I’ve talked about my son Liam’s speech problems before. For anyone not aware, Liam is four years old and so far has not been able to form any words except for vague vowel sounds. He’s autustic, and it seems that he’s not merely speech delayed but for some reason his mind is completely unable to get around the idea of forming words.
The paradox is that he’s begun to pick up American Sign Language like a pro. He already has a vocabulary of 10 to 20 words and seems to be picking up more every day. Comparable to English, that’s like a vocabulary of 100-200 words. It’s a major breakthrough, because before he hardly had anyway of communicating his needs at all. It was just so strange that in the last month or so, that’s become his language of “choice.” It’s like stepping into a whole different world.
Oh, how awesome for you all, especially for him! How frustrating it must’ve been for Liam, to know that he needed something and didn’t have a way to express it.
My stepson Ben is nearly four. He has only just started talking now. We took him to a specialist for this and other behavioural problems, and was told that there is probably nothing wrong with him, yet autism was a possibility.
The specialist visit was six months ago, and we were told not to worry about Ben’s speech.
“It will come”, we were told. And it has.
I’m sure Liam will start to develop his communication exponentially. I’m sure sign language will be a helpful bridge to the spoken word, not and end in itself.
That’s wonderful, Euty. Did you know ASL already, or are you learning it along with him? What caused you to try teaching it to him?
My sister-in-law introduced me to the idea of signing for babies. My niece could sign for “more,” “milk,” and a few other words long before she could pronounce anything. It really opens your eyes to how much can be going on inside those little heads that you don’t know about, because they can’t communicate it yet, even though they can think it.
It must be wonderful for Liam to finally be able to express himself. Best of luck for his skills to continue to improve! Even if he never learns to shift to the spoken word, he will be able to experience a rich interaction with others now.
How wonderful! Your precious Liam is moving along his own path, and finding ways HE feels comfortable with in the communication arena. I am so happy for you.
It’s funny sometimes how we take for granted that just because kids are kids, they don’t know anything. Kids are a LOT smarter than we give them credit for, and man, they can catch on fast. I’m so happy to hear that your son is finally able to really communicate with you.
Loaded Dog, email me privately if you wanna discuss why an ASD can be a Good Thing as long as you lose it by the time they reach school
Euty, that’s so exciting. My almost 4 yo ASD kid has had a language leap in the last month which has made life so much easier. We didn’t go the sign language route as his pragmatics were always OK and I couldn’t see that signing would have helped him. He’s always had some speech and I wanted to focus on that but it felt very risky.
One of my best friends works with autistic children in music therapy–she’s provided a lot of insight as to just how challenging life can be for both the child and the parent. Communication seems to be one of the largest frustrations, so this is a marvelous break through indeed!
Have you heard of/read Let Me Hear Your Voice? I’m unsure of the author offhand, but it is a narrative account of a mother struggling with two autistic children. She goes into some fairly iffy therapy approaches–which did indeed seem to work–but it’s not an infomercial. I was really touched by the book in how she expressed her daily challenges. If you’re interested, I’ll track down the author’s name for you.
The iffy therapies are interesting though. We’ve just been doing the gluten free diet for 3 months now and either he was due for some astounding developmental leaps or it worked… now I’m too cowardly to do the gluten challenges in case the gluten free diet is the answer to his autism.
Euty, I’m so glad Liam has found a way to communicate! I can imagine the joy and relief you feel seeing him express himself, not to mention how Liam must feel! How long have you been teaching him? I tried a few ASL words with my little girl, but she’s still stuck in the grunts and handing me things she wants. (She’s three and a half, been diagnosed in the ASD, but not where, and I still would like to potty train her…) You have renewed my hope though, please keep in touch and keep me updated.
Primaflora, I haven’t actually. Katie would most likely grab it an run to draw on it herself though. She’s big into drawing, very abstract, but I love em. She really doesn’t seem to equate a picture with an object, at least not to a degree that would be feasible. Her method of communication is to put an empty cup in my hand when she wants a drink, or a can of spaghetti-o’s in my hand, or jump up and down while whining in front of the frige when she’s hungry. Perhaps I should look for a small action figure type toy of a toilet for her. (I had some cool flash cards for her with pictures. Now they look like a Rorschach test after she found them and very quietly altered them with a ballpoint pen.)
We haven’t succeeded in the toileting thing at all. K is capable of going 26 hours without peeing. If I take him our of nappies, he stays dry mostly but he doesn’t indicate he is going to pee either. We have faint glimmerings of hope in that he is now announcing he is wet some of the time.
My older kid has got obsessive compulsive disorder - I tell ya the combo of untoilet trained kid and germ phobic kid was a nightmare. They’re lucky to be alive.
I love children, but I secretly fear that I don’t have the patience to deal with a “special” child. I have undying admiration for the very gifted–and blessed–people who raise them.
I humbly apologize for being remiss; I should have been more circumspect.
Kudos also to TheLoadedDog, Primaflora, Tequila Mockingbird, and, for that matter, anyone else who possesses that very sacred trust in caring for a “special” child! I hope to have your dignity, patience and grace should I ever be faced with a like situation.
Dry, don’t forget we don’t have a choice ;). I’m uncomfortable being placed on a pedestal or described as’gifted’ or ‘blessed’. I’m just doing my job as a parent. Some days I do great and other days I really suck but if I don’t do it, nobody else is gonna step in and take over.
Whether or not you do a good deed out of necessity, or altruism, you deserve to be praised for your efforts!
I feel very strongly about parenting, and parental attitudes. It’s something a lot of people take far too lightly (IMHO). Persons in your situation, especially, can ill afford that luxury.
