like school and what he had for lunch that day.

This unexpected turn of conversation may not have had anything to do with me being childless. Maybe I just interrupted his script. If so, I hope it wasn't harmful. He didn't seem agitated or upset. Or... Maybe something registered for him. Maybe he briefly understood the irrelevance of that question for me. Maybe he got it.

Whatever it was, it was the first time he engaged with me and we didn't talk about Home Alone.