Speech update

I wanted to share this photo because it shows Malcolm signing his version of "cow" while he's standing beside one. The entire time we were at the farm, when he was in the house he kept signing "cow" and pointing outside. Sometimes he went over and got on his coat, hat and boots all by himself - ready to go and very hopeful someone would take him out! When we returned to Halifax, he kept making the "cow" sign and pointing outside and I had to keep breaking the tragic news to him that there are no cows outside in Halifax and it would not be possible to go see any today...

Malcolm's comprehension has really improved over the last several months. He understands many simple sentences and commands. He uses his signs more spontaneously to label things and indicate what he wants. Sometimes I'm guilty of responding to his rather emphatic grunts and gestures as he can make it obvious through that type of communication what he wants, but the goal is to have him learn and use a more sophisticated system so I have been trying to insist he sign for things properly instead of taking short-cuts.

Malcolm is saying "bye-bye" (actually, it sounds more like "ba-ba") very consistently now and is trying to verbalize more. Much of his verbalization does not sound much like the word or words he is trying to say but hopefully that will come. At speech therapy he tried a new game where his therapist had prepared a number of pictures of items that start with "b" and he got to pick a card and then had to try to say the word to get a reward (a turn with a toy). It worked very well and we have been playing the same game at home. He at least tries to say the words and occasionally they sound quite close. He is trying really hard to say "Donovan" but it sounds more like "Na-Naaa". He is usually motivated to say it when they are outside and Donovan is running too fast for Malcolm to keep up - then he really belts it out.

That's it for a speech update - Malcolm continues to do really well and progress at his own rate. We don't think he will be talking up a storm anytime soon but one never knows - he has surprised us before...

Mary Ellen
ps for those of you wondering why Malcolm is wearing a pink flowery coat it is his barn coat - a hand me down from one of his cousins that Grandma Lee has on hand for him to use when he visits...I think it's a good look on him!