So, here I am again, thrilled with the cool, new things my sweet Deborah is doing. Let me start with some back story. The kids have all received much candy over the last few months, between Halloween, Christmas, and Valentines Day. Joshua, Daniel, and Grace all tend to go through theirs within about 48-72 hours. Since Deborah gets hers dispensed by me, it lasts quite a bit longer. Ive taken the time over the last several weeks to use Deborahs candy stash for some communication training. I take a package of several pieces, SweetTarts, M&Ms, and things like that, and go with Deborah to her room. There we have some her and me time, where I give her one piece at a time and have her sign more, please for each piece. For those who may not know, more is signed by touching your fingers to your thumbs and then tapping your fingertips together a couple times. With Deborah, it usually looks more like a clap, and she generally needs to be prompted to give more than one. She also tends to throw please in with it like its all one word. Please looks like a circle on your chest with a flat palm. Deborah gives a swipe Back to today, which had a very full evening. A doctor appointment for all the kids, finished with 45 minutes to go before another appointment for the boys. I took the girls home, dropped off prescriptions on the way, and since their wasnt time for a family dinner, we went the rare route and got McDonalds and took it home. The girls and I were sitting around the dining table, and Deborah, as is typical, finished first. She stayed there, looking at what was left of my fries, then reached over and gently touched my chin to get my attention. I looked at her and said, What? With absolutely no prompts or further questions, she signed a perfect More, please. Two taps of her hands and a distinct swipe against her chest for please. In response, she got a big grin from a happy mom and one of moms fries. To make it even better, we repeated this pattern about twenty more times before my fries were gone. It was soooo worth it. Thanks for letting me share this long post. Thanks particularly if you read this whole thing and celebrate this progress with us.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 04:43:42 +0000