This girl!

This girl!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

I can speak Sophianese

The fact that Sophia doesn't say words doesn't mean she doesn't have a language. It took time but I think I'm pretty good at interpreting what she is trying to say. I know when she is playing with the mirror or when she is playing with a hanging toy. I know (most of the time) when she is hungry or when she is tired or when she is uncomfortable. I know all of this because each sounds different, there's a different tone, a different length to it. 

Of course, these are the basics, sort of like Basic Sophianese, maybe Intermediate. I'm still working on more complex things like finding out the exact reason why she is uncomfortable or upset, or the details on why she is laughing so loud. It's a work in process and I hope... no, I will graduate and I will be fluent in Sophianese.

We have tried sign language but Sophia doesn't imitate much, we are not sure she understands the few signs we keep using. I tried the regular icons for communication boards but they don't mean much to her, she does much better with real pictures. The teachers and I have been working on presenting two pictures for Sophia to choose from: two toys or two foods which she understands and sometimes she even goes and looks for the toy in the picture she chose. They show her a picture of my car when it's time to go home and she looks at the door. There's a lot of potential, I'm sure there's a lot of things in that little head of hers and I can't wait to hear what she has to say, we just need a little help and time.

The school approved an iPad and an AAC app for Sophia, There was an evaluation to see what app was the best fit. Unfortunately, it was the end of the school year and for budgeting reasons we didn't get the iPad yet but they assured me it was going to be available for Sophia to use when school starts. In the meantime, I have been working with two words, ALL DONE and MORE, the same words we are starting with when we get the iPad. Once she gets the idea and understands these two choices we can add more.

It's a long process and it requires a lot of patience and dedication but we are getting there, I am getting there, and whether it's with sounds, pictures, an AAC app or actual words, I WILL be fluent in my daughter's language.




8 comments:

  1. Sarah does speak but many people don't understand her. We as parents must make sure we are hearing them and understanding them when the rest of the world tunes them out. I'm glad you can get an iPad, I've heard it does amazing things for them!

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    1. You are so right Stephanie, we parents become experts in our kids, we become their voice.

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  2. Its the same with Abby. The learning process took several months but eventually I became a expert in Abbyanese.

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    1. Good for you! Abby is very lucky to have such a great mom :)

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  3. That's funny - my daughter's name is Ruby so I say I speak full on Rublish! My daughter uses a dedicated AAC device (a Vantage Lite2) that we absolutely love - it has changed her life! I hope you find the same when you wade into the AAC waters. :)

    (I found your post from the Love that Max linkup!)

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    1. It is funny! I am glad you found a device that is a good fit for your daughter.

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  4. LOOK AT THE VIDEO! I so love that you shared it.

    So much going on in that little brain of hers! She's identified a problem and tries different things to figure it out, eventually hitting on a success! She's so deeply engaged with it! Wonderful to see.

    I also love how she kept looking to you for support and BEAMING at you. You are doing a fabulous job of 'getting' her communication, and she knows it.

    So glad the school are approving things which will help her :)

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  5. Sorry it took me so long to reply. Thank you so much for your kind words :) She often looks at me for support and shares with me her excitement.

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