It is always fun to sit down with a small child and chat with them. You get to hear their perspective of the world around them. I have always found these chats to be entertaining. Like the conviction some kids can have over their favorite tv show being the best thing in this world. Or how upsetting it was to them that they didn't get a turn with a toy at recess. A childs life can seem very dramatic to them while it is very entertaining to us grown ups.
Now that Lucas has some language I try to engage him in these conversations. I am not going to sugar coat it, it can be tough but when it works I come away with a cheerishable moment. I am always grateful for the skills the EI therapists gave me in communicating with Lucas. Decoding language, signs, gestures and simply repeating what he said until I can figure it out. Of course there are times when even I, his Mommy, do not understand him after all he does have a speech disorder! Still, talking to Lucas is fun!
This morning we were ready for school early. Lucas and I decided to spend this extra time outside and enjoy the morning air. We have to be outside waiting for the bus anyway. As I sat next to him I had this idea. "Do you want me to record you talking like we did last night for Gabriel?" He said No. I asked again, in fewer words and decided to go for it anyway.
You have to turn the volume up to hear everything he says because at times he will whisper his words. You will see that I don't always have his attention and I have to be quick on my feet because he tends to run. You will hear how I have to decode and repeat his words, how at times I struggle to understand him.
I hope you will understand that while I work with him we do it with a smile! We have fun together! Lucas is an amazing child and he works so hard with his words. This video is a sample of how I work with him. We play and laugh and have a great time while focusing on what he says.
Here is the YouTube link. It is listed as "unlisted" meaning you can not search for it and can only access it by using this link. You do not need a youtube account to view the video. Please ignore the video quality, I am using my phone and need to be able to run (as you will see!)
http://youtu.be/uLwcweTZvWE
Showing posts with label CAS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CAS. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Talking Tuesday
Two word combo's:
Working on Lucas' language skills is not about teaching him a new word or working on a singular letter sound like p. Language skills are about combining words together and form a sentence so that you can have a conversation. My homework lately has been to work on making Lucas combine two words. He has a repretore of two word phrases; "Light on" "TV on" Help me" "Big bowl" "Apple Juice." Basically anything you can add to "ON" "IN" "BIG" and "ME".
Before embarking on this two word combination aspect of language our SLP warned that it will compromise his clarity. Oh boy was she right! There are times I feel torn because "Yay he is talking more" and yet I struggle to understand what he is saying. Sometimes I will have him repeat himself three of four times before the light bulb goes off. Yet there are those times that I will just nodd my head and say "okay" because I have zero clue what he was trying to say. In those moments I swear Lucas realizes that I didn't understand him and either he just walks away defeated or he becomes stubborn and continues to try to get his point across but breaks down into tears of frusteration. It is a confusing emotion for me because I realize we have so far to go but at that same time my heart bursts with joy that he is talking!
I say "Lucas say ... "
This morning:
This morning we had an unexpected and fun teaching moment. Out in front of the house was a school bus! This is very exciting! I found Lucas glued to the windows watching the scene, his second bowl of oatmeal sitting on the floor next to him. "Aye!" Lucas is shouting with glee. I say "Lucas say Bus" Lucas says "Us" I say "Lucas say School Bus" Lucas says "ool us" I say "Lucas say Big Bus" Lucas says "Bee Us" I say "Lucas is this fun?" Lucas says "Aye!" We continue to watch the bus while it waits for the recycling truck to move. I am adoring Lucas and how he marvels over this bus. His excitement is contagious and addicting. I don't want this moment to end so I pray the bus doesn't move yet but at the same time I keep scanning the area thinking of more things I can get him to say. Then the truck moves and the bus inches away from us. I look down at Lucas with the smile still on his face. Lucas say "Bye Bus" and Lucas says "bye bus". As he walks away from the window I now see the oatmeal smeared on the window. Mental note, I need to clean that but dang the mess is worth it!
After his playgroup:
"Mommy! Home!" Lucas sweetly calls out to me. He is in a great mood and the first thing he wants to do is eat. I say okay and we go into the kitchen but here is our problem. He wants oatmeal. I have been trying to teach him that certain things are eaten at certain times. He is a great eater so I don't have to indulge his food requests just to get nutrition into him, this morning he had two servings of oatmeal. We had a little confrontation and tantrum over the oatmeal subject but finally I won and he had a sandwich for lunch, with the promise of "First sandwich then popcorn. But you must eat your sandwich." I don't think he even chewed because a few moments later he is handing me his empty plate and walking to the cabinet for the popcorn.
We use a hot air popper. This little machine is one of my favorite tools to get Lucas talking. Standing on a chair he can actually watch the kernals POP. When they do we say "POP" and as they pop faster we say "POP" faster. I know popcorn is one word but I use it as a two word combination for Lucas. When he says Popcorn he looses the consanants and it comes out more like "ah on". When you ask him to say pop he can say the first P, when I work with him eye to eye and have him put his finger under his bottom lip he then can say both p's in pop. His fun two word phrase that gets included with our popcorn routine is "Big Bowl". In December I spent time working on this concept of big and little. Lucas thought using a Big Bowl for Little Popcorn was hilarious. Even since then the term BIG has been a fun one to toss around and is great for doing two word combo's.
Speech Therapy:
Today Lucas was excited to show off his Hide Out. Okay, yes hide is a hard word for him and I tried getting him to say Tent but he loves to hide and would not accept tent. When his SLP walked through the door he excitedly ran over and said "Hi ou", his therapist didn't understand so I translated for him. In therapy they worked on cvc - top and cvcv - tunnel. He gave her some two word combo's; that way, baby up, light on, more on, and baby sleep.
I did steal some of her time to ask questions about the meetings we have coming up regarding getting him into the school district and some board cards she is doing for his daycare.
Evening time.
I have to admit. I was worn out. I couldn't focus enough to continue working on his language skills. He is a ball of energy, always turned on. My own issues leave me a little drained. Also I did not put him down for a nap today, his SLP was coming early so there wasn't any time. I know I naturally worked on langauge skills with Lucas, it is a force of habit now. However I didn't have the energy left to consciencely work with him. Still, I think today was a good Talking Day!
Plan for tomorrow what doesn't get done today.
Tomorrow Lucas has Developmental Intervention Therapy (DI). I called today and need to followup tomorrow regarding his evaluations with the school district. I also have an unholy mess in my kitchen that I must do before going to Ash Wednesday Mass. Gabe informed me this morning that he needs his laundry done, he is out of jeans. I am sure after I go to bed I will remember at least half a dozen of other things that need to be done, like Valentine's Day Cards!
Working on Lucas' language skills is not about teaching him a new word or working on a singular letter sound like p. Language skills are about combining words together and form a sentence so that you can have a conversation. My homework lately has been to work on making Lucas combine two words. He has a repretore of two word phrases; "Light on" "TV on" Help me" "Big bowl" "Apple Juice." Basically anything you can add to "ON" "IN" "BIG" and "ME".
Before embarking on this two word combination aspect of language our SLP warned that it will compromise his clarity. Oh boy was she right! There are times I feel torn because "Yay he is talking more" and yet I struggle to understand what he is saying. Sometimes I will have him repeat himself three of four times before the light bulb goes off. Yet there are those times that I will just nodd my head and say "okay" because I have zero clue what he was trying to say. In those moments I swear Lucas realizes that I didn't understand him and either he just walks away defeated or he becomes stubborn and continues to try to get his point across but breaks down into tears of frusteration. It is a confusing emotion for me because I realize we have so far to go but at that same time my heart bursts with joy that he is talking!
I say "Lucas say ... "
This morning:
This morning we had an unexpected and fun teaching moment. Out in front of the house was a school bus! This is very exciting! I found Lucas glued to the windows watching the scene, his second bowl of oatmeal sitting on the floor next to him. "Aye!" Lucas is shouting with glee. I say "Lucas say Bus" Lucas says "Us" I say "Lucas say School Bus" Lucas says "ool us" I say "Lucas say Big Bus" Lucas says "Bee Us" I say "Lucas is this fun?" Lucas says "Aye!" We continue to watch the bus while it waits for the recycling truck to move. I am adoring Lucas and how he marvels over this bus. His excitement is contagious and addicting. I don't want this moment to end so I pray the bus doesn't move yet but at the same time I keep scanning the area thinking of more things I can get him to say. Then the truck moves and the bus inches away from us. I look down at Lucas with the smile still on his face. Lucas say "Bye Bus" and Lucas says "bye bus". As he walks away from the window I now see the oatmeal smeared on the window. Mental note, I need to clean that but dang the mess is worth it!
After his playgroup:
"Mommy! Home!" Lucas sweetly calls out to me. He is in a great mood and the first thing he wants to do is eat. I say okay and we go into the kitchen but here is our problem. He wants oatmeal. I have been trying to teach him that certain things are eaten at certain times. He is a great eater so I don't have to indulge his food requests just to get nutrition into him, this morning he had two servings of oatmeal. We had a little confrontation and tantrum over the oatmeal subject but finally I won and he had a sandwich for lunch, with the promise of "First sandwich then popcorn. But you must eat your sandwich." I don't think he even chewed because a few moments later he is handing me his empty plate and walking to the cabinet for the popcorn.
We use a hot air popper. This little machine is one of my favorite tools to get Lucas talking. Standing on a chair he can actually watch the kernals POP. When they do we say "POP" and as they pop faster we say "POP" faster. I know popcorn is one word but I use it as a two word combination for Lucas. When he says Popcorn he looses the consanants and it comes out more like "ah on". When you ask him to say pop he can say the first P, when I work with him eye to eye and have him put his finger under his bottom lip he then can say both p's in pop. His fun two word phrase that gets included with our popcorn routine is "Big Bowl". In December I spent time working on this concept of big and little. Lucas thought using a Big Bowl for Little Popcorn was hilarious. Even since then the term BIG has been a fun one to toss around and is great for doing two word combo's.
Speech Therapy:
Today Lucas was excited to show off his Hide Out. Okay, yes hide is a hard word for him and I tried getting him to say Tent but he loves to hide and would not accept tent. When his SLP walked through the door he excitedly ran over and said "Hi ou", his therapist didn't understand so I translated for him. In therapy they worked on cvc - top and cvcv - tunnel. He gave her some two word combo's; that way, baby up, light on, more on, and baby sleep.
I did steal some of her time to ask questions about the meetings we have coming up regarding getting him into the school district and some board cards she is doing for his daycare.
Evening time.
I have to admit. I was worn out. I couldn't focus enough to continue working on his language skills. He is a ball of energy, always turned on. My own issues leave me a little drained. Also I did not put him down for a nap today, his SLP was coming early so there wasn't any time. I know I naturally worked on langauge skills with Lucas, it is a force of habit now. However I didn't have the energy left to consciencely work with him. Still, I think today was a good Talking Day!
Plan for tomorrow what doesn't get done today.
Tomorrow Lucas has Developmental Intervention Therapy (DI). I called today and need to followup tomorrow regarding his evaluations with the school district. I also have an unholy mess in my kitchen that I must do before going to Ash Wednesday Mass. Gabe informed me this morning that he needs his laundry done, he is out of jeans. I am sure after I go to bed I will remember at least half a dozen of other things that need to be done, like Valentine's Day Cards!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Monday - Get Organized Day
Get organized.
Yesterday I had decided that today would be the day I would begin to be more organized. I wanted to make Monday's into my "Get Organized" and blog about it day. I even began a rough draft of what I wanted to say and what I needed to get done. 2012 was a rough and messy year. In it's wake we are left with disorganization not just throughout the house but in our daily routines. Besides the weekends Monday is the only day during the week that we don't have something else going on. I am going to change that.
God laughs when we make plans.
Last night I lay in bed unable to sleep. I am usually the person who closes their eyes and within minutes fast asleep. I began a headache and after an hour of trying to sleep I got out of bed to take an Advil. Back in bed I closed my eyes and tried to use my relaxation therapy, imagining myself at the beach. I must have dozed off because when Lucas called out to me it was an hour later. I went into his room hoping that I wouldn't disturb my husbands sleep. Lucas has dry skin and this is what woke him up, he was itchy. I laid down with him and rubbed at each spot he started to scratch but after 10 minutes I realized that this was not working. I was going to need to give him some allergy medicine. Lucas insisted on coming down to the kitchen with me. I sat him on the counter and when he saw that I was going to the medicine cabinet he started screaming NO and covered his mouth. After a few minutes of trying to convince him that this medicine was just like candy (at 2:30am a Mom has to do what a Mom has to do) I gave up and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. When I pulled back to look him in the face he had a bloody nose. Adding to the screams of no about the medicine I now had to deal with the screams and a fight because he wouldn't let me near his face to clean it up or stop the bleeding. Lucas is strong and fast. I could not hold him still and in fact each time I tried to put a tissue to his nose I ended up smearing the blood on his cheeks. Finally I laid him on the kitchen floor and pinned him down. After that I wasn't going to fight him about taking the medicine. I gave him a fruit snack pouch and sent him to the couch with cartoons. I went back to the kitchen and smashed the chewable to a powder and mixed it with his apple juice. By 3:45am we were back in bed.
Exhausted...
Obviously I was exhausted in the morning but the kids needed to have breakfast and I needed to get Gabe ready for school. Thankfully we had a delay opening because of freezing rain. That also meant that Lucas was not going to his daycare/playgroup for the morning and he would be hanging out with me. So much for my plans!
I did accomplish one goal, almost finished but close enough that I am counting it! I re-organized and cleaned up the toy room. This project took twice as long because Lucas thought it was fun to play with the toys right after I placed them on shelves. I am proud of the work I accomplished in the toy room today. I once was told that we have a "Toys R Us in the toyroom" so imagine all the shelves empty except for a few pieces of toys and the toy box filled but also with random non toy things like a water bottle or crackers or a tooth brush. Now I have the shelves organized and not just a pile of toys thrown on top to get them off the floor. I vacuumed out the toybox and placed the odd bits and pieces in the kitchen sink. I also trashed some broken, tired toys and those annoying McDonald's toys. The room itself is not really big but all the same it is now done. I pray that it lasts for a few days!
Betty Crocker Image.
I used to be known as the "Betty Crocker" type, home-cooked family sit down meals each night, I would help Gabe with homework and studies, house tidy if not clean, and complete with the happy husband. GULP....I have a lot of work to do if I want to regain that image!
I know many people would sit back and say "Big deal! You don't work. You are a stay at home mom so your job is to maintain the house and raise the happy healthy kids." What do I say to that? "WRONG!" Look a little beneth the surface and you will find a woman who deals with a severe form of chronic pain daily. Life with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy can be very fullfilling but it has it's challenges. As much as I can plan something I need to plan on not being able to do it. There is a good reason my home is in shambles. During 2012 I had 2, yes 2, Spinal Cord Stimulator surgeries. That means we had to reprioritize and learn to deal with a less than perfect home. I think this was hardest on Gabe and Leo. I spent most of the year in bed or on the couch unable to do more than wipe my own butt.
Future Tasks
One task I need to work on is organizing my plans for Lucas. I have a mental list of what I want to do with him and for him. I need to call our insurance company and see if we can get him private speech therapy. Lucas' section of the toyroom needs the most work as his puzzles and games have missing pieces that need to be found. I have phone calls to make to the school district about the progress of his evaluation, we have till the end of the month before decisions will be made.
Another task is to work on our laundry situation. Ugh! Once you get so far behind on laundry it feels impossible to catch up. Socks are the worst! I hate matching socks so I created a basket just for socks. However to add to my laundry list the whole family last week had the stomach flu so I know that I need to go through and wash all the bedsheets and blankets just to properly disinfect the house.
Gabriel has really been hurt during this last year. He is at an age to understand that I am not well and that surgery is serious. Since my health slipped last year his grades began to drop. The first marking period of this school year his grades hit the bottom and we are having him evaluated by the child study team at the school. In my gut I believe his issues at school have to deal with his concern for my health and missing me while I was recovering from surgery. I want to give him every chance at getting extra help so that he can regain his academic standings. I worry about him daily. Gabriel is a bright funny and imaginative child who can spin a story like a pro. He can spend half an hour reading or at the table creating a new craft. Next week I meet with the child study team to review his evaluations and we will go from there about what else he needs from us.
I need to organize my life. In the broadest and most general of terms. I feel scattered. Before I went on disability each day had it's own set of routines and schedules with goals to be met daily. Now most days I have the simple; take care of kids, clean house, cook dinner and if I am lucky I get to spend quality time with my husband. All of this really depends on how I wake up in the morning. Half the time my daily list is even more simple; shower, sit on the couch, and decide what to warm up for dinner or what my husband can pick up after work.
Dream tasks: Train puppy, maintain clean kitchen, organize closet, organize kids closets, dust furniture weekly, fix up the spare bedroom, and oh so much more!
Obviously I can not get this house back on track within one day, one week, even one month. Maybe another Super Mom could but not me.
Yesterday I had decided that today would be the day I would begin to be more organized. I wanted to make Monday's into my "Get Organized" and blog about it day. I even began a rough draft of what I wanted to say and what I needed to get done. 2012 was a rough and messy year. In it's wake we are left with disorganization not just throughout the house but in our daily routines. Besides the weekends Monday is the only day during the week that we don't have something else going on. I am going to change that.
God laughs when we make plans.
Last night I lay in bed unable to sleep. I am usually the person who closes their eyes and within minutes fast asleep. I began a headache and after an hour of trying to sleep I got out of bed to take an Advil. Back in bed I closed my eyes and tried to use my relaxation therapy, imagining myself at the beach. I must have dozed off because when Lucas called out to me it was an hour later. I went into his room hoping that I wouldn't disturb my husbands sleep. Lucas has dry skin and this is what woke him up, he was itchy. I laid down with him and rubbed at each spot he started to scratch but after 10 minutes I realized that this was not working. I was going to need to give him some allergy medicine. Lucas insisted on coming down to the kitchen with me. I sat him on the counter and when he saw that I was going to the medicine cabinet he started screaming NO and covered his mouth. After a few minutes of trying to convince him that this medicine was just like candy (at 2:30am a Mom has to do what a Mom has to do) I gave up and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. When I pulled back to look him in the face he had a bloody nose. Adding to the screams of no about the medicine I now had to deal with the screams and a fight because he wouldn't let me near his face to clean it up or stop the bleeding. Lucas is strong and fast. I could not hold him still and in fact each time I tried to put a tissue to his nose I ended up smearing the blood on his cheeks. Finally I laid him on the kitchen floor and pinned him down. After that I wasn't going to fight him about taking the medicine. I gave him a fruit snack pouch and sent him to the couch with cartoons. I went back to the kitchen and smashed the chewable to a powder and mixed it with his apple juice. By 3:45am we were back in bed.
Exhausted...
Obviously I was exhausted in the morning but the kids needed to have breakfast and I needed to get Gabe ready for school. Thankfully we had a delay opening because of freezing rain. That also meant that Lucas was not going to his daycare/playgroup for the morning and he would be hanging out with me. So much for my plans!
I did accomplish one goal, almost finished but close enough that I am counting it! I re-organized and cleaned up the toy room. This project took twice as long because Lucas thought it was fun to play with the toys right after I placed them on shelves. I am proud of the work I accomplished in the toy room today. I once was told that we have a "Toys R Us in the toyroom" so imagine all the shelves empty except for a few pieces of toys and the toy box filled but also with random non toy things like a water bottle or crackers or a tooth brush. Now I have the shelves organized and not just a pile of toys thrown on top to get them off the floor. I vacuumed out the toybox and placed the odd bits and pieces in the kitchen sink. I also trashed some broken, tired toys and those annoying McDonald's toys. The room itself is not really big but all the same it is now done. I pray that it lasts for a few days!
Betty Crocker Image.
I used to be known as the "Betty Crocker" type, home-cooked family sit down meals each night, I would help Gabe with homework and studies, house tidy if not clean, and complete with the happy husband. GULP....I have a lot of work to do if I want to regain that image!
I know many people would sit back and say "Big deal! You don't work. You are a stay at home mom so your job is to maintain the house and raise the happy healthy kids." What do I say to that? "WRONG!" Look a little beneth the surface and you will find a woman who deals with a severe form of chronic pain daily. Life with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy can be very fullfilling but it has it's challenges. As much as I can plan something I need to plan on not being able to do it. There is a good reason my home is in shambles. During 2012 I had 2, yes 2, Spinal Cord Stimulator surgeries. That means we had to reprioritize and learn to deal with a less than perfect home. I think this was hardest on Gabe and Leo. I spent most of the year in bed or on the couch unable to do more than wipe my own butt.
Future Tasks
One task I need to work on is organizing my plans for Lucas. I have a mental list of what I want to do with him and for him. I need to call our insurance company and see if we can get him private speech therapy. Lucas' section of the toyroom needs the most work as his puzzles and games have missing pieces that need to be found. I have phone calls to make to the school district about the progress of his evaluation, we have till the end of the month before decisions will be made.
Another task is to work on our laundry situation. Ugh! Once you get so far behind on laundry it feels impossible to catch up. Socks are the worst! I hate matching socks so I created a basket just for socks. However to add to my laundry list the whole family last week had the stomach flu so I know that I need to go through and wash all the bedsheets and blankets just to properly disinfect the house.
Gabriel has really been hurt during this last year. He is at an age to understand that I am not well and that surgery is serious. Since my health slipped last year his grades began to drop. The first marking period of this school year his grades hit the bottom and we are having him evaluated by the child study team at the school. In my gut I believe his issues at school have to deal with his concern for my health and missing me while I was recovering from surgery. I want to give him every chance at getting extra help so that he can regain his academic standings. I worry about him daily. Gabriel is a bright funny and imaginative child who can spin a story like a pro. He can spend half an hour reading or at the table creating a new craft. Next week I meet with the child study team to review his evaluations and we will go from there about what else he needs from us.
I need to organize my life. In the broadest and most general of terms. I feel scattered. Before I went on disability each day had it's own set of routines and schedules with goals to be met daily. Now most days I have the simple; take care of kids, clean house, cook dinner and if I am lucky I get to spend quality time with my husband. All of this really depends on how I wake up in the morning. Half the time my daily list is even more simple; shower, sit on the couch, and decide what to warm up for dinner or what my husband can pick up after work.
Dream tasks: Train puppy, maintain clean kitchen, organize closet, organize kids closets, dust furniture weekly, fix up the spare bedroom, and oh so much more!
Obviously I can not get this house back on track within one day, one week, even one month. Maybe another Super Mom could but not me.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Bringing you up to date on Lucas.
As parents we all do it. We wait for that moment when our baby talks to us. It is often the dream during pregnancy and question of "Will they say Mama or Dada or something else first?" Grandparents kiss the baby and quietly repeat "Say Nana" in hopes that they can beat out the Mom. It is this loving and typical play that fills much of the babies first year of life.
When I had Gabriel we all enjoyed these precious milestones. The first smile, coo, and the babbled mama. I remember looking into his face and him mimicking my oos and aas and my mouth forming a round circle. The joy of hearing the repeated mamamamamama or dadadadada and being convinced he was calling me! Our family story has always been "Once Gabe started talking he wouldn't stop. He even talked in his sleep!" Yes, we had to turn off the baby monitor in his room because he talked in his sleep.
Lucas
They always say "don't compair your children". They are right unfortunately we only had Gabe and his rapid speech to use as a guideline. So when Lucas was 12 months old and still did not say mama I was worried. I was told to "wait", "boys tend to talk later than girls" and to "remember that Gabe was an early talker". At 15 months I heard "mama" once and "dada" a handful of times. I was told "It's coming!" At 18 months I was told that if we didn't have a handful of words by his 24 month appointment then we could start evaluating but still we shouldn't worry because he was hitting his gross motor milestones (on the late side but still within range.)
Mothers instinct told me different. Something was wrong. I read what I could find on reasons for late talking or no talking. What I found was information on Autism. He didn't have all or most of the red flags for autism but once that was in my head I couldn't dislodge it.
What most people didn't understand was that he wasn't even babbling. When I seriously sat down to think about what sounds he was making I realized that besides screaming at me he only made ooo and aaa sounds, basically he coo'd or screamed. He would take me by the hand to lead me to what he wanted. If he wanted a banana I would say "Oh you want a banana. This is a banana. Lucas wants a banana. Say Banana." The screaming would begin. I would endure and repeat "Say Banana. Lucas wants a Banana." I didn't care if he called it a mama, I wanted him to TRY but all I received back was more screaming.
Many nights I went to bed feeling frusterated and exhausted. It is stressful to spend your day having a toddler scream at you for their every want. I felt like a horrible mother because I was stressed out over spending time with my child! When I tried to vent to family or friends they didn't get it because they never spent a serious amount of time with him - or they thought I was being to harsh because "Sometimes kids don't talk till they are 3 years old!"
Enough!!
One day I had enough. I talked it out with my husband and told him what I read. He didn't want to hear any of it. His child was perfect and I wasn't a doctor, in fact our pediatrician said to just wait and see! Soon though he agreed to let me just have him evaluated and to see what comes from it. The next day I called our pediatrician and he said that we could have Lucas checked out with the Speech - Language Lab at the hospital. I called and they told me about the 3-6month wait list. Wait list? I told them I didn't want to wait that long and I was told about Early Intervention. I called my pediatrician back and he said "Go for it."
Early Intervention (EI). EI is a birth till Three years old goverment program to help children with significant developmental delays. EI is provided under part C of IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
As scared as I was EI made the process easy. They first evaluated him - basically played with him in ways to elicit sounds and to see what he was able to do. They talked to Leo and I about a typical day and asked "Besides what sounds he made today for us are there any other sounds he makes?" Okay, yes I asked them to come in because I am worried about Lucas not talking but when I was asked this question I thought it odd. What sounds he makes? What other sounds he makes? Did he even make a sound during this last hour? "No, he doesn't make sound attempts he just coo's or screams."
Yes we qualified for services. We were also told to have his hearing tested because of concerns that he didn't always turn to my voice. We were to receive 2 one hour sessions a week with a developmental interventionist and 1 one hour session with a speech language pathologist (SLP). Our world had changed before Lucas was 2 years old.
Going in depth about our therapy history will be a different post. The biggest question everyone asks is that "Now, a year later, have we seen significant progress?" YES! I have learned so much about Lucas during this past year. In September we received an extra weekly session with his SLP to focus even more on his speech. When you understand how HARD Lucas works and where he was at one year ago then you will understand that YES he has made significant progress and is still very far behind. In March 2013 Lucas will turn 3 years old and he currently has the language of an almost 2 year old but the clarity of his speech is still severely behind. What does than mean?
Milestones:
Parenting Magazine is a great place to understand developmental milestones. This is an article that properly talks about speech and language milestones. http://www.parenting.com/article/baby-speech-milestones?page=0,0 Lucas is currently somewhere between this 18-24month age range in his language. Someone close to him, and with a patient ear, will be able to understand his speech. He is just beginning to put two words together although this compromises his clarity even more so.
"18 to 22 months
Da-me-fo-bee.
You know your toddler is saying something amazing--if only you could understand it. In their second year, kids become masters of nonsensical speech, producing strings of elegant gibberish that sound like a faux version of adult conversation (often complete with inflection and hand gestures). She'll also be saying around 30 or so real words-but even those may not be crystal clear.
22 to 24 months
More milk.
By the time she turns 2, your toddler will likely be able to string two or three words together to make mini-sentences. A favorite to throw into the mix of the dozens of words in her growing vocabulary: "more." It's a sign that your kid is figuring out the ability of language to make things happen."
What is next?
IDEA part C ends when Lucas turns 3 years old. Then we will use services provided by IDEA part B and this will stay with him till age 21! This law basically makes it so that he MUST have access to help in Public School (as long as he qualifies).
We are in the middle of the process of being qualified for school services. My first step was made when I wrote a letter to the superintendent of the school district asking for help because I believe my child has special needs. OUCH! I don't think of Lucas as special needs, just special but this was the letter I had to write because at the core of his problem is that he does have special needs that a regular pre-school cannot provide him. Basically I have to get over that feeling of hurt the phrase "special needs" carries. The second step is to have him evaluated and work through the meetings. Then we have a meeting to discuss his IEP - Individual Education Plan.
Currently I have a long list of words Lucas says, words that are approximations, and sign language that he uses to help his communication. Daily I reinforce what we learn in therapy. I dream that one day he will be able to tell me a story even half as well as Gabriel. Until then? I enjoy each new sound and word like the first time I heard him say "Mommy".
When I had Gabriel we all enjoyed these precious milestones. The first smile, coo, and the babbled mama. I remember looking into his face and him mimicking my oos and aas and my mouth forming a round circle. The joy of hearing the repeated mamamamamama or dadadadada and being convinced he was calling me! Our family story has always been "Once Gabe started talking he wouldn't stop. He even talked in his sleep!" Yes, we had to turn off the baby monitor in his room because he talked in his sleep.
Lucas
They always say "don't compair your children". They are right unfortunately we only had Gabe and his rapid speech to use as a guideline. So when Lucas was 12 months old and still did not say mama I was worried. I was told to "wait", "boys tend to talk later than girls" and to "remember that Gabe was an early talker". At 15 months I heard "mama" once and "dada" a handful of times. I was told "It's coming!" At 18 months I was told that if we didn't have a handful of words by his 24 month appointment then we could start evaluating but still we shouldn't worry because he was hitting his gross motor milestones (on the late side but still within range.)
Mothers instinct told me different. Something was wrong. I read what I could find on reasons for late talking or no talking. What I found was information on Autism. He didn't have all or most of the red flags for autism but once that was in my head I couldn't dislodge it.
What most people didn't understand was that he wasn't even babbling. When I seriously sat down to think about what sounds he was making I realized that besides screaming at me he only made ooo and aaa sounds, basically he coo'd or screamed. He would take me by the hand to lead me to what he wanted. If he wanted a banana I would say "Oh you want a banana. This is a banana. Lucas wants a banana. Say Banana." The screaming would begin. I would endure and repeat "Say Banana. Lucas wants a Banana." I didn't care if he called it a mama, I wanted him to TRY but all I received back was more screaming.
Many nights I went to bed feeling frusterated and exhausted. It is stressful to spend your day having a toddler scream at you for their every want. I felt like a horrible mother because I was stressed out over spending time with my child! When I tried to vent to family or friends they didn't get it because they never spent a serious amount of time with him - or they thought I was being to harsh because "Sometimes kids don't talk till they are 3 years old!"
Enough!!
One day I had enough. I talked it out with my husband and told him what I read. He didn't want to hear any of it. His child was perfect and I wasn't a doctor, in fact our pediatrician said to just wait and see! Soon though he agreed to let me just have him evaluated and to see what comes from it. The next day I called our pediatrician and he said that we could have Lucas checked out with the Speech - Language Lab at the hospital. I called and they told me about the 3-6month wait list. Wait list? I told them I didn't want to wait that long and I was told about Early Intervention. I called my pediatrician back and he said "Go for it."
Early Intervention (EI). EI is a birth till Three years old goverment program to help children with significant developmental delays. EI is provided under part C of IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
As scared as I was EI made the process easy. They first evaluated him - basically played with him in ways to elicit sounds and to see what he was able to do. They talked to Leo and I about a typical day and asked "Besides what sounds he made today for us are there any other sounds he makes?" Okay, yes I asked them to come in because I am worried about Lucas not talking but when I was asked this question I thought it odd. What sounds he makes? What other sounds he makes? Did he even make a sound during this last hour? "No, he doesn't make sound attempts he just coo's or screams."
Yes we qualified for services. We were also told to have his hearing tested because of concerns that he didn't always turn to my voice. We were to receive 2 one hour sessions a week with a developmental interventionist and 1 one hour session with a speech language pathologist (SLP). Our world had changed before Lucas was 2 years old.
Going in depth about our therapy history will be a different post. The biggest question everyone asks is that "Now, a year later, have we seen significant progress?" YES! I have learned so much about Lucas during this past year. In September we received an extra weekly session with his SLP to focus even more on his speech. When you understand how HARD Lucas works and where he was at one year ago then you will understand that YES he has made significant progress and is still very far behind. In March 2013 Lucas will turn 3 years old and he currently has the language of an almost 2 year old but the clarity of his speech is still severely behind. What does than mean?
Milestones:
Parenting Magazine is a great place to understand developmental milestones. This is an article that properly talks about speech and language milestones. http://www.parenting.com/article/baby-speech-milestones?page=0,0 Lucas is currently somewhere between this 18-24month age range in his language. Someone close to him, and with a patient ear, will be able to understand his speech. He is just beginning to put two words together although this compromises his clarity even more so.
"18 to 22 months
Da-me-fo-bee.
You know your toddler is saying something amazing--if only you could understand it. In their second year, kids become masters of nonsensical speech, producing strings of elegant gibberish that sound like a faux version of adult conversation (often complete with inflection and hand gestures). She'll also be saying around 30 or so real words-but even those may not be crystal clear.
22 to 24 months
More milk.
By the time she turns 2, your toddler will likely be able to string two or three words together to make mini-sentences. A favorite to throw into the mix of the dozens of words in her growing vocabulary: "more." It's a sign that your kid is figuring out the ability of language to make things happen."
What is next?
IDEA part C ends when Lucas turns 3 years old. Then we will use services provided by IDEA part B and this will stay with him till age 21! This law basically makes it so that he MUST have access to help in Public School (as long as he qualifies).
We are in the middle of the process of being qualified for school services. My first step was made when I wrote a letter to the superintendent of the school district asking for help because I believe my child has special needs. OUCH! I don't think of Lucas as special needs, just special but this was the letter I had to write because at the core of his problem is that he does have special needs that a regular pre-school cannot provide him. Basically I have to get over that feeling of hurt the phrase "special needs" carries. The second step is to have him evaluated and work through the meetings. Then we have a meeting to discuss his IEP - Individual Education Plan.
Currently I have a long list of words Lucas says, words that are approximations, and sign language that he uses to help his communication. Daily I reinforce what we learn in therapy. I dream that one day he will be able to tell me a story even half as well as Gabriel. Until then? I enjoy each new sound and word like the first time I heard him say "Mommy".
Under Construction
It has been a long time since I have done anything with this blog site. In the most general of terms when life keeps moving lots of things change. My life has dramatically changed.
My goal is to begin blogging again. About my life with RSD and what it means for my family. I also have another topic to post about. Lucas my son has a speech disorder, strongly believed to be Childhood Apraxia of Speech along with a few co existing conditions adding to his speech delay. In one year he has made so much progress, but when you realize that at this time last year he could barely babble or say Mama and Dada you understand that a lot of progress is just the beginning for us. We still have a long road ahead.
Living with RSD and raising a child that has a special need. These are the things that set my family apart from the rest but we still have the normal day to day everyone else has. Clothes need washed, meals need to be made, homework must be done, bills paid, and my husband must go to work each day. Life goes on despite disabilites thrown in your path. Our disabilities just add to the mountain of To Do's. Doctor appointments, therapies, meetings with therapists/teachers, the added bills, diet suppliments, therapy homework, and so much more.
My goal is to reinvent this site. I want to talk about normal Wife/Mother type of things along with RSD life and raising a child with a speech disorder. Yes blogging will add to my already demanding day but it will serve me as a report card of our life, track progress and goals, but mostly I hope it will be a rewarding experience that potentially could help someone else with a harried and difficult life.
More to come soon...
My goal is to begin blogging again. About my life with RSD and what it means for my family. I also have another topic to post about. Lucas my son has a speech disorder, strongly believed to be Childhood Apraxia of Speech along with a few co existing conditions adding to his speech delay. In one year he has made so much progress, but when you realize that at this time last year he could barely babble or say Mama and Dada you understand that a lot of progress is just the beginning for us. We still have a long road ahead.
Living with RSD and raising a child that has a special need. These are the things that set my family apart from the rest but we still have the normal day to day everyone else has. Clothes need washed, meals need to be made, homework must be done, bills paid, and my husband must go to work each day. Life goes on despite disabilites thrown in your path. Our disabilities just add to the mountain of To Do's. Doctor appointments, therapies, meetings with therapists/teachers, the added bills, diet suppliments, therapy homework, and so much more.
My goal is to reinvent this site. I want to talk about normal Wife/Mother type of things along with RSD life and raising a child with a speech disorder. Yes blogging will add to my already demanding day but it will serve me as a report card of our life, track progress and goals, but mostly I hope it will be a rewarding experience that potentially could help someone else with a harried and difficult life.
More to come soon...
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