Crazy language

Sometimes my son prefers to watch a DVD in the MacBook.  There are times when the player stops and displays a message that it is skipping some damaged area of the DVD.  This used to cause him to whine, which often progressed to a full blown tantrum.  He hated the interruption and he needed to express his frustration, but I suspected that his unacceptable behavior might also be his way of asking for help.  Although I learned
that I must refrain from giving him attention when he is misbehaving unless his safety is at risk , I was afraid of what he could do to the MacBook and the other objects on the desk so I would immediately try to pacify him.  Occasionally he hurls things around to vent his anger.
   
I sometimes absentmindedly explain to him, "nabaliw na naman ang player (the player has gone mad again)."  I made the mistake of asking him say "nabaliw" one time to distract him and avert an escalation of whining to meltdown.  I was supposed to use English when communicating with him.  I was surprised when he said "baliw."  At that time, he was still learning to properly ask for help, and most of the time I had difficulty prompting him to speak.  Saying "baliw" became an alternative to the crying and yelling induced by glitches during DVD watching.

These days when he whines while watching movies and I deliberately ignore him, he gradually calms down after a while and then tells me,  "baliw."  Lately, he approaches me to say "I want a baliw" when he needs help in fixing the DVD player, TV, MacBook, or ipad. He already knows how to ask for help, but "baliw" appears to be reserved for seeking assistance in problems related to electronic gadgets.

How he attaches meaning to words baffles me.  "Baliw" is the Filipino for crazy and I don't think he knows it.  My wife and I just happen to use the word "baliw" or "nabaliw" to each other when describing anything in the house that malfunctions.  I did not intend to teach him the word, but he showed me that it is convenient for indicating his annoyance to the interruptions that he encounters while watching movies.  I've been trying to teach him the word "fix" but he has trouble incorporating it in his vocabulary.  I wrote in a previous post that he renames his DVDs, and that he has uncanny names for some common objects. I really have to listen carefully and observe him to learn his unique language.  Although I know I must help him acquire "proper" language, I learned that it is practical for the mean time to talk to him in the language that he understands to help him gain the confidence he needs to speak, and to help me manage his behavior.  I just have to let him acquire "proper" language at his own pace and marvel as his language skills unfold.  On rare instances he tells me, "I want a TV," instead of the generic "baliw" request and even though I did not teach him to do so, when he specifically needs help in turning on or adjusting the volume and color settings of the TV.  

The other day he came to me and said, "a cellphone." He was pointing to the ipad on my desk.

"Say, 'I want the ipad.'"

"I -- I want -- cellphone."

I hesitantly gave him the ipad.  He took it and left beaming with delight.