Speech

One more thing!

Last year at this time, Matthew had maybe 5 words in his vocabulary. If I remember right, he said: Daddy, ball, ruff, roar, etc...

This past week he was evaluated by a speech therapist who tested him at or above his age level for speech, comprehension, etc. So, he does not qualify for speech intervention through the school system. There are definately issues with his speech that we need to address though, so we're going to work on getting some funding for that.

Please indulge me for just a bit. There were 2 therapists who evaluated Matthew, one was the Speech therapist and the other was an OT. (For the most part, Matthew could do the fine motor skills fine, but struggles with sensory, which we knew.) Matthew greeted them at the door, found out their names and called them by name throughout the time they were here. The speech therapist told me that in her 29 years, said she has never seen a child like him. Most kiddos on the spectrum won't acknowledge her entrance, and engage in the testing like he did. She found him to be delightful (her words).

Yes, that's my little one and I know he's amazing.

Fun away from home

In 1 week from today, we're leaving for a beach vacation. This is the first time we're going on one since Matthew has been born. So, we've been talking about the beach alot, and I made a book for Matthew, so he'll know a little more about what to expect.




Matthew is a creature of habit and routine. So, its best to let him know what is coming next, especially if it is new and different. I've learned to explain, explain, explain and repeat, repeat, repeat...




We had a gift certificate for a nights stay at a local hotel, so we used it to show Matthew what it will be like to sleep and spend time away from home. He did great! We swam in the pool (Without any meltdowns or protests, even!), and had a fun evening in our room on the fourth floor. The only thing he didn't like - but has talked repeatedly of since that night - is the elevator. He's pretty afraid of them, and its the movement that he doesn't like. So, we sing and "count numbers" while the elevator moves. He protests before we get on and clings to his daddy but he does ride them. When he is tired, the protests are worse. I've been explaining to him that we will ride an elevator lots on vacation. We'll see how that goes...


The next morning came VERY early at 5:45 when I heard his little voice say "Do you want to play with your letter puzzle?" (Sometimes his speech is echolalic - meaning he parrots back what we say or would say, to him.)




Here are some fun shots in the pool:

Snacking on some popcorn before bed.

Sensory play

Last summer, Matthew rarely played on playgrounds or any play equipment. Occasionally, if he was exceptionally well-rested and he was 100% comfortable in his surroundings, he would do play well, but other than that, he mostly was afraid of it all.









So far, this summer is proving to be much different. This is in our backyard, but we've gone to several playgrounds and with 1 exception, he's played great!















We're working on alot of sensory play, and he's doing well! What is sensory play, you ask? That is a good question, and I'm not really sure how to answer, so I'll give you examples:

• Slides


• Swings


• Merry-go-rounds


• Finger paints


• Shaving cream


• Sandboxes


• Play-Doh


• The list could go on and on.

Are you getting the picture? Its experiencing different sensations, I suppose. It involves much more, but those are the basics. We swing Matthew back and forth in a blanket sometimes and he and his daddy love to wrestle. I've drug him around in a washbasket, which he loves. When he's riding in his wagon, he often says "Go fast!!" This is very important for him, to get him used to all kinds of stuff that he'll experience all his life. We won't be taking him on a roller coaster anytime soon - really, its ok if he doesn't like them. After all, Mommy doesn't!! (Hmmm, do you think I could have some sensory issues?)

Again, this stuff was very difficult last summer. He would never have climbed willingly into a washbasket then, and when it came to sand, he didn't even want to touch it. Now, he likes to lay in his sandbox and as long as we can incorporate letters and numbers, he'll stick his fingers right into the shaving cream.

One of the things that occasionally gives us problems is running water. So, its a little touchy to wash his hands sometimes and he's afraid to stick his hands under the faucet when his tub is filling up. The other night, one of his bath toys was directly under the water. I watched him try to work up the courage to reach for it, and he ended up asking for help. We'll just keep working on it!

And, as a bonus, are the flowers in my backyard pretty? My clematis did well this spring, and there are tons of peonies and a huge hollyhock!

A jam-packed day!

Yesterday, we hit the Columbus Zoo! We had lots of fun! Last summer it would have been a little different. There were alot of indoor exhibits with loud noises, drastic temperature changes, stinky smells and were very dark. We hit them all, and Matthew only got scared in one and asked to go home. He didn't love them all, but tolerated them. It was great! And...thanks to Dramamine, we had a most enjoyable drive that didn't include any clean up or changes of clothing. Whew. That in itself was a huge accomplishment!

Outside the bear exhibit. Matthew had ENOUGH of riding in the stroller! He really did well though, it was a long day! There weren't many people around, so we just let him run for awhile after this.

While we were eating lunch, we listened to this lion roar. One of the females answered back from the other side of the enclosure and he lifted his head and listened intently. It was very cool! I wonder what they were saying to each other? lol!

At the petting zoo. Matthew would look at this goat and say, "It's not a cow." Apparently he thought Gary and I may be confused since it was black and white! ;)

This pair of goats were fast asleep. The tan one made a very weird snoring noise and his bottom teeth were always showing. They were so content until Matthew sat on the tan goat - I couldn't get to him fast enough to stop him! The goat just got up and left. Matthew's friends, Jack and Annie have a wonderful Golden Retriever named Fletcher who doesn't mind when Matthew lays all over him, so I think thats what Matthew was thinking of! He's pretty fearless when it comes to animals - I can't wait to go to Rolling Ridge this summer where we can actually feed them!

The bigger reason we went to Columbus yesterday was to follow up with Matthew's Neurologist, Dr Emily in the afternoon. At Matthew's initial diagostic appointment 9 months ago, she was quite concerned with his speech. The first question she asked was how many words are now in his vocabulary and after a pause, I told her that he's doing 4 and 5 word sentences. She was very pleased - and didn't seem concerned with his echolalic speech. (parroting what is said to him). She asked basic things like does he know his numbers? colors? shapes? letters? We were able to answer "Yes" to all of that stuff and Matthew said the alphabet backwards for her and she took our word for it that he can count to 100. ;) She told us to keep doing what we're doing and Matthew gave her a hug and blew her kisses when we left.

She had a few minor concerns about things that we are working on right now with him, but we don't need to contact her or see her again unless he regresses or we have other major concerns. We have a few details to work out about it all yet, but I must say, as much as I've come to appreciate Dr Emily, I hope I never see her again! :) Matthew still has 1 Doctor in Columbus who keeps much closer tabs on his development - maybe we can get rid of him too! I think I might be getting ahead of myself on that one...

Dr Emily sees follow ups in the afternoon and does diagnostic appointments in the morning. My heart hurt for the parents who had their little ones there yesterday morning and heard heart-breaking news like we did 9 months ago. On our drive home I commented on the vastly different tone of this appointment and how GREAT we felt when we left this time. This is not the journey I would have picked, but it is, in fact, the one we are on, and God has been and continues to be faithful!

What a good day!

Imaginative play

Matthew is a little "stuck" in his play, and we are working on showing him how to use his imagination. I know its in there somewhere! We are working on talking about who lives in his house with him and that we are a family. Along with this, we talk about animals living in a barn and people living in houses. These are basic social situations and settings that most kids catch on to naturally. Matthew's brain though, is just wired a little differently than most, and he'll have to learn these another way.

This week we visited my sister who has a dairy farm and saw the cows in their barn. I wish I would have taken pictures! Matthew was fine about being in the barn, but didn't want to touch the cows. After we came home, we got out his play farm set and played with the animals, and pretended to feed the animals some hay, etc. He did pretty good, and was engaged for a short time, but then started to line up the hay bales. I snapped a picture of it, because it was clear what mommy did and what Matthew did. I hope no one gets vertigo from our crazy 1970's kitchen carpet!

When we ask him if people live in a barn, he now says "No way!" Each night, before bedtime we read a book that talks about baby Jesus laying in a manger. The picture in the book has animals gathered around the manger. I talk about Jesus being born in a barn where the animals live, because there was no room in a house for him. He never comments on this, and I don't know if he "gets it". He hears that Jesus loves him and came to die for him, but I'm not sure what is soaking in his little mind.

Puzzles, puzzles and more puzzles...

Matthew LOVES puzzles. Its something he can figure out easily and makes sense to him. And the "answer" is the same every time! His Aunt Norma (or Nooma, as he says) got him a construction floor puzzle that he loves. We do it several times a day, and he knows all of the equipment on it. I like it because its a little more difficult for him and he still needs our help.

I may need to invest in some Bob the Builder toys. Since he got this puzzle, we love to see big equipment when we're on the road. Its very exciting!

I snapped these just this morning. I love Saturday mornings when we're all at home!

Getting a little distracted by the tv...

Reflux

Matthew has always struggled with acid reflux. Last fall he had a scope at Akron Children's Hospital to see potential causes and what damage his reflux has caused so far. He had a little inflammation in his esophagus, probably due to the fact that he couldn't be on his meds prior to this surgery. He is still on meds, and hopefully we'll be able to wean him off of them soon.

He was a trooper that day and did amazingly well! By the time we got home, he was running around and playing like normal, but his mommy and daddy were collapsed on the couch! I did ok that day, and held it together at the hospital, but was cranky the next day. It is quite a feeling to have a nurse take your baby from your arms and take him to surgery.


Here are a few pictures of Matthew in recovery. I thought he would be very interested in these someday...