Learning not to Asssume

We deal with people making assumptions about Junior on a regular basis. Most have to do with his disabilities and understanding. The most frequent assumption is that his level of physical disability means he has the same level of cognitive delay. They speak to me and not to him because if he can't move or speak he can't understand, right? I know Junior has delays but I also know he is one smart kid who loves to smile, has a wonderful sense of humor, and understands so much more then most give him credit for.
Yesterday I found myself making my own assumptions, though in a whole different area. Junior was having a wonderful day but then started getting very upset. He was crying and carrying on and would not be comforted. Because of how it came on and how he was acting I assumed it was a tummy ache. When I asked him if his tummy hurt he just got more upset and wouldn't give me an answer either way. I finally got smart and realized he wanted to "tell" me what hurt. I grabbed his ipad and showed him the "upset" board, he immediately looked at "I hurt" but then to my surprise he told me "it is my head". He calmed down quickly after that and I found out that he was as upset or maybe even more upset that I hadn't grabbed his ipad so he could share with me what was wrong then he was about the headache. A learning curve for us both, and I am learning to make sure he gets the chance to "speak" and not to just assume anything. I am so proud of him for demanding to use his "voice".
Things have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to add the new boards or put in real pictures that are needed for some of the symbols(especially in the movie, games, books, and home talk categories). I plan to get to that this weekend so will be sharing about it soon.