Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Couldn't be sweeter

Although it's 1:30 in the morning, I was half asleep and don't mind continue to do so ..... Alex came into our room and walked straight to his dad's side of bed.

This is something new as Alex comes to me all the time. Jeremy was at work all day yesterday and did not see Alex when he got home. The last time the father and son were together was when Jeremy read Alex his bedtime story on Monday night.

Alex and Jeremy are very close and I am very proud of that. I called Jeremy at work yesterday afternoon and put it on speaker phone. Without prompting Alex, he said "Hello Da da" and then "Bye Bye Da da".  This is progress as I had to prompt him what to say, usually.

He came home with his daily activity report yesterday with the following comments from his teacher:

Monday: Alex practiced counting using the whiteboard, in PE we had an obstacle course, Alex practiced kicking the ball and throwing the bean bag, Alex put on his own socks and shoes after a 10 minutes stand off (ha ha ha ... that's about right)

Tuesday: Alex practiced numbers on the whiteboard. They played a turn taking game. Alex used his PECS at snack time and his speech became clearer too. They played in the shaving foam and sand.

It's great to hear that his speech is getting clearer. I read somewhere about using PECS helping children with verbal apraxia to speak clearer. It's a visual prompt that somehow convey the message better to the brain.

I read so much and did so much research that I cannot recall where I got these information. 

I have been suffering from dull headaches lately and went to the GP last Friday. I wasn't told anything but was given a prescription for pain killers. I wouldn't want to take those if I can help it. I was told that he will refer me to a Neurologist in Heatherwood or Windsor but meanwhile, make an appointment to see an optician to get my eye tested.

I think my headache is due to information overload and perhaps a dash of old age on the side. Do I finally need glasses after dodging it for years? I am the only one in the family who doesn't need glasses or contact lenses. Looks like I am not that lucky after all.

Back to Alex, we had a letter from Meath School in Surrey confirming our visit date and we are bringing one of Alex's teachers with us to see if the school could offer what Alex needs.

Will update when we see the school but we have done our own research and the school received great report from OFSTED and has a very good reputation.

2 comments:

MarkNottoli said...

Dear Christine. The increased numbers of autism are scary. I’ve been to two autism conferences this year (DAN and AutismOne) and it breaks my heart to hear the stories. But I also see hope and know that many well-intentioned and intelligent people are working to find solutions. I thought you may want to know there is promise for many children with Verbal Apraxia. Are you aware of the ongoing research concerning nutritional interventions for Verbal Apraxia utilizing omega 3 and vitamin E together to reduce inflammation and oxidation showing promise in treating children with Verbal Apraxia? See www.SpeechTrial.com Be well, Mark

Christine Hoh said...

Dear Mark,

Thank you for the website and I will look into it. I have been giving Alex Omega 3 supplements but not vitamin E. Am willing to try anything to encourage his speech.
Once again, thanks for sharing and do take care.

Christine