With school just around the corner our house is becoming a flurry of activity. There are going to be goodbyes that are sad, but lots of new faces to meet just around the corner. We have many appointments this week and next
Our first, last appointment. Saying goodbye to Sophie's Speech Language Pathologist of the last four years.
We have learned so much from this friend and we are sad to say goodbye. Giving Sophie a way to communicate has been my number one goal for many years now. Working on yes/no and choice making has been something that we try to include throughout Sophie's day and Sophie has become very successful. For some time Sophie has been able to give a smile for yes and look away for no. She will now nod for yes and will vocalize sometimes with what sounds like a yaaa. It is music to my ears. Learning all of these methods of communication was not easy but so worth the effort. We are so thankful that we had a therapist who believed in Sophie and knew that she was capable of learning anything that we worked on.
Her therapist Kim brought out some numbers and letters for us to work on before school. Sophie and I got out her numbers and started using them right away. First on a velcro board and then on the light box. Sophie was all over it.
We are now in preparation mode before school starts. We just learned that we have been picked up by the Speech Language portion of Augmentative Communication Services. YAY!!! We have waited 15 months on the waitlist. Too long. This means that we can hopefully get into full swing with preparing for a device for communication and we can figure out what to put on that device that will give Sophie a voice.
We already know that Sophie can rock the switch scanning with head switches and a latch timer. We just have to add the right info onto a device so that Sophie can tell us what she knows and what she is thinking.
For now we will keep plugging along, learning a little bit more each day and getting one step closer to having a communication plan for Sophie in place.
This is such an exciting and scary time! I hope Sophie's transition into school goes smoothly, I bet she'll love the peer interactions! That is great she is doing so well with her communication and for you to get the chance to understand what is going on in the pretty little head of hers. :) Hopefully ACS will have some great ideas/options for her!
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