New Therapist and Mom's thoughts on Communication

    Stacia has added another therapist to the list of ones she is seeing. She started seeing Beth at PTC where she goes for private therapy. She will continue to see JoAnna as well for speech along with Polly for OT. Since I (mama) had my times mixed up thinking I had to leave home at the time we needed to be there she ended up only going for 30 minutes instead of 45 minutes. In some ways it worked out good since it gave her a chance to ease in a bit with Beth.
    Stacia made several sounds including the z sound though we only got it once and we could not get her to repeat it. This is not something unusual for children with childhood apraxia of speech to make a sound when playing or doing something else where they are not concentrating on making a sound to make a sound and than when they have to concentrate on that sound not being able to make that sound.
    Stacia is starting to reach the point where she is realizing that other people can express themselves with their mouths and that she has a hard time doing that. She is getting to the point where she does not even want to try to talk. Which would explain why she has regressed some from what she was doing last spring.
Right now we are giving her lots of praise for any sound that she makes with the exception of screaming or crying. If we want her to made a b sound and she makes the m sound we are going to be praising her for making a sound.
    She did go to preschool this week after missing last week due to being sick though since it was only 2 days scheduled it was a review week. They ended up having only 1 day with so many out sick or having vehicles broken down. She has 3 classmates 2 girls and a boy in her class though there is supposed to be another girl starting soon.    
     Her teacher is very supportive of the fact that we are planning on homeschooling her once she reaches kindergarten. Half her class are those that are going to go to be home educated and that other half will be going to public school.
    Her teacher says she is doing great at school and appears to know as much and in some areas even more than the other children the only problem is she has no way of communicating to let the world know how much she knows. One advantage to having her in such a small private preschool is she gets a lot more 1 on 1 attention and her teacher is use other ways of finding out what she knows. Today they worked on colors:Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Black, and Brown and I was told the only one she struggled with was Orange. She can't say the names but she can point to the different ones as you ask for them or she can hand you an object of that color.
   
     We are working on getting her an Alternative and Assitive Communication Device (AAC) though while we are waiting to hear from the insurance on rather they are going to cover the cost or not we are getting her some training in using a Picture Exchange Card System (PECS) so that between that and using American Sign Language she can communicate what she wants and needs at least to a simple degree that is more than using ASL for those who know it and can sign with her or pointing for those that don't.
      While Stacia is not able to say much with her mouth she says so much with her hands, her body and her eyes. Now if the world would just learn to read and listen to children like Stacia who don't communicate with their voices. Listen not with your ears but listen with your heart to children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech because children like Stacia have so much to share and tell us if only we listen. Sometimes it is hard I know because I walk this road everyday.

Happy Thanksgiving

     Hi Everyone even though it is late I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I started my day by banging on my bedroom door to let Mama, Daddy, and my big sister Bridget know that I was awake. Mama told me I had to stay in my room for a while because she was making Daddy take out the trash and she was busy trying to fix the food we were taking over to Grandma and Grandpa P's house for dinner with Daddy's side of the family later.
     When I was finally let out (all right it really wasn't that long) Mama and Bridget were busy trying to make cranberry rice, green bean casserole, and candied sweet potatoes though Mama said she was cheating and using canned sweet potatoes.
Since we were eating at 1 all Mama would let me have was 2 toaster waffles. She did get blueberry which I loved. Actually we all had 2 waffles each. I did manage to talk Mama into giving me half an apple sliced up after she told me the ones she had sliced all nicely were for the cranberry rice. I signed apple and the rule in our house is if Stacia signs something especially without being asked she gets what she wants. (Mama feels bad if Stacia signs something and we are out of the item)
      We all made to to Grandma and Grandpa's with 4 minutes to spare for the time Grandma P said we would be eating. We still ended up waiting a little while while they finished carving the turkey and getting serving spoons in all the food.
Grandpa P said the blessing but first he told everyone to put away their electronics. Mama fixed my plate because it was so crowded in the kitchen. I decided to pick at my plate which didn't make Mama very happy at least I don't think so because she kept saying I picked what I thought were some of your favorites.
     Normally I eat really good but I haven't been lately which is starting to concern Mama a bit because I lost some weight about 6 months ago though one of my doctors (the one I end up seeing the most even though he isn't my primary) who went all the way through school with Daddy agrees with Mama that the cause was I finally got strong enough to be more active.
      After Dinner almost everyone went to the park but since no one would take me I didn't get to go. Mama did go down and get one of the toys I like to play with at Grandma and Grandpa's. I have to add here that before they went to the park there was a couple rounds of Bingo from a set my big sister Bridget made at Missionettes for her Family Badge.
     They had to get their family to play the game at home as part of their take home assignment. It's not a lot of fun to just have 2 people play. I wanted to eat the markers since they were smarties. I was told no because their wasn't enough and everyone kept running out as it was. Everyone was teasing each other when they would run out saying "you don't have enough smarts"
      I had a slice of apple pie made by one of my cousins. Mama didn't put enough whip cream on it and I kept trying to talk everyone who came into the kitchen into giving me more. Mama said the rule is a little bit of whip cream with your pie not a little bit of pie with your whip cream.
      We watched the video of Bridget's play though my aunt kept trying to fast forward to where Bridget was on stage. She is on a lot though especially with a minor part. The play was The Tortoise verses The Hare and was put on my our local home school group with the help of Missoula Children's Theater. Mama says that in a few years when I am older I will get to be in the productions too even if I can't talk though she is hoping that I will be talking more by then.
       We came home and Mama frantically tried to get the Christmas Wish List done so that we could get it over to Grandma S. Grandma had actually asked Mama for it way earlier but Mama has been busy with lots of other stuff which since it is getting late and I need my beauty sleep I am going to tell Mama what to say in the blog about me and go to bed.
       Since Daddy is home tonight because he doesn't have to work he is supposed to tuck me in. He didn't so I had to tuck myself in, I turned out my light and shut my door and was under my covers when Mama came into check on me. She thought I would be playing with my toys. I surprised her didn't I. It was nice having Mama come in and tuck me in even though I am big and very independent since I am 4 years old. So what if I can't use my voice to talk because of having Apraxia though it is the Childhood Apraxia of Speech that makes it hard for me to talk.