(WORKING MEMO FOR KIDS PROGRAM)
		THE PROBLEM OF "YES" IN CHILDHOOD AUTISM
		KENNETH MARK COLBY


	It has been frequently observed that  autistic  children  say
"no" without difficulty but seldom if ever say "yes" until they reach
perhaps seven or eight years of  age.  Why  is  this  the  case?  Can
anything  remedial  be  done about it to help a child affirm by means
other than echolalic repetition?
	In normal children "no" usually appears a few weeks or months
before  "yes".  Although  the terms look like simple opposites, there
exists a great difference in the frequency and function of the  terms
in  a child's experience. He hears many "no"s because this represents
the the main way parents stop a child from doing what he is doing  or
about  to  do.  Such  prohibition  at  a  distance  by verbal command
protects a child from something harmful or potentially harmful. "No "
usually  means you should not touch or cannot have. (I am indebted to
Margaret Dewey for this perceptive observation).  A  child's  ongoing
activity  which  is not disapproved is not interrupted. When positive
approval is expressed, terms other than"yes" are used, e.g."good"  or
the  parent  simply  smiles  to encourage continuation. A child hears
lots of "no-no" but no "yes-yes". Even as adults we  say,  "that's  a
no-no"  but  we never say "that's a yes-yes." A child will hear "yes"
if he listens to others attentively but  a  dissymbolic  child  tunes
others out.
	The other main situation in which a normal child hears  "yes"
is  when  he asks "yes-no" questions. Dissymbolic children seldom ask
questions using language.When they wish permission to touch  or  have
something  they  guide the other's hand to the object and if he picks
it up, the child will then take it from him.
	The  terms "yes" and "no" are anaphoric and elliptical.  Thus
if I ask you, "do you want a cookie?" and you answer "yes" you  mean,
"yes,  I  want a cookie." The affirmation refers back to the question
and asserts elliptically an assent. To signify "no" to this  question
an  autistic  child may say "no" but to signify assent he will simply
repeat the question because he does not understand  the  function  of
"yes".
	The term "yes" has two common usuages.  The  simplest  is  in
response to a request for permission.
	CHILD - "Can I have a cookie?"
	ADULT   -   "Yes".
	A more complex meaning of "yes" involves the
truth-status of a proposition embodied in a question. A child may ask
"cat?"  meaning  "is this a cat?" and an adult will say "yes" lending
his authority to the truth of of a correct set identification.  These
two  meanings  of  permission  and  set  membership can easily become
confused by autistic children who tend to stick to one word-sense  of
a word or expression.



			REMEDIES

Parents
	Parents should use "yes" as much a s possible with the child.
beginning with the simplest usuage, that is, granting permission.  If
the child says "cookie?" the parent should reply- "yes, you can  have
a  cookie".  In  commonly  recurrent  situations in the child's life-
eating, bathing, dresssing and undressing, travelling, going to  bed,
etc.  the  parent  should  emphasize "YES" even though no question is
asked. For example, "now we eat, want eat? -YES, I want eat",or "do I
want  milk,  YES ,I want milk". Because the two meanings of "yes" are
confusing to  a  dissymbolic  child,  the  second  meaning  involving
correct  identifications  should  not  be stressed until the first is
mastered.  If the child asks a yes-no question ,  then  always  reply
with  a "yes". For example, if the child asks "go store?" then answer
"YES, go store". If the term "yes" is not  adopted  by  a  child  try
affirmation  equivalents  one  at a time such as "ok", "yup", "yeah",
etc.

Program

	We should have a game in which an animal is displayed  and  a
question  asked such as "want cookie?" and a voice answers "YES, want
cookie " and the figure gets a cookie. Several variations  of  giving
permission to touch or have should be illustrated.
	Identificaation questions should first involved wanted things
such  as cookies. Later use common objects such as a dog and ask, "is
this a cat?" and answer "NO, this is a dog."
	Another  game could display ice-cream and the voice asks, "do
you like ice-cream?" and another voice says "Yes, I like  ice-cream."
It  is  worth  noting  that  these  games  also  exercise the "I-you"
pronominal functions.
	Perhaps  we should separate the senses and use, say, "ok" for
the sense of asking permission and "yes" for  truth-status.  Although
this may strengthen a belief that a word has only one sense, it helps
communication between child and parents.