Let's Talk

In just the last couple of weeks, Anthony's been "talking" more. I put it in quotes because I'm not sure if his words can really be called words, but they definitely have meaning. I'm going to consider "Op!" his official first word. Loosely translated from the Anthony, it means, "This is fun!" Or, "I sure like playing with my ball/blocks/piano." We're also pretty sure he's been saying ball and blocks. They sound something like "alaall" and "alogs". Close enough!

To help Anthony with communication, Mommy and Anthony have been using the See and Learn program. It's based on research showing that children with Down syndrome have trouble learning to speak just from hearing language, and they do better when visual techniques like pictures, sign language, and written words are also used. You would think a child has to be talking quite a bit before you'd start trying to teach him to read, but as it turns out, learning to read at a young age can actually help a child speak and communicate more clearly-- who knew?!

After just a few weeks, Anthony will actually look at the picture/word cards with Mommy instead of trying to eat them, so we're making good progress!

Have an Op!-filled day!