Speaking Joey Glossary

Speaking Joey: A Quick-Use Glossary

Life with Joey and Andy includes the use of certain words in unusual contexts, as well as technical terms some of my readers find confusing are are unfamiliar with. As more pop up, I'll add. I hope this is helpful.

Awesome Neighbor: A child whose grandparents lived across the street from us, and who was awesome with JOey and Andy. Unfortunately, the grandparents were forced to move.

Bolting: A behavior often referred to as "eloping", "escaping", and "fight-flight response." This is when Joey gets frustrated and tries to run out of a room, space, situation, etc. It is a very dangerous behavior, especially if Joey does not have a plan of where he is going. For us, this is frustration response rather than a pure impulsive response.

Cousins, The: These are the twin boys of my cousin (my uncle's daughter), who are a few years older than Joey. I have another cousin who has a child close to Andy's age, but we rarely see him.

Cow: We are using this word to replace "bad words" that have appeared in Joey's vocabulary; you know, the ones you don't want to hear coming from the mouths of babes, even though you curse like a sailor. Examples: What the cow? It is hot as cow! This is a cowing mess! What the cow are you doing?

Dysgraphia: This is something Andy is struggling with, and I had never even heard of it until someone brought it up at the IEP as his "specific learning disability." I had to run home and start researching it. It is a processing disorder that results in an inability to write properly.

ESY: "Extended School Year." This means Joey goes to school in the summer, although for us it s in abbreviated form.

Level 10: an extremely dangerous meltdown, when Joey becomes incoherent, aggressive, violent, and often empties his lungs in my face. We have a scale for meltdown severity, and it begins at Level 1, non-functional but mostly echoing upsetting words or squealing. Anything retaining actual functioning and reasoning (so that Joey retains a goal in mind, not simply being overwhelmed) is not a meltdown, it is a tantrum.

Soundification: When Joey reduces words to their sounds, removing meaning and often obscuring the words themselves. It is a form of echolalic self-stimulation.

Wax: Verb. To regurgitate. Toss cookies. Throw up. Barf.


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