Speech
Peter finally went to sleep last night a little after midnight. Of course, when my husband went up for the umpteenth time to keep him from climbing the gate, I ran up to grab pajamas out of our room (if Peter sees me, he gets upset, wants Mommy and then we start the whole going-to-bed process all over again.) As I round the corner, I hear Peter say "paci" which is our shorthand way of saying pacifier. He must have lost his and he's not able to sleep if he doesn't have it.
I laughed a little when I heard him say that. A year ago, we wouldn't have known why he was upset or having a hard time sleeping. We would have been lucky to hear anything other than his repetitive speech or mimicry (echolalia). Now, I can carry on simple conversations with Peter and we see his communication ability improve nearly everyday. At this point, he has one more year in preschool and then the goal is to see if they can mainstream him into a regular kindergarten. I hope so. I worry a little about what happens if he does go into a regular classroom and I worry a little about what would happen if he doesn't. So I try not to think about it right now. I have a whole year to go and other things to worry about in the interim.
Nathan is my social butterfly. Despite his developmental problems, he's very smart and very social. His communication skills stink but he is beginning to approximate speech. It's a guessing game sometimes trying to figure out what he is saying but at least he is trying which is a huge improvement over last year. He has also gained significant independence compared to how he was a year ago. It was one of our big hurdles-- his lack of confidence made him whiny and fearful. He also wouldn't try new things. This has all improved. Now, of course, he's bullheaded, single-minded, opinionated and independent.
I couldn't be happier.
I laughed a little when I heard him say that. A year ago, we wouldn't have known why he was upset or having a hard time sleeping. We would have been lucky to hear anything other than his repetitive speech or mimicry (echolalia). Now, I can carry on simple conversations with Peter and we see his communication ability improve nearly everyday. At this point, he has one more year in preschool and then the goal is to see if they can mainstream him into a regular kindergarten. I hope so. I worry a little about what happens if he does go into a regular classroom and I worry a little about what would happen if he doesn't. So I try not to think about it right now. I have a whole year to go and other things to worry about in the interim.
Nathan is my social butterfly. Despite his developmental problems, he's very smart and very social. His communication skills stink but he is beginning to approximate speech. It's a guessing game sometimes trying to figure out what he is saying but at least he is trying which is a huge improvement over last year. He has also gained significant independence compared to how he was a year ago. It was one of our big hurdles-- his lack of confidence made him whiny and fearful. He also wouldn't try new things. This has all improved. Now, of course, he's bullheaded, single-minded, opinionated and independent.
I couldn't be happier.
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