I Have So Much To Say

That I guess I've been intimitated about doing all the catch up I need to do on this blog . . . First, let me say I think Ben is doing GREAT!!! True, he did bite his teacher's aide last week (hey, there always has to be something wrong), but on the whole he's making strides like we haven't seen in a long time. First off, he has mastered the picture exchange. Down low, on one of my kitchen cabinets, I have several pictures of things that Ben can request, like jumping on the trampoline, swinging, going outside, playing with his singing dog, eating cookies, etc, and Ben is using them on his own without being prompted. And I know that it is deliberate because he'll go get the picture and then lead me to the thing the picture is of, like the trampoline, if he wants to jump. He's been doing this entirely on his own! Even sometimes if he tries to lead me to something without a picture, all I have to do is remind him to go get it, and he does without hesitation! You don't know how big this is for Ben, this is real, consistent, deliberate communication, and that is a major breakthrough. And if that weren't enough, he has also picked up several new sign language signs that he will mimic with only minimal prompting, usually just a gentle reminder. He can sign "swing", "cookie", "candy", "jump", "dog", - all this learned in just the last few weeks! He's really doing awesome, and Casey has been a big help so far even though we've just begun. I really think the NDF + and the Liver Life have been a big help too. I am optimistic that we'll be able to get some words out of him this summer. I am trying to find a mother's helper to play with the girls this summer, so that I can devote some real time to making more progress with him. He's been working really well, and I've started trying to do jigsaw puzzles with him and giving him more challenging tasks. I am feeling much better about things these days. More good news to report later, I hope.