Friday, March 19, 2010

Max Update: My Budding Horn Player.

One of the many challenges that we are working through with Max is not only a delay in his speech, but the fact that he has trouble pronouncing a lot of consonants. Letters like B, M, P, K, G and many others are very difficult for him to say. I have a feeling he is much more advanced in his communication than we understand, because, well, we don't understand him. Max receives Speech Language Therapy twice a week, and also participates in a weekly Music & Language group. His speech goals are also incorporated into his Behaviour Therapy and his Occupational Therapy.
Because of this he is making progress in leaps and bounds. We are finding that when he is communicating successfully, his acting out almost completely disappears. Makes sense, right? If he is able to articulate his needs and we are able to help him achieve what he wants, he is much happier. I completely get it (I tend to behave poorly when I don't get what I want too).

In this video (taped today), Max is not only blowing on a horn with long, full blows, he is using a straw, and blowing bubbles. You may recall, we started working on these goals last June. It took a while to get here (mostly because Max had trouble tolerating having anything touch his mouth, let alone be put in it). Success is indeed sweet. I am so incredibly proud of my Max. He blows me away with how hard he works and his beautiful smile is often what keeps me going. Yay Max! Next up - saxophone lessons?

4 comments:

  1. Awesome!!

    My cousin Rachel has a terrible speech delay, similar to Charlotte actually. When she was about two my aunt and uncle were having some renos done in the house. Rachel was babbling and screaming away and everyone just figured she was yelling gibberish because no one had ever heard her say "real words" before. At some stage the son of one of the workers came in and, after listening to Rachel yelping away, said to my aunt, "For Gods sake, would someone get this poor child her Princess blanket she's only asked about ten times?!!" Turns out he had gotten good at trying to figure out what his own speech delayed sister was trying to say and could translate!

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  2. Anonymous7:34 p.m.

    Stephanie,I have heard similar stories that just crack me up. Sometimes we just can't hear what others think our kids are saying so clearly!

    Go Max! I love the way the strawberries motivate him!

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  3. it's just a little thing, but amazing, all the same. good job, max! i love when you post his videos...i find i smile in spite of myself. your little boy is so so so cute. you should be proud, kat... very, very proud. you've been through so much and look how far he's come!

    xo

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