Apraxia of Speech . Week 37 & 38

The perfect storm of getting ready for a yard sale, having the internet go out, and 3 babies with 101+ fevers last weekend led to limited blogging.  So, you get 2 speech updates in one!

Ryder has been having an increasingly difficult time leaving Speech Therapy each week.  Ryder loves (LOVES) his SLP.  And, the fact that she brings him trains and tracks is just icing on the cake.  Until, he has to leave before he is finished playing.  Thankfully, the SLP is more than patient with him, and his antics.  But, it is wearing.

We've been coaching Ryder throughout each week, and especially as we drive to Speech Therapy.  And, today, he did awesome.  He definitely didn't want to help clean up the tracks, but cooperated willingly.

09.06.2012

LEFT: We got to Speech Therapy a few minutes early, and shared a muffin from the library cafe.
RIGHT: Ryder, adding to the train tracks, as he works with sounds/words using an iPad app.

09.13.2012

Ryder doesn't really know personal boundaries all that well, luckily, his SLP is used to this (with 2 young children herself).  Here, he is playing with his trains while participating with the iPad app.

Ryder's speech is making improvements.  We hear him saying more words on his own, without us prompting him more frequently.

- Ryder is very observant as we drive (and can even tell you where to turn to get to certain locations!).  In November(?) he started saying "geen, go!" when the traffic light would turn green.  We've worked, for months, for him to say "green light, go", then adding "yellow, slow" and "red, stop".  It's slow, but it's an easy repetitive activity when we are in the car.  As I drove him to daycare this week, he told me "Mom, go, da (the) wight (light) is a geen (green) arrow".  I've never heard him say arrow, and I can't say that I've encouraged him to try.  But, the innumerable times that Patrick and I have told him that we are turning because it is a green arrow has paid off!

- When Ryder is looking for a specific toy, we encourage him to look for it on his own, and if he can't find it, we'll help him retrace his steps.  Often, I will say "(item missing), where are you?!" as we walk around.  Recently, Ryder was looking for his juice cup (often stolen by his brothers), and I asked him to look for it first, and I would help him if he couldn't find it.  He walked away, saying "o-hay (okay) mom, JUICE, WHERE ARE YOU???".  All words that I know he can say, but never strung together like that, especially without prompting.

- As we read the boys a bedtime story (or two!), Ryder has started to mimic what we are saying as we read the story.  Sometimes it is one we read often, other times it's one that is rarely pulled off of the shelf - his willing imitation is incredible.  Getting him to parrot a sound, let alone a word, took MONTHS.  Now, he's often doing it without prompting.

One-step-at-a-time.