Asking for help !

It has been quite tough for DS to ask for help in a way thats descriptive. If he is looking for something and he cannot find it, the graph gradient from quiet to a temperish tantrum would be quite steep. One of the things we have been working as a part of RDI is to being descriptive and asking for help, rather than getting stressed about it. We have made some progress; progress within the confines of what the child in the spectrum would make.

Two days ago, DS was playing in the apartment play area in a grass mound. He was playing with another kid (half his age though), and playing throw-catch with the ball. I had decided to swim in the adjacent pool and there is a kids pool area between the bigger pool and the grass mound (photo adjacent ;) ). DW, who was with him, decided to go upstairs for a few minutes. In midst of my swimming I heard DS talking to someone. When I surfaced he was talking to an older gentleman, asking for his help, since the ball had gone into the kids pool. He was asking the gentleman to help, since he cannot get into the swimming pool without the swimming attire.

Later on when we were discussing this - we told him that we were very proud that he asked for help, but asked him (ofcourse, in our own declarative way :) ) on what his thoughts were. He said, he knew the gentleman since he and DW had gone to their house for a function. So, he knew that man, hence he asked him specifically for help. He also said that the other option he had was looking for a long rod, that he could not find.

Looking to help himself first, check and continue to reinforce.
Asking for help, check & ctr.
Identifying the appropriate person for help, check & ctr.
Make judgment if the person can help, work in progress.
Articulate emotions when things dont go the expected way... yet to start, long way to go !
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ps: The gentleman in question said he could not help, since he was carrying a baby. By that time, I had intervened to get the ball for him; in the hindsight I did that too quickly. Should have waited to see what else he would have done. Later, I tried to get him to relate how DS felt when he was refused help; he wasn't able to articulate from an emotion perspective; he said it from logic - ie the man could not help since he was carrying a baby and cannot get into the pool.