Frankie

Frankie possesses an endearing mix of both shyness and boldness. He is extremely curious, loves people, and wants to be where the action is. He loves to hold hands and walk with you as you go about your visit at Westhaven, and once he has your hand he is very hesitant to let go! He will reluctantly let go if you firmly and gently set limits with Frankie, both with clear simple statements and by removing your hand from his grasp. He also loves to give kisses. Despite Frankie’s persistence in getting physical and verbal attention from visitors, he can also be overcome with a sudden endearing shyness and momentarily withdraw. Frankie can speak some but it can be hard to discern what he is saying because of his poor articulation. It is good to ask him to repeat what he said and get him to practice speaking clearly. In addition, if he tries to use gestures and pulling to get you to do an activity with him, it is good to encourage him to use his words to tell you what he wants. Playing verbal games such as repeating what each other are saying or simple joking back and forth are also excellent ways to encourage Frankie to verbalize. Besides telling people what to do, Frankie loves to listen to music. He loves watching live music but he does tend to want to touch the instrument while it is being played. He shows the signs of having basic rhythm and it seems as if his desire to touch the instrument is tied to his desire to try playing it. Thus, given the opportunity it would be great for Frankie to have facilitated experiences trying to play musical instruments. Because of his fascination with music, especially the guitar, if you want to encourage Frankie to listen but not touch, he will need someone to good naturedly help him resist temptation while the musicians play.