Per sev er ate: to engage in the same behavior or thought in a repeated fashion. To repeat something insistently or redundantly.
One of the "fun" things about having a child with special needs is all the really cool new words, phrases, and acronyms you get to learn. Many times you don't learn these words through books, but through other parents or professionals who work with your child and give you the words for the behaviors you are experiencing. There is nothing quite like the impact of an object lesson.
When Kellen was about nine years old we drove to my parents house to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas. We were the first family members to arrive and Kellen immediately spotted a new video my mom had bought. I think it was the Eddie Murphy version of Dr. Doolittle. He wanted to watch it right away but my mother told him that he needed to wait because we were going to watch it together as a family that evening.
You would have thought that the universe had disappeared and the only things that remained were: the video, the VCR, the TV and of course, Kellen, grandma and I. He asked and asked and asked and asked, and then asked some more. Grandma was holding firm, but Kellen was persistent. Videos are for watching. This was a video and he was going to watch it.
This went on for ten minutes or so, and then my mom took the video and put it on top of the refrigerator. Oh, ho, ho...this was the very worst thing she could have done. Every ten seconds he would say, "Mom...Mom...Mom...Mom". When I would say, "What?". He would say, "VIDEO". This exchange lasted forever. He was not giving up. I was so incredibly frustrated, more so with my mom then with Kellen. Just who had the disability here? Ok, don't answer that.
Finally, I waited until my mom was busy and quietly took the video down and put it in the VCR for Kellen to watch. After all, sanity is worth something, isn't it??
Much later that evening, the movie
Rain Man came on TV. My mom and I were watching it alone together in the family room. During the movie, Rain man perseverates on People's Court. Even though they are on a road trip, he simply MUST...WATCH...THE SHOW...NOW. His brother Charlie is so frustrated with him and has a tantrum in the middle of the street (so funny). Finally, in desperation, he goes to a stranger's house and knocks on the door just so Raymond can watch his show.
I think it was right about that part of the movie that my mom looked over to me and said, "That was what you were trying to tell me about Kellen...weren't you?"
Per sev er ate: to engage in the same behavior or thought in a repeated fashion. To repeat something insistently or redundantly.
One of the "fun" things about having a child with special needs is all the really cool new words, phrases, and acronyms you get to learn. Many times you don't learn these words through books, but through other parents or professionals who work with your child and give you the words for the behaviors you are experiencing. There is nothing quite like the impact of an object lesson.
When Kellen was about nine years old we drove to my parents house to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas. We were the first family members to arrive and Kellen immediately spotted a new video my mom had bought. I think it was the Eddie Murphy version of Dr. Doolittle. He wanted to watch it right away but my mother told him that he needed to wait because we were going to watch it together as a family that evening.
You would have thought that the universe had disappeared and the only things that remained were: the video, the VCR, the TV and of course, Kellen, grandma and I. He asked and asked and asked and asked, and then asked some more. Grandma was holding firm, but Kellen was persistent. Videos are for watching. This was a video and he was going to watch it.
This went on for ten minutes or so, and then my mom took the video and put it on top of the refrigerator. Oh, ho, ho...this was the very worst thing she could have done. Every ten seconds he would say, "Mom...Mom...Mom...Mom". When I would say, "What?". He would say, "VIDEO". This exchange lasted forever. He was not giving up. I was so incredibly frustrated, more so with my mom then with Kellen. Just who had the disability here? Ok, don't answer that.
Finally, I waited until my mom was busy and quietly took the video down and put it in the VCR for Kellen to watch. After all, sanity is worth something, isn't it??
Much later that evening, the movie Rain Man came on TV. My mom and I were watching it alone together in the family room. During the movie, Rain man perseverates on People's Court. Even though they are on a road trip, he simply MUST...WATCH...THE SHOW...NOW. His brother Charlie is so frustrated with him and has a tantrum in the middle of the street (so funny). Finally, in desperation, he goes to a stranger's house and knocks on the door just so Raymond can watch his show.
I think it was right about that part of the movie that my mom looked over to me and said, "That was what you were trying to tell me about Kellen...weren't you?"