I joked that we came to "show off" this week at Kaufman Children's Center, but in all seriousness we were anxious to see what they thought about his progress. Everyone can't get over how tall Luke has gotten and how talkative he has been in the gym ;)
It's not the same little boy. We came to Michigan when he was 2 and had a handful of words. We left with more words than we had ever imagined; as well as hope and a plan.
Nancy Kaufman has assembled a "dream team" of therapists under one roof. While she sees 2 "out of states" per week for 4 day intensive speech and language therapy utilizing her own KSLP methods; her staff treats and assesses many children from the surrounding areas. Their knowledge and expertise cannot be matched. Trust me on this.
I have referred to our last two trips as "tune ups"....and that is exactly what they are. We no longer see Nancy for intensives. She unlocked Luke's voice from the tight grasp of Childhood Apraxia of Speech and passed the baton (so to speak) to her colleague, Diane Nancarrow, once Luke's apraxia was considered residual.
We come back to the KCC to make sure we are doing everything we can to habilitate Luke's speech and motor movement. With the KCC's help, we are able to evaluate what is working, seek advice and gain ideas as to what our next steps should be.
I would title this....Ain't No Mountain High Enough! And truly, there is no mountain that this precious boy hasn't faced.
From severe apraxia to residual. I couldn't be prouder of his tenacity, determination and work ethic.
Greeting Mrs. Diane with the biggest hug!
Mrs. Lisa Barnett provided music therapy this week. http://kidspeech.com/our-staff/lisa-barnett-mt-bc.html (We totally lucked up because she was on spring break and could squeeze us into her schedule.) The last time Luke worked with Mrs. Lisa was during SPEAK 2011. We knew then that music was a powerful tool to enhance his speech development and he loved it.
Mrs. Lisa made this special book with all of the songs they would be working on during the week for him and even personalized it. Luke was so excited when he saw his picture on the cover and throughout the book.
Retelling and sequencing a story
Making pizzas with Mrs. Diane in speech and language therapy
Utilizing the ipad with an app that required him to follow explicit directions and then repeat and record him saying those directions
Toasting at one of our favorite places to eat in West Bloomfield, Stage Deli.
It's not a celebration until we take selfies and use the fierce sign, right?!?
Someone asked what our schedule looked like when we are doing intensive therapy; so I decided to share our schedule this week.
Keep in mind that this schedule doesn't include music therapy. We added a 30 minute session on Monday and 45 minute sessions on Wednesday and Friday.
Mrs. Lisa allowed Maggie to participate in music therapy, too. They especially liked playing the lollipop drums and rhythm sticks.
Intensives with Nancy are all videotaped so that when you leave; you have a DVD to share with your SLPs back home. All the therapy rooms at the KCC have a behind the glass where parents can observe. For me, the videotaping and behind the glass observations have been powerful. It's one thing to tell someone what you experienced; but to be able to show them....unparalleled.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Two very sleepy kiddos.
One very blessed and thankful family.
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