Recently, I went to a local service organization to observe some kids with autistic spectrum disorders. For the most part, I didn't interact much with the kids; although in one instance, a little girl with bright eyes and a toothy smile stared at me from across the room. With a grin and unwavering eye contact, she maneuvered over to where I was sitting on the floor and then thrust her nose about an inch from mine. She grabbed my face with both her hands and exclaimed, "Aaaaahhhhh baaaaaaahhhhh!"

I was intrigued. I had no idea if this was typical behavior for her, if it was great that she was trying to initiate an interaction, or if it was inappropriate social behavior that she wasn't supposed to be engaging in. Nobody was telling her to stop, so I said, "Hi!" She repeated, more insistently this time, "Aaaaahhhhh baaaaaaahhhhh!!!" I didn't respond, and she let go of my face but continued to stare insistently into my eyes. When her mom finally dragged her away, I said "Bye!" To which she responded, "Aaaaahhhhh baaaaaaahhhhh?" I'll always wonder what she wanted.