A Speech Therapy Update

We have been in speech therapy for just over a month and while his "on his own" vocabulary hasn't sky rocketed we have seen improvements and learned so much. Aiden will repeat parts of almost anything you say at this point, and while he isn't using those words of his own accord yet it is such an improvement from where we were several weeks ago. His playtime chatter is also much more formed though we still can't pick out clear appropriate words other than the handful we have been working with for months.

Mommy has learned as much as Aiden! Slowing down my talking has become a priority. A hard thing for this Southern girl! We are also trying to be more "simple" with our speech towards Aiden, not because he can't understand complex sentences, but because he is trying to pick out and repeat speech. In simplifying what we say to him we are giving him a greater opportunity to learn new words and use them appropriately.

Today's session was a breakthrough in thought for the future. Apparently Aiden has a "lazy" or slack jaw. While this is most likely not causing speech delays at this time it can cause articulation problems in the future. It could very well be the reason we are a "picky" eater as well. His looser jaw simply doesn't want to work that hard just to eat. It could also be why we struggled through 8 different sippy cups before finding one he could actually use! She gave me many helpful suggestions in working at improving the muscle tone in his jaw. We will soon find strawed cups and twizzlers a part of our weekly routine! I am sure he will be ecstatic about the twizzlers!!! They will give him the opportunity to practice chewing harder things and give his jaw a workout, with the incentive of sugar! The straws and open topped cups force him to use his mouth in a different way also improving the strength and structure of his jaw.

She also mentioned the possibility of getting his adenoids checked. Swollen adenoids can go hand in hand with allergies and fluid on the ears. It is not something his pediatrician would have noticed, but is detected with a scope after a little numbing. Swollen adenoids could affect his swallowing, his "lazy jaw" and SLEEP. We all know we have problems in that department!!! While it is not really something that will affect his speech directly it could be something worth looking into.

The highlight of our week just might have been our "two in a row!" Yesterday Aiden said "shoes please" and I about melted right there on the spot. He even signed it while he said it. That is my big boy, good job little monkey!!!