As a family with a special needs child I think sometimes we get stuck in the day to day. We live by a schedule that is rarely changed or altered and as the schedule keeper I can tell you what is going to happen any given day or time. We live by the schedule and because of this it can be hard to notice the small changes. We focus so much on keeping things the same that we forget that Sami is changing things himself.
This week we were challenged by Sami's speech therapist to make a list of every word Samual uses and the way he uses it such as pronunciation, context and frequency of use. The list started slow with 20 words and as his father and I went on with the list our mouths began to drop. Sami now has 66 words and we still keep adding more to the list as we remember or hear them. At his age he is expected to have more words and use them more appropriately however where he is now compared to where we started is beyond what I can explain. When we give the list to his speech therapist she will be able to go over it and more adequately give us an idea of where Sami is in his speech capabilities. I am also hoping this will help her be able to more adequately target what Sami is struggling with most.
I am constantly amazed when I look back to a year ago when we got the diagnosis and how delayed Sami was. He had about 5 words and used none of them properly. Physical contact was unbearable, even small hugs or kisses. Meltdowns were so often that I cannot accurately say how often they were. Before therapy life was really hard and we had no answers and no idea what we were doing.
It is great pleasure that I can report that Sami now makes eye contact, allows a few seconds at a time of physical contact, allows people to be within "his space", and even initiate hugs and kisses. Meltdowns still occur quite often however they are not as prolonged as in the beginning and we have plans in place to help him cope with them. Sami has also made a friend and allows his friend to play with him and they even communicate, play wrestle and share (as much as two toddlers can).
The joy I have seeing my sons progress is indescribable and I am so excited to see what other progresses we will see in the future.
Sami loves all things trains
Carrots are Sami's favorite snack these days.
