No thanks

So one of the fascinating things about children with autism is that they don't always pick things up from their environment well. That is a portion of the reason why they don't often speak, because they don't pick up the words from just listening to them. Therapies can help with this, but it's not always a bad thing. Case in point.

Andrew didn't really have a word for no, because he never picked one up or understood it. So the school spent time teaching Andrew how to say "yes" and "no thanks" depending on if he wanted an item or not. But imagine if every time you meant to say no, what you said was "no thanks". This is what Andrew does. :)

"Andrew, it's time to go to bed"
"No thanks"

"Andrew, let's be all done at the park"
"No thanks"

"Andrew, don't you think it's time to put your toys away?"
"No thanks"

Even when he is upset and trying to say an emphatic NO, what comes out is "NO THANKS". It's so entirely sweet. And imagine how upset he gets after giving us a very polite "no thanks" when he has to do said activity anyway. :)