new words and adjusting

Kai has said new words over this past weekend that just made me SOOOO happy. He said, "I Luff You." AWWWWW! isn't that wonderful? :) He said it to Daddy, then to Abi, while we were in the van driving. I was waiting for him to say it to me, but he didn't. *sniff* I'm being patient though. This morning, he told me, "I WIKE you, Mommy." AWWWW! Just as cute! I'll accept it! :) He also said, "Grampa" for the first time. He wanted to go sit with my Dad at dinner on Saturday night. Until then, he had only called him "Ga-ga", so that was big. Then yesterday, he actually said his name!!! WOW!!! He had only spelled his name without actually naming himself, so I was so pleased! He is growing in vocabulary so fast! It's exciting. His ST says it's his speech delayment, which is what he ALSO has on top of his Apraxia! (I didn't know that) I love hearing him speak. It makes me smile.

I'm adjusting to the whole Apraxia thing. I was given a few handouts from Linda last week on it that really helped. It helped me learn some things and be able to understand more of it. Apraxia is only NOW being recognized as an actual real "disorder". (if that's the right word), so there isn't a lot of information out there. These papers, written by Penelope K. Hall, were talking about the aspects of it, understanding it, and how this is a lifetime thing, something Kai will have to learn to deal with. He may also have struggles with written word and spelling and reading, as well as math. :( (oh well, so did I!!!… well, aside from spelling and reading!)

What really got me was where it said how we'll have a team" to discuss and learn from. This team will be with him throughout his schooling. "Many children who exhibit DAS (developmental apraxia of speech) receive special academic support through their schools. In these cases, the school speech-language pathologist, along with the classroom teacher and other educational specialists, will become members of your child's educational planning team." ("Part III: Other Problems Often Associated With the Disorder" by Penelope K. Hall. The University of Iowa, Iowa City. April 2000 ~ I"m not likely citing the bibliography properly, but bear with me, it's been many many years since I've had to cite info and write papers! And this was a photocopy!) This paragraph really stood out for me and got me to think about this whole disorder. It actually makes me a bit sad. :( It's also made it more REAL to me. This suddenly appears to be more "special needs", and that's frightening. What kind of help are we looking at here for school? Are we talking about a regular learning assistance alongside him in class? Or him leaving the classroom for several hours a day for remedial help? *sigh* I know, I know. I'm looking way too far into the future with these worries. I do't mean to be, but I like to know what to expect.

Linda gave me a website for parents, family and therapists of apraxia, which I'll be looking into and getting to know other parents to talk with. I'm looking forwards to learning more. But more excited to watch Kai pass my own expectations and limitations!