Lots of Language

Both Morgan and Piper are making nice progress with their language lately. This is encouraging for us in so many ways.

Piper, at 23 months is consistently using combinations of words. The other day I swear she said to me "I want eat a hot dog." Really. Oh, and "hot dog" is what she says when she means any kind of food. She also has finally decided to call Morgan "Boo Boo." I think she attempted "Morgan" for a long time and it finally dawned on her that "Boo Boo" was way easier to say. Last night she made her way around the dinner table pointing at each one of us saying "Mama eat," "Dada eat," "Boo Boo eat." Very cute. Even when she wakes up in the morning she'll call out "Boo Boo, Boo Boo!" until Morgan comes in her room to see her. It's nice to see Piper hitting her milestones with language. Obviously we did not see this with Morgan. It still amazes me that this happens naturally with "typical" kids. We've had to work so hard with Morgan to help her language along. It's nice to see Piper might just do it on her own.

Morgan has been using a lot more spontaneous, descriptive language lately. She is talking a lot about what she sees and even a little about what she feels. Last week I was playing a game of catch with her. I wanted her to come closer to me, since we were not doing well with her standing so far away. She refused and I "pouted" for a bit. She then said "Mama want to be happy!" This meant she wanted me to smile, I think. She's said this more often to all of us and is very satisfied if we give her a big smile. I'm not sure if she's really understanding the emotion or just wanting the smile instead of a frown. Doesn't matter, it's nice that she is recognizing the expression. She still is using a lot of repetitive and "scripted" language, but that is OK as long as new language is happening too.

Morgan is also talking more directly to Piper. She tells Piper that she is doing a good job and encourages her when she does new things. She is recognizing the words Piper is saying and often I hear, "That's right Piper, that is a ...." Too cute! If she doesn't want Piper to play with her she says "Piper, you go play with the...." She actually looks at Piper when she says these things, instead of looking at me to do something, or help the situation. This makes sense, since kids with autism tend to have a slower processing speed with language. She is able to keep up with an almost 2 year old and interact. Hopefully as we continue our RDI program (still in the parent education stage) this will improve and she will be able to interact with older and older kids. I'm feeling better, as we get closer to the school year starting, that we're making some progress this summer.