They get him to talk to us, and share things that we wouldn't otherwise know. Like his description of his new chair.
(He used his describing words to say what he thought of it...including telling us it was hot, about 5 times...we'll have to get that sorted out for him!)
Today, Max got to go and see the new clinic/fun center that they have started. Max can't go to clinic since there is a higher risk of germs. But, since it was an open house today, we took him so he could see their new place. And maybe we'll go in the summer to play. They are also using it as a place for parties, so we might have a special 10 year old birthday party there. (mini heart-attack...my boy is going to be 10 this year!)
While we were there, Max talked to us with his talker. He was a little overwhelmed at first and kept telling Daddy he needed to go to the van and sleep. We took him back to the room that was decorated largely with Max's donated old bedroom decorations. He liked that room and called it "my". We asked him if he wanted to swing or go on the zipline and he said yes. The zipline was the big hit with the other kids, so we wiped down the swing and he and Steve sat on it to swing for a while.
Max loves movement, and had a blast on the swing. Even though he looks a little concerned in this photo, he was actually just talking to Steve about the fun. I think he would have stayed on it all day, but there were other kiddos ready for a turn.
If you're in the Northern CO area, check out Inspiring Talkers. They provide Speech and Occupations Therapy for ages birth to 21. They are the gurus of AAC, and the Max whisperers. And Max thinks they are awesome, so you know they have to be pretty special!
2 comments:
That clinic does sound great -- I just love the speech pathologist that Sophie sees for AAC and only wish there were a classroom or even a social venue where all the teachers are as well-versed in it as her.
I know what you mean Elizabeth! It was great to see such a community of "talkers" there. We met an older woman who had an iPad to use as her communication device. She typed everything out for us to see. The pretty awesome thing for me and Steve was that she would ask us a question, or talk to us, and we understood almost everything she said anyway. Perks of living with a talker like Max...you understand all kinds of languages...signs, grunts, eye movements, sounds, squeals.
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