Those three words may not seem like a lot to you, but they changed my perspective today. I told Quinn that he could have some cookies if he finished all of his lunch, and when he finished, he said, "I want cookies." Normally, he would just say, "cookies," and I would understand that this is what he wanted. I would also add "please," which he would then repeat. But when he said "I want cookies" today, I'm pretty sure I was so excited that I forgot to remind him to say "please." Why is this such a big deal to me? Because it gave me a glimpse into the future--that one day soon, my child is going to talk just like every other child.
Quinn has mild delays in several areas, but his speech delay is the most noticeable. He has been in our county's Infants and Toddler's program since he was a year old. He receives physical therapy, speech therapy, and special instruction (basically cognitive therapy) from a teacher, right in the comfort of our own home. He did not crawl until shortly after his first birthday. I think he said his first word around 17 months of age, but I'm actually not exactly sure when he said it. His first word was "kitty," but he pronounced it "ih-hee," so it took me awhile to figure out that he would say it whenever our cat was around. I'm not sure why, but it took a lot of effort on my part to get him speech therapy through the county, which didn't begin until he was a couple of months into his second year. Even then, the therapist was only coming once a month. I finally convinced them that he needed more frequent therapy, and they started coming twice a month this past April. A new speech therapist started coming at that time, and she is absolutely wonderful. At the end of February, out of frustration with the county, I had Quinn evaluated at a private speech clinic, and he began weekly (sometimes twice weekly--one group session and one one-on-one session) therapy there in April as well. Quinn actually loves going to therapy. He looks forward to the therapists coming to the house, and loves going to the speech clinic. Since April, he has made great strides in his communication, but still prefers to speak mainly just one word at a time.
Many people told me not to worry, that pretty soon he won't shut up. I'm sure that's true, but when you're going through it, you wonder and can't help but worry. I remember hearing a college student speak back in December and he had a speech impediment. I wondered if Quinn would have any lasting problems as well. I know that if he does, I won't love him any less, and perhaps a "thorn in his side" will help him grow and make him more sensitive to others. But there's so much teasing and bullying that can effect kids negatively, and of course I don't want him to have to go through that.
I know, I know...I'm getting way ahead of myself. But you would, too, if you were in my place. I remember when he was 17 months old, and his physical therapist was helping him to walk by only holding the back of his shirt. That was my "a-ha" moment with walking. Tears sprang to my eyes, as I realized that yes, my child was going to walk on his own someday. Now when he runs, I have to run to keep up with him. It was the same way today with "I want cookies." And you'd better believe I gave that boy some cookies!
Next stop: Fort George
