Unique Peek At Language Skills

James scripts. Sometimes it's a conversation that incorporates YouTube videos and memories from 6 years back. His inner dialogue can come right out his mouth for multiple people - kind of like my brother and I each re-enacting entire Monty Python skits at the breakfast table, but much more mysterious and Dada-esque.

And lately, James has started mixing Spanish into his scripting. Appropriate use of words too.

It started when he was walking from the car to the apartment, and someone let their dog run around the property behind our parking space. It made James very nervous, to hear it racing around, barking. I heard about the darned perro running around afuera.

He will also try and drop numbers in Spanish into a conversation. He is fascinated with the teen numbers. Even though he asks me every time, he knows the proper name for the proper number.

Every now and then I will drop a few phrases in French. He likes to practice Bon Jour and Mercie.

I love this guy.

Autism Audibles

Was just called "Uncle Mother" by James. Not quite sure where the fixation on uncles is coming from this morning, but he's exploring it.

A Little Story

James just asked to call his Nana. He's been interested lately in talking to all his grandparents. He was able to tell her a little about his day at school.

He told her his one knock-knock joke. It has now morphed into:
  James: "Knock-knock!"
   You: "Who's there?"
  James: "Big grey sum!"
   You: "Big grey sum who?"
  James: "Eeeeeg-xactly!"

And then: He told her a bedtime story. Because I said we needed to wrap up the call (which was totally free-falling into Dadaism) so Nana could go to bed.

"Once upon a time, there was a princess named Anna. She went to school. And then, she went to hiiiiiide  (runs into bedroom with phone, laughing)!" Long pause. "Uhhhhhhm. And she lived happily ever after. The End."

Such a little thing. Such a big breakthrough, that he can do even this much this now.

It's totally made my day.

Looking forward to the next chapter.

Heh, Heh, Heh ...

I am out in the back yard, hiding taking a break. Due to a hard week, both my husband and I are *really* tired, and tag-teaming who's "in charge."

Dad's come up with a winner: "Lets Test the Box o' Electronic Junk Gadgets I Just Bought at a Sale."

I am sitting here, laughing, because the screen door is open, and I can hear James testing a walkie-talkie with his Dad. "Hello? Daddy? .... Knock-knock .... Brain .... Eeeg-SACTly!"

Remember Snowball's stunning logic/knock-knock joke?

I concede him the crown. Heh.

Special Exp./ Wordless Wednesday: Bravery

Sometimes I forget what it's like to be small. With everyone towering over and around you.

I listen to the wind making noises as it whispers and roars through the redwood grove and think that sometime this must be what people around him sound like when they talk.



Look how calm he is. This is one of James' best blessings. He was born this way, and at times his calmness and quiet happiness humble me.

My brave, confident guy. Love you!

For more great images or to join in the fun, Visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

and ... Wordless Wednesday

New Favourite Tune

I just met this song yesterday. And already it is embedded in my brain x 150 (which is how many times it's been played "by request")


It's all about Rockin' & Talkin' this week! Anyone else been listening to the Kids' Express Train a lot?


Don't get me wrong ... it may be an ear worm, but I am thrilled James is singing and being excited about vocalizing more.

I wonder if I should introduce him to The Bobs or They Might Be Giants? Hmmmmmmm!

More in SHAPE

James has started working with his new SHAPE person! So now he also gets some special one-on-one time Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, instead of just Mondays and Thursdays.

I stayed out of James' line of sight in the next room, reading a book. Just to check in that they didn't need me. They certainly didn't. So after about 20 minutes I moved down the hall to my office. It's dusty! Kidding! Kind of!

James' speech is getting much clearer and he is now saying 3-syllable words that others can easily recognize. Um, I think 3 weeks ago he could not do this. He is working on letter recognition and has a pretty good grip on the alphabet. Listening in today made me smile. There is so much more give & take in the verbal process now in his SHAPE sessions. It used to be almost a monologue for his first SHAPE assistant. He has better focus and can stay with a task much longer than before.

Except if he is cranky. Cranky=all bets off. Cranky prompted throwing of puzzle pieces into the sink (nice arc on your throws, James, BTW) when alone with Mommy and got him another Time Out. Cranky wipes out speech and brings on the screeches and screams. The tears. Cries of "A-Daddy! A-Nana!" And many many tears. James gets tropical storms of emotional outbursts -- fierce, loud, wet, and mercifully brief.

James likes to work with his word cards and can actually talk about what he sees on them. Not a lot, but he's talking!

Sometimes lately, I catch him sizing me up thoughtfully while I am busy at something. His sister does this all the time. I am seeing him do it more and more. It reminds me that I need to watch out for bad habits -- like swearing. A few weeks ago, he repeated a word I'd really rather he forget I said. Yikes! How about a popsickle, James? A red one? Yes, talk about *that* all you like!!!

Preferences

James has a mind of his own. Many times, he's an easy-going guy. But occasionally he wants a certain thing. A very certain thing and not what Mommy/Daddy wants. Look out! We are loving it, too.

Sometimes, James will go to his closet and point to a shirt and say "Dis one." Sometimes, Mommy gives him choices. If we have lots of time, choices of 3 for shirt, pants, and shoes (well, only 2 kinds of shoes, but still, I offer him a choice). If time is scarce, a choice of two on shirts and shoes. It's a great way for him to work on his colours and appreciate the power of spoken words.

Also? He has a much better dress sense at this age than his sister did. She goes for bizzarro. James has his favourites: orange shirt, orange striped shirt, and the green gecko short-sleeved shirts. He prefers the red, white, & blue striped long-sleeved shirts. He adores his striped blue polo shirt, but it's so nice I hesitate to send him to school in it -- they do a lot of finger paints - Yiiii!

His favourite things to watch are also clearly stated (hooray!!!): "I. want. George/Red/Bear/Green/'Side-down." Translation: Curious George, Shapes: Talking with Dog (in a red library VHS case), Baby Einstein: Baby Mozart (Bear on case cover), Baby Einstein: Baby Shakespeare (Green lizard on case cover), The Upside-down Show.

His favourite books: "I. want. din'saur/caps sayuh/shapes/fwog/li' kak/E'mo." Translation: Does a Donosaur Get Sick?, Caps for Sale, Book of Shapes, The Rainbow Frogs, Little Quack, Elmo's Book of Babies.

He is doing imaginative play with cars and airplanes right now. He still loves things that spin and spinning them. He is starting to ride a tricycle! He engages with us (and occasionally his schoolmates) for playing.

And his newest friend is WALL*E.

Go, James!!!

Is the Coast Clear?

Wow, one bug, four people, a month of recovery. Let's just say I hate the summer flu!

For a couple of weeks, we all took turns succumbing to The Scourge. Oh, it was fiendishly clever. First it was James, poor baby! He was over the worst of it by Day Three. Um, but on Days One & Two he couldn't even keep water down, so in we popped to the doctors' office; we had to give him 2 shots in his legs to quell the raging ear infection that was his bonus prize. After that got under control, things headed uphill pretty quickly. By Day 5, I was down with it, as well as the grandparents.

My husband and daughter lingered in Healthland through Day 10, then fell to their dooms. By then I was able to make it through bedtime without collapsing on the sofa every couple of hours.

Then, the catch-up. No, not the laundry -- that would have been Truly Hideous. The paperwork, the phone calls, the delayed follow-throughs. James was accepted into the CATS program at Sonoma State U. It sounds like an internship that could be quite interesting. His sister is starting Kindergarten next month and can I just vent here and now about my amazement that this humble grade level involves almost more preparation than I had to do to get into college? The paperwork, lines, appointments, more paperwork, reviews, interviews, assessments ... Holy Rainbow Cow!

Some big shining rays of light:
* James is talking more and more; especially since he started the preschool camp/classes offered through our local city parks & rec.
* James did very well in a mainstreamed environment. His teachers all loved him too and he liked them.
* James is digging swimming. He has gone from panicking and clutching at me to letting me put my hand on his tummy to boost/guide him and he uses his arms and legs to "swim" in proper form. He also likes to get out of the pool, count to three, and then launch himself off the edge to me. This is more than his older sister can do, and she has two additional years and actual swim lessons to her credit.
* James' speech & language therapist says that swimming is great for fostering speech and vestibular activities.
* James gives me real hugs and kisses now. He really misses me if I am out of the picture and shows it with words. For example, this morning I went out to feed the cat. His grandmother said he saw me out there and said "wanna go mommy" for "I want to go to mommy." After a year or more of playing second fiddle to apple bars, this is a great feeling for me!

Oh, and James has been growing. He is over 40" tall and just 3 1/2 years. His feet look Amazingly Sturdy. And we have 6-foot (and more) giants in both our families. He is is still our big sweetie, and we love him so!

Pep Talking

James started visits again to the speech & language center that he attended before going to preschool. He remembered the awkward turn at the Very Annoying Left Turn Light. He was very excited to see his therapist again, and remembered the way to her office.

Everyone exclaimed how tall he and his sister had grown in just five months. I had watched with pride how well James tackled the tall stairs on his own -- he'd either had to crawl up them on hands and knees or it took FOREVER, with me holding his hand. Right away, James started showing off his words, with naming the colours he saw, saying "ball" and "in" to describe his play activities, and saying "close" for "close-the-door-behindya-on-your-way-out-Mommy, why-don'tchya?" He sorted colours appropriately. He knew his favourite toys and their proper hiding places.

So now we have new homework: a "blackboard" with pictures on it and the simple, three-word sentences we will practice together and encourage his too say on his own. Because James is still a single-word kind of guy. (Not always -- yesterday I heard him croon "Oooh, pretty room!" for reasons unknown ... *shrug*)

Even though we had a very discombobulated bus driver this morning, summer school seems to have begun with a promising start!

Windows

Every now and then I catch myself watching the kids. I think I know what's going on, but really I am watching through my Mommy Window into their world.




Right now, the kids are watching a cat in the backyard. James has started saying "mow, meow" when he sees it. He wants to pet the cat, like his sister does, but can't quite do it. He and the cat circle each other, both curious, yet cautious.

What is James thinking? What is he seeing? How does he experience this house and his family? Sometimes I think I know. Others, I haven't a clue.

Sometimes his eyes, looking at me, are more expressive than the words he is trying to say. His facial expressions are more informative than his verbalization. While this is frustrating for us both, it reminds me that there is someone who is very present and aware on the other side of that window; I will keep trying the best I can to look through and open the window so I can meet James even more, and find out what he's thinking. Answer questions, if I can. Share as much as possible with him.