A "Talker" and a "Walker"

LJ walking in his Pony gait trainer

Hopefully he'll be both a talker and a walker soon! LJ got his communication device which we're now calling his "talker"! LJ loves to hear my voice when he is able to press the corresponding buttons. And Nate has been extremely curious about it since it has a voice recorder (it can easily be erased by toddler hands & there doesn't seem to be anyway to "lock" the editing function), pictures and still has that new toy allure. Nate quickly advises us to quick! "Get Noodles' talker" when we can't figure out what he wants. I have had many trips to Staples to laminate wallet-size photos and restock my velcro fasteners for our binder of vocabulary. The "ACC" takes a lot of organization on my part since there's not a built-in vocabulary base- we have to make all of the little 2 x 3 icons that go on the communication device. (ACC stands for Augmentative Alternative Communication) It is also a little difficult for LJ to press whichever quadrant he is interested in. He clearly is "getting it" with the cause and effect, we just need to work with him on his motor control skills. On that front, at least, he is starting to clap his hands YAY and also does the baby sign "All Done".

Big, clunky four-way communicator (it can go all the way up to 16 images)

LJ also started a group-based therapy this week which is ironically called "Hungry Hippos". He meets with the therapist once a week through PIE already and she thought it would be a great way to have Noodles "play" with food without it being a threatening environment. So without any pressure, LJ and another little boy get to have a "picnic" on the FLOOR which is staged at the therapist's clinic, and we get to follow their lead. They watch each other explore and see food from a totally new perspective. The premise is that if the kids are hungry and not pressured, they might be more apt to taste things. There were watermelon cubes, pirate's booty, pirouette cookies and avocado to examine. I brought a blueberry muffin and my water bottle to the picnic and LJ promptly crumbled the muffin to pieces and then ground them into the picnic blanket.

Interestingly however, both boys had the same initial reaction. Though LJ favored feeding the food to an Elmo doll, neither  little "A" nor LJ was happy to stay on the picnic blanket. In their own way they both objected to the food and a crying chorus began. It should get easier each week as they will start to gain their trust in the situation & learn new behaviors; but for now, understandably, Lewis was protecting himself from something (oral aversion to all that medical intervention) that has always seemed to be a threat.

Nate enjoying the pool

In other news, LJ got a splint made for his right hand.  The splint is cocked at an upward angle to keep his wrist resting at an upward angle so his fingers can stay more relaxed. Wearing it on and off for several hours a day will in turn hopefully help improve his fine motor capabilities.  He did NOT like fireworks, but rather enjoyed the ice cubes from the beverage cooler.  Nate is having a wonderful summer and is so looking forward to visiting with his cousins over the rest of the summer.  We've had plenty of outdoor time with camp and the pool, and we finished out the day today with some arts and crafts projects (LJ got in on the finger painting action but seemed more enthusiastic about washing his hands afterward).  Music therapy continues to be a favorite, with LJ starting to vocalize some "A" sounds....Nate has also shown great interest in LJ's feeding therapy and asked to participate with the feeding today. He was allowed to feed his baby brother every other spoonful. He is also great at helping his baby brother interact with the world! Three words. Proud big brother!!

Up next week: post-opp appointment with the ENT and a new therapist will start coming to the house through early intervention- its an early childhood educator who will be working with us on helping LJ develop his receptive language, expressive language and engage in other activities that will boost his cognitive development.  Hopefully I will remember my camera for the picnic and will share them next week.