Either That Or They Have A Low Opinion Of Coldplay

(I am teaching a student, who is autistic and nonverbal, to recognize sign language. We are reviewing colors. I show her a flashcard with a square of the color on it and she is supposed to show me the corresponding ASL sign.)

Me: “Okay, [Student], what color is this?” *shows yellow*

Student: *signs “pee”*

Me: “Oh, you need toilet?” *shows sign for “toilet”*

Student: *shakes head, taps flashcard, signs “pee”*

Me: *trying the sign for toilet again* “[Student], do you need the toilet?”

Student: *shakes head, signs “no,” taps flashcard, signs “pee”*

Me: *suddenly understanding* “Pee is…” *signs “pee” and taps flashcard*

Student: *signs “yes”*

Me: *pulls out red flashcard* “What color is this?”

Student: *signs “apple”*

(Essentially, instead of learning the sign for each color word, such as “yellow” or “red,” she used signs that commonly are those colors, such as “apple” for “red,” “water” for “blue,” etc. On the one hand, it showed awesome creative ability. On the other hand, it meant none of her sentences made sense, as she did this for numbers, letters, and other words. But hey, gotta love the imaginative ones!)