1/28/12 - Speech Therapy

At 28 months, Bethany is only saying three words (Mama, Dada, and bye-bye).   Around her birthday in September, I started to get suspicious that maybe her lack of verbal development was more than just late blooming.  I learned she was supposed to have about 50 words in her vocabulary and be able to speak in 2 to 3 word sentences by then.  I decided to wait until after Christmas to see if there was any improvement, but saw none. 

I contacted our naturopath, who referred me to the school district.  They assessed Bethany and determined that she was developmentally on track in every area except speech.  Her hearing is perfect, she can understand and follow directions, and her motor and social skills are right on track.   She tries to communicate by tapping my arm and dragging me over to whatever she wants, pointing and saying, “ah, ah!”  She’ll nod or shake her head to answer yes or no questions.  She’s able to use a few baby signs, too, but I can tell she’s starting to get frustrated when trying to communicate. 

 

Bethany has been assigned a sweet young speech therapist named Janet, who will be working with her every Monday morning in our home.   Already Bethany is very comfortable with her, so I’m confident that this will be a perfect fit.  

Bethany

Bethany is a cuddler.  She constantly peddling hugs and kisses to her sisters and Mommy and Daddy, and is never happier than when in someone’s arms.  She likes to curl up in Amanda’s lap to watch a DVD or push her chair next to Eva while eating dinner.  At bedtime she constantly tries to sneak into the next room and climb into Amanda’s bed.  

 

When we leave her in childcare at church, she’s content to spend the entire time in one caregiver’s arms.  When my family comes to visit, she wants Grandma or Grandpa to constantly hold her.   When we visit with our small group, she loves to go cuddle in Katya’s lap or on Steve’s shoulder.  

Amanda

At 4 1/2, Amanda is a sensitive little soul with a soft spot in her heart for all God’s creatures.  She likes to make structures out of blocks for her toy animals, or uses the doll house and toy barn and fences.   She has a very active imagination and likes to make up stories and pretend scenarios for her animals.  She loves the little toy castle Uncle Larry sent for Christmas and diligently keeps the “choke-able” pieces away from Bethany. 

 

Being the middle child, Amanda knows how not to get lost in the shuffle.  She’s the most strong-willed of the three, has a very strong sense of justice, and is the most likely to become defiant when she thinks she’s in the right, or defensively embarrassed if she knows she’s wrong.  If she thinks one of her sisters hurt her on purpose or that mommy isn’t being fair, her lower lip sticks out a mile and she pouts like a pro.  Mommy is trying to teach her that justice must be tempered with mercy, and that love forgives quickly and doesn’t hold grudges.  

Eva

Eva is a very creative and imaginative 6 1/2-year old.  She’s constantly drawing and coloring, and made Thanksgiving and Christmas-themed pictures to tape in the windows as decorations to imitate window clings she saw at the store.  We gave her beads for Christmas and she is making complex jewelry patterns all by herself.   Her interest in steps and sequencing isn’t limited to crafts.  She’s also fascinated by milestones and how time progresses.  For instance, she wants to know exactly at what age Mommy lost a tooth or learned to write cursive, so she can look forward to reaching those milestones at the same time I did, not fully understanding that life doesn’t always work that way.  

Eva is very orderly.  She likes to know what the rules and boundaries are, and gets unsettled when things aren’t done the way they’re supposed to be.   For instance, we have toys that Mommy has designated for indoors or outdoors, and both are supposed to stay in where they belong.  Eva once got very upset when Daddy let Amanda take an “indoor” toy out to the backyard (a small animal that could easily get lost in the grass).  Dave tried to assuage her mind by assuring her that he would let her bring a toy outside, too, but that made her even MORE upset.  “That’s not supposed to go outside!  It’ll get lost!”  She was crying and almost in a panic before we figured out that she was upset because we were messing up a system that gave her a sense of security.   

Eva had a similar reaction when Daddy gave her 5 minutes on the timer to clean up the playroom the other night because it was late (Mommy usually sets it for 15 minutes, and then sweeps the room with a garbage bag to take away anything that wasn’t picked up.  They don’t get it back until the next day).  “We’re supposed to have fifteen minutes!  Fifteen, not five!” she panicked.   She wouldn’t calm down or start cleaning up until Daddy relented and reassured her that she would get the customary 15 minutes. 

 

Mommy is trying to teach her that things aren’t always in order and don’t always happen the way we expect, and that’s OK.  We can trust that God is always in control so we don’t have to be.