Graduation Day

Memphis officially graduated from feeding therapy today. His last appointment was two weeks ago, but we went in this morning for a weight check and speech evaluation. He has maintained his weight without pediasure! Yay! He is now a member of the solid food eaters club.

The other side to this is that we will still be going in for therapy twice a week, just a different kind. A much more common kind. Memphis will now be attending speech therapy. He will have the same therapists which is great because there won't be any need for a "get to know him" period. They can just jump right in.

He says "dada" (meaning Dad, Mom, again, more, that, etc.), "ba" (meaning ball or balloon), and occasionally he will spit out a word we are trying to get him to repeat. But that word for some reason then falls out of his head forever.

The therapist assured me that Memphis is ahead of his age level physically and receptively, only falling below his level for expression. And that's verbal expression because believe me, if he wants something we know it. There is nothing preventing him from speaking other than his reluctance or the lack of realization that talking will actually benefit him.

I think it's the second based on the fact that if he cannot get across what it is that he is after, it is tantrum city in 0 to 5 seconds. He is frustrated. And that's a good thing. The therapist basically said that they will be sabotaging his environment which will further the frustration to the point that he will have to speak. They think that once he realizes this gets him what he wants with much less effort, he will adopt talking very quickly. Excellent! We should be out of there in the next few months with a kid who will eat and talk! Wish us luck!