My and mine

After months on the waitlist, Liam will go to his first speech therapy appointment at Easter Seals on Mondaay.  Based on his delay, they want to see him twice a week, but they only have a once a week slot for him, so we'll start with that.  The wait is largely due to the fact that there are only 2 speech therapists to service all of Montgomery (not counting the ones that work for Early Intervention or other agencies).  In other news, the speech camp I hoped for him to attend this summer has been cancelled due to lack of funding.  I guess when it isn't your kid, your struggle, it seems like just another unnecessary social welfare program (even though the patient is still billed for it). 

In the meantime, we have been working hard on getting Liam to use pronouns.  Children usually begin using pronouns right around their 2nd birthday.  The word "mine" usually appears first, followed by others.  Liam has only used "mine" in the last week (claiming Ben's birthday presents).  This weekend he was taking turns playing with a friend and she told him "It's your turn" and instead of echoing he said "my turn."  This is huge for Liam.

Without any teaching really, Liam has picked up simple emotions and tells me "baby sad" when Ben cries or "happy" when he sees someone smiling.  Many kids on the autism spectrum do not understand emotions, and Liam continues to not quite fit the mold.  He always was a sensitive sweet boy.

I got some great videos this weekend that show how much progress he has made in the last few months.  He made great eye contact, answered my questions, and engaged in imaginative play.

In this first video, Liam names animals and starts singing "Old MacDonald"


In this second video, Liam engages in imaginative play: