Peppa and Holly Helped My Son to Talk
Never underestimate those fictitious characters!
“How many words does Rhys have?”
“Can he talk?”
“Is he verbal?”
These are questions I have been asked by friends, professionals, family, and strangers. They are words that strike like needles into the skin because they are questions. Words I have plugged into Google asked in support groups and played over and over in my mind - trying to find the most positive answers to give me hope.
My son’s verbal journey is a long one, and a path we are still climbing. The comments which have come from others whose children never spoke and then spoke in sentences - that is not our story. Rhys’ progression has been slow, with regression and then surprises of leaps in language.
Every time we hear a new word or phrase, we are ecstatic, sending Whatsapp messages to each other and celebrating amongst family and friends who just get it.
But to others, the celebrations were not the same. “Is your son using words in context?” was a question asked by many a professional. The question would be read from a drafted questionnaire that would give a score to be filed away with no meaning to my son.
“No” was always my answer in the beginning.
At five, Rhys was saying a few words, but they were chants from his favorite television episodes. He would say words to calm himself, later known to me as verbal stimming. Although never very clear, he would recite Peppa Pig episodes, or Ben and Holly scenes.
These verbal progressions were always discounted by some professionals, he was not associating language - therefore he was not verbal in the definition of the word on their hymn sheets.
But I still celebrated them.
To talk each one of us develops through a sequence of stages. The process of talking is not just learning a word and speaking it. It is building up the physical facial muscles, hearing a sound when your mouth is put in a certain position, and then perfecting that sound. Yes, the association of a sound to a word to an object, is also part of it (a very important part). But I always found, that this final phase, was the goal being assessed - forgetting all the stages that came before it.
Through mimicry (or echolalia as it is known) my son was developing his facial muscles, hearing sounds, and practicing them. That was a pretty good achievement for me, and no one was going to tell me that it didn’t deserve a tick in a box and a champagne celebration.
And I was right.
Slowly over the years, Rhys started to associate the television phases with scenarios in everyday life. “Put the Fairy down please” (Ben and Holly, The Toy Robot Series 1 Episode 36) was his verbal request to be lifted out of the bath and put down on the mat. When Rhys gets upset that he can’t do something, he mimics Peppa when she says “I’m a big girl, George is little” (Peppa Pig, My Cousin Chloe Season 1 Episode 28) - his association with being able to do something because he is no longer little.
Rhys is still on his verbal journey. He has taken longer than his siblings and peers, but through hard work, his understanding of language has progressed. He now uses his favorite Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly phrases to communicate. And he uses them in context!
I use to despise that little Pink Pig with her attitude and big red boots, but these days I am grateful for her. She gave my son his voice. She helped him communicate.
And that is a tick for me in every professional’s box.
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When Rhys was three he could not process any language. He was also unable to associate words with symbols or images - his world made no sense.
Objects of reference were the strategy that meant I could communicate with him, and through objects, we saw his frustration reduce and the meltdowns subside.
Watch below about how you can use objects of reference and ensure you subscribe to the A&Me YouTube channel to get notifications of new content as soon as it is uploaded.
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This is exactly like my son!! Its like it's written about him! He is 3 and a half and he recites peppa and Ben and Holly. You don't realise how much hope this has given me that one day il be able to communicate more with him. I say 'nun night Bligh, love you' ... And he says 'yes peppa' I've had the same comments from SALT this is echolalia rather than speech but I know that is just how HE communicates. Thank you so much for sharing this 💙