Reading Before Talking?

PDD-Nos Memoirs

The Little One has been attempting to talk up a storm lately. He is combining several words and "speaking" in sentences. For example he will say "David, Wook a me!"

He uses expressions appropriately, uses toys in their proper manner during pretend play and responds to people when being engaged in a conversation. Do people understand what he is saying? NO. Most of the time, we are his translators, but we are happy anyway.

I remember how I would call him and he would ignore me, while trying to peek his head around me to watch his movie. He greets his brothers and sisters home as they arrive from school and waits for them to answer his salutation.

His speech is similar to a one year old learning how to speak, but his mind is at another level. It pains me to think that he wants to communicate so much more, but his mouth won't cooperate with his brain. He spells many words with his different sets of alphabet magnets, wooden puzzles and foam letters. As he spells the different words, he attempts to say them, but they come out garbled. He has a very hard time with sounds that need implosion.

Imagine my surprise when he pulled at my leg, patted the floor and said "SIT!" He wanted me to sit next to him while he played with his wooden alphabet puzzle. Then he took the letters out of the puzzle and spelled "W-I-L-D". I was shocked and was about to think it was a coincidence when he pointed and exclaimed "WILD!" I was screaming and clapping my hands and then he arranged the letters and spelled "FOX". Now he attempted to say the word, but F's give him a hard time. Now I know he learned the word Wild from his new obsession THE RUGRATS GO WILD movie, but fox? I think it might have been from fox family or fox movies. He continued to spell a few more words and I realized that he has been memorizing every word he sees, so I activated the closed caption on the TV. We also try to set the movies up that way too. This way he is learning all the words as they are said.

Funny, he can pick up reading so easily, but he has a hard time with speech. I will be setting up an appointment soon with a developmental pediatrician. After discussing his achievements with the therapists I deal with through my employment, they mentioned apraxia and suggested I return to the specialists for a new evaluation. They think I may be getting a new diagnosis for him.

So that's where he is at now. He returned to school on Tuesday with the cast. He is still adjusting to being dropped off. He is still crying every time I leave, but he needs the therapy. I have been spending the days at the doctor's offices. Two of the dwarves were home sick for two days and their doctor's were afraid that they had strep. Fortunately, it was just viral. Tomorrow I have to take The Comedian for blood work and a throat culture to make sure. They also want to check his thyroid and monitor the new increase in the Adderall (ADD medication).

So, have a good evening. I need to go drive to another town to take The Little One to the orthopedist again. He'll have the cast on for another 7 weeks. Every week, I have to take him for an xray before Tuesday and an orthopedist appointment every Thursday. Cest la Vie!!!!

autism