Christian Talks and Snowball Therapy

This post is brought to you from SNOWY ARIZONA!!!

(More on that later.)

I've been talking about how Christian has found his voice over the last six or seven months.

But first, let's review some history.

After the accident, everything went silent. Christian had his trache so at the time even if he was trying to make a sound, we wouldn't have heard it.

After getting his speaking valve he very slowly started making noises. Those noises eventually turned into crying and whining. At the time, we were grateful because he could tell us if he was sad or hurt. And he told us...and told us...and told us.

After a while I couldn't help but wonder if the only communication and vocalization Christian could make would be crying or of discontent. I wondered where the other sounds were - happy, interested, communicative, anything else.

Then, seemingly out of the blue, Christian started making noises. His whining calmed to soft moans and then turned into something else. What I refer to as his "talking."

Speech therapy has always been challenging because I'm not going too far in saying that most speech therapists don't really know what to do with Christian.

A while back I was discussing with Christian's OT about his communication. He has always done this eye roll thing that we've always brushed off as seizures or spasms. However, I started noticing that when I talked to him and asked him questions he would look up as if he was responding with an answer. Then his OT was working with him and mentioned the same thing I was thinking - Maybe that's his answer for YES.

So we've been testing it out and he's been really consistent with it. As I've mentioned, he has a new speech therapist that is so awesome. She's like the brain injured kid whisperer. And as she was asking him questions, he was responding with his YES.

So I got some of his talking on video along with his YES.

Listen closely because after I took the video I didn't realize you couldn't hear him very well.

And watch is eyes when I ask him a question.

We did always think they were seizures and sometimes his seizures look a lot like this. But his smiles started from seizures and turned into responsive smiles. So we're going with it.

I'm just amazed at how much is still possible with him. He is still learning and still growing. I can see him using his abilities and building on them in his way. I'm learning again and again to get rid of how I think things should be done and follow Christian in the direction he wants to go.

Oh, yeah, and the snow...

Christian had snowball therapy!

It was a little too cold for Christian outside so I brought him a snowball. He wanted to touch it but then pulled away, then went for it again, and then pulled away. He also watched the snow fall from the sliding glass door and talked away all afternoon.

Sister enjoyed it, too.