I guess for those who don't know, I should elaborate a little on why/how/when I started thinking about getting S evaluated. At 9 months, he said Mama, Ball, Eat and Go. He quickly dropped Ball and Eat and only said Go occasionally. Mama, we don't think he associated with me until he was about 18 months, because he would look at a toy and say it too. He also had some 'hand flapping' although we didn't know exactly what it was. He would hold one hand up and turn it from side to side (envision a Miss America wave) and would make a car sound like he was talking to it. His eye contact was also a concern of mine. I would have to hold his head in my hands to get him to look at me, but as soon as I'd let go to do a sign or show him something, he'd be preoccupied with something else that fast. At 18 months, we had him evaluated by First Steps. My main concern at that time was his lack of verbal communication. Receptive language was not an issue. He can point to many different things in books and on flash cards, even household items that I didn't think he knew, such as lamp, mop, desk, etc. He also can point out letters of the alphabet, shapes and numbers. During his First Steps evaluation, they also noticed some motor/sensory issues he had. He seemed to not know his place in space. He could climb up the stairs, but would just want to crawl back down, not realizing that each step is lower. He would also climb on something and couldn't figure out how to get down. We had a box on our dining room floor that he liked to crawl on, but even though it was only 4-6 inches off the ground, he couldn't figure out how to get down. We had to show him how to scoot to the edge and put his feet on the floor. He's come a long way in the sensory department, in my opinion. He still has some issues with certain textures, especially on his hands. He doesn't like things like whipped cream, pudding, etc. being on his hands. Also, if he falls outside and gets grass or dirt on his hands, we've had to show him how to rub his hands together to get it off. In addition to him having Speech and Occupational Therapy once a week, we just added Developmental Therapy a couple months ago and he has just blossomed from it. I wish we would have added it sooner. All the therapists we use do floortime. It has worked wonders for him! He still uses a few signs, but he wasn't picking up on those quickly, so we decided to use a picture exchange board. He uses that to pull pictures off to let us know what he wants, but of course, those are limited. Here are just some of the signs and words he's using now:
Signs: More, All done, Help, Please, Open
Words: Mama, Dada, Doggy, Oh no (He says this quite emphatically and drawn out, like Ooooh Noooo, and uses it at all the appropriate times. I believe he got this from his Alphabet Town toy, which he loves. Whenever he misses something, it says Oh no, the correct answer is...), No (This has become quite the game. I say Yes whenever he says No. We continue for awhile until I say No, then he says something back to me in his own little language. He knows when I've changed it up on him.), I did it (Too cute! He says it when he's accomplished something and we cheer for him, but he also says it when he's done something he's not supposed to do.), All done, Go (This is normally followed by running to get his shoes or he already has them in hand and is ready to go.), Moo (When asked what the cow says), EIEI (When he wants me to sing Old McDonald), Knock knock (Before we open something. His therapist has a puzzle with doors that open and a piece inside. He has to knock before he can open it to get the piece.), Dat Dat Dat (On Little Einsteins, they say Pat Clap Pat Clap when they want Rocket to go faster), Oh Turkey (On Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when they call Oh Toodles), O, T (he says Tuh Tuh for the sound), H (he says Huh Huh for the sound)
I'm sure there are other words that I'm not remembering right now, but he's making strides in the mimicing department. I'm sure alot of the things he's saying in his own language are actually words or phrases he's trying to get out.
Our game plan is to keep First Steps until he's 3. He receives 1 hour each weekly of Developmental, Speech and Occupational Therapy through them. We're also going to start ABA Therapy soon. That will be 5 days a week, 3+ hours each day. I'm excited to get that started to see how it will affect some of his behaviors, notably throwing and screeching. I'm hopeful to learn different ways of dealing with his frustration of not being able to communicate. Once he reaches age 3, the First Steps services will stop and he'll be able to go to the developmental preschool. As long as ABA is working, we'll continue that. I'd also like to look into some additional things, like Hippatherapy (horseback riding) and swimming lessons, but we have some time for those. I think he'd really enjoy the swimming lessons. He's definitely a water boy!
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