Negotiations

One of my non-verbal students has been working towards having a conversation using gesture and sign.  Today he showed some strong emerging skills in this area by negotiating for treats.  At morning snack time, he took me towards the birthday cake a classmate brought earlier in the week.  When I didn't immediately reach for the cake, which was on top of the fridge, he took my hand and raised it to point towards the cake.  When I told him he had to wait for the cake until after lunch, he went to another staff and pointed towards the cake, signed "eat" and "please" while crying (which actually sounded more like a pretend cry).  When she also said no, he sighed, got up, and went to play as if nothing had happened.  He did get a piece of cake after lunch as promised.  Later in the same day, he was offered a small piece of chocolate from a choice of two.  He signed "two" in response to the verbal and signed offer of "one".   When that didn't work, he signed "four" and then signed "two" adding a "please" sign a "treat" sign and an "eat" sign for good measure.  In the end, he happily accepted the original "one" and enjoyed his small chocolate bar.