James spoke to me. Yesterday afternoon, James said "read book" as he walked over to where I was sitting, holding out one of his favorites. Okay, he dropped the D and the K but all the other sounds were perfect and what he was saying was unmistakable. He used his real voice too, not the more high-pitched voice that comes out when he is "trying." So Mom (covered in goosebumps) and James read books for a good long time. James is talking more and more. It is gobble-dee-gook but we can understand him and these approximations of words have become a daily occurrence. It is amazing how many variations he can make out of Bs and Ps: Baby is BAY-BEE, Bubble is B A-BUH, Ball is BAW, Play is PAY, Book is BOOH, Gummy Bear is GUH-BAY-UH, Grandpa is GAH-PUH, Pretzel is PREH-PUH. I could go on and I am BURSTING that I can add to this list. I've heard approximations of read, spider, purple, Wiggles, Bob The Builder, Robin Hood, lollipop, pizza . . . His language is by no means perfect. Many people, even some educated and trained people, can't understand him. He is not "cured." And no, there was no one motivation or treatment or drug or food that figured in this dramatic change. It was just James. We have been working on him for over five years of his little life, at home, at therapy, in school. Somehow, in that mysterious brain, James has made the decision to communicate. In his own way, James is talking, and God willing, this new talent will grow and flourish and he will not stop. We are rewarding every ATTEMPT to keep him from frustration.
And it is working.
