Spontaneous Responses

Dunkin' Donuts

This is the first week of school and I've had an early start, 5 a.m. in order to get my eldest son to school by 7:15. After dropping him off at school,  I stopped by my local Dunkin' Donuts to grab myself a quick cup of coffee.  Thank goodness for a drive thru. As we leave the drive-thru window, E says "bye-bye. ha a nice day" I looked over to him, his hand still waving and said "Hey E...stop blowing my mind!" He just smiled his perfect smile.

Now this may not seem like much to most folks. Cute perhaps to the average parent but for a mom with a child with autism who was completely nonverbal with little social emotional connection a year ago, this is ground breaking. He mostly echo's everything we say but has been gaining strides in speech. Today all I said was thank you at the drive thru. In my defense, I was a bit grumpy do to a cold. In any case, when he said what normally would be my response to the very lovely staff at my local D&D, I was over-joyed. It's not just that he said it and said it fairly clear,  I might add. But that he understood it was a moment that called for him to say that. I would have jumped in the back seat and kissed him if I wasn't already driving. Remember, I was going through the drive thru.

Well, I don't need to tell you that he turned my morning around and the rest of my day as well. I was so proud of E for showing me and the happy caffeine pushers that my boy can talk. It was awesome! He is showing signs that not only will he be able to speak more regularly but that he is understanding some of the social aspects or expectations of speaking. Pretty cool!

Here are some suggestions from another writer and Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with ideas on how to encourage spontaneous speech with your child.

Top Five Ways to Encourage Spontaneous Language


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First Day of Kindergarten

The first day of school! Ahhh! I was a nervous wreck.  The handmade sign was complete, the book bag was packed and lunch bag ready with a special little note from mama and a favorite treat. The note would be cute if he knew how to read it. I did it anyway, confident he would be able to sound it out and figure out the "I love you" note. I was ready but there was this lingering feeling of worry. 

The night before N started talking about school and how he was scared of the other kids making fun of him or not liking him. "Why do you think you are different?" I asked him. He responded. "Because I'm different. I'm not like other kids. "It had never occurred to me that he would be so self aware or self conscious enough to feel this way only at the age of 5. My response "N there is nothing wrong with different. Different is what makes us all so very special and if we were all the same the world would be a very boring place. You just remember to be a kind person and respect others. Just be you and the kids that are right for you will be your friend. You'll see." I mean what was I supposed to say to him? I was nervous more then ever now. Not just for the first day but for the entire school year.

Nickelodeon Giphy

So as a sign of solidarity,  the entire family gets in the car to take my sweet little baby boy to school. Dad, brother and sister wish him luck and I go in with him. As we go in I ask him if he is okay and he tells me "It's okay mama, I'm not nervous or scared anymore. I'm excited to go to kindergarten." I mean come on, where did my baby go? In an instant my sweet little baby boy was officially a big boy and brave as heck. There was no need to hand hold or coddle him, he had this and he wanted me to know it. Message received. 

After I dropped him off in class, I took a quick glance back to take a picture and walked as fast as I could to the car. Past the Vice Principal who wanted to chat with only a "Can't talk, I'm trying not to cry in front of everyone." She kindly said "Don't worry mom you got this. He's got this! We will take good care of him."  I shouted a quick "thanks" and cried when I arrived in the car. My first born, my baby was growing up so fast and I had to let him go. I pushed him right out of the nest and he took flight. I'm proud of him. We all are. 

Love you Nono.

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