Idioms

[invent 10 things b4 breakfast]

Anyone know of a good book, preferrably for kids, about Idioms and sayings?

 

I know they say about AS kids not understanding and I haven't really paid it much thought because my lad is quite bright, but tonight he could not understand the phrase "sleeping with one eye open" and "somewhere down the line" and I thought there must be a book he could read/refer to somewhere

[annie]

I haven't read this book, but it sounds like the kind of thing that may help. Not really for children though.

 

http://www.jkp.com/catalogue/book.php/isbn/1-84310-152-1

 

Annie

X

Edited December 14, 2005 by annie

[smiley]

Hi Becky,

 

We were given a fantastic pack by the Speech Therapist. It has pages of little cartoon drawings with idioms underneath ie; 'keep it under your hat' and a picture of a boy trying to keep something under his hat.

 

M then has to find the piece of card with 'Don't tell anyone, it is a secret' and match the two up. It's lots of fun for him, so he loves to do it.

 

Would your SALT be able to give you something similar?

 

Hope it helps xx

[Brook]

This one looks quite good:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/059038157...glance&n=283155

 

Brook

[Brook]

Becky,

 

also came across this:

 

http://www.idiomsite.com/

 

Brook

[Kathryn]

We have An Asperger Dictionary of Everyday Expressions by Ian Stuart Hamiltion and my daughter has found it useful and interesting as this is an area she struggles with. Someimes she browses through it. The explanations are very clear and there is guidance on the appropriate use of each phrase. I'd definitely recommend it. I can't remember how old your son is but it's definitely one to have on your bookshelf.

[UltraMum]

Asperger Dictionary of Everyday Expressions

 

I'd definitely recommend it. I can't remember how old your son is but it's definitely one to have on your bookshelf.

Yes - this is a good one - J likes to browse through it every now and then.

[jewels]

I was reading my 9 yr old AS son a book i had bought called "can i tell you about asperger's" and whn we came across idioms and was explaining it to him.

I could see he was puzzled so i asked him what it ment if i asked him to pull his socks up"?

He automatically pulled his socks up and looked pleased with himself, i told him what the other menaing was and he looked at me and said "thats just stupid!"

 

Someone said to him "are you catching flies?" when he has his mouth open (which he does often) he replied by saying "no, there arn't any in here"

 

take care

luv

julie xxx

[lindy-lou]

i wouldnt mind getting one of those books for my nephew,the other day i was talking to him on msn and he had said thanks for something or other so i said no probs bob,and his reply was who's bob? god love him.

[anxiousmom]

I was thinking of putting together my own list of stuff my son says.

 

I don't see him getting confused or upset by them but everything you say to him he'll pick up the literal for it and challenge you... or he'll find another meaning and try to make it funny. It was sort of cute and amusing.... but he does it on everything !

 

"No mum we don't need pumps for PE.... we don't do it in bear feet either... we do it in human feet!"

"ok I'm moving quickly" (sitts and waves his hands furiously)

"ok I'll get a move on.... but which drawer do we keep the moves in for me to get on"

He asked to visit a freind on a certain day and the mum said "I'm afraid not". He then faked concern and said "what are you afraid of? what's so scary?"

[smiley]

Yesterday, the paediatrician (she really should have known better! ) said to M, "Have you seen Santa yet?" (meaning visited a grotto...)

 

He stared at her, frowned and shook his head.... "Santa doesn't come until December 24th - of course i haven't seen him, it's 14 (th)!"

 

[ray]

Kathryn, just seen the book reference, and just ordered it via amazon for �9 for our 17yr old.

 

Thank you.

[Anneuk]

Are'nt our kids great...

And don't they have a lot to put up with when people speak as I did the other day...

 

 

I was lost in the car and turned to J and said "I'm going to go left here, i'm not positive it's down here but I'm sure it is!!!!!"

 

She just looked at me in 'her way one eyebrow raised and said riiiiiiiight, ok"

 

 

She then laughed hysterically for the next 10 mins!!!

 

 

and now I've written it, its one of those things that doesn't seem so funny afterall!!

 

Anne

[Forrest]

From an Asperger's perspective, having a 'phrase book' for translating idioms certainly seems useful (I have a copy of The Penguin Dictionary of English Idioms which was part of a set of reference books) although carrying it around for reference causing some embarassment!

 

The hardest thing for me regarding idioms is simply how many there are, and the local variations on them. My mother often says something idiomatically that she's never said before, and we have to go through the whole arguement about what it means and why can't she just speak plain English, again.

 

I don't know where she's learning all these new phrases from or why she would start to use them AFTER I get a diagnosis of Asperger's!

[Kathryn]

The hardest thing for me regarding idioms is simply how many there are, and the local variations on them. My mother often says something idiomatically that she's never said before, and we have to go through the whole arguement about what it means and why can't she just speak plain English, again.

There are indeed, thousands of idioms in our language and new ones are being coined all the time. As a teacher of a English as a foreign language I work with people who don't know English idioms and I adjust my way of communicating accordingly, speaking directly and literally (unless teaching particular idioms is part of the lesson!). On the surface the students seem to have the same language deficits as my ASD daughter, BUT...

 

... the difference between EFL students and my daughter appears to be that when the students have an idiom explained to them, they "get it" and can use it. They understand the concept of figurative language - all languages have idioms. My daughter may intellectually accept the explanation of an idiom but she will never really take it on board and use it herself. Next time she hears it she will once again be confused. She says that the literal image intrudes and obscures any other meaning: eg when you say "it's raining cats and dogs" she thinks of animals falling from the sky and can't get it out of her head. She finds it hard to hold in her mind the two meanings at once, literal and figurative. I wonder if all people on the spectrum struggle with this? It's a fasctinating area.