We are learning so much at our weekly meetings with Jocelyn’s teacher and I LOVE IT! I feel like we are making huge leaps with her development:) This week the speech therapist came with her teacher. Yah, I know, she isn’t talking yet but there is so much she can help us with. Mostly she helped with feeding. Here is what we are working on now….
1. Use the little blue gum massager to do a deep massage on her mouth before she eats. This will wake up her muscles and hopefully help her strengthen the muscles in her face and mouth….which will eventually help with talking.
2. Put a puff (like a cheerio) on each side of her mouth before she gets any baby food.
3. The speech therapist left us with a special cup with a straw for her to work on drinking out of a straw and also a therapy cup for her to work on drinking. She is not a big sippy cup fan…..I see lots of stains on the carpet in our future…but I am OK with that:)
4. We are working on teaching her conversation. If she says something I will let her finish and then repeat it back to her….this is the beginning of learning how to have a conversation.
5. We are continuing to work on baby signs. The teacher had a great recommendation to stop using the more sign. She said kids will grab onto the that sign and use it for everything. More toys, more to eat, more drink. Instead teach signs like eat, ball, dog….where they are asking for specific things. GOOD idea:)
Next up….the Nurse…..she will come to our house to check her ears to make sure she doesn’t have fluid in her ears. The speech therapist said that poor hearing is a huge factor in kids with down syndrome having speech delays.
Is this all overwhelming……YES…..but I am no longer feeling helpless. I am now becoming armed with knowledge and it feels so good.
Have a Happy Halloween Eve.
xoxo
3 comments:
Wow Becca. That all sounds so wonderful. I would love to get together soon. Early afternoons usually work best, though this week we have some appointments. You'll have to message me some open days. Joceyln's is doing so great. I love your costume pictures. Erin
Pink and Purple
Purple and Pink
And Oh what Love there is.
BaPooh
Excited to hear that you're doing baby sign. I still remember some of the signs from when I did it with my sister's kids. "More" was a popular one. Plus, I got Kelly B a book and DVD on baby sign. Now you, Kelly, Isaac and Jocelyn can all chat!
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