Talker

Ari has moved up to a new augmentative communication devise.  Even little girl’s box of words is growing up (*sigh*).  This new talker, called the Vantage Lite 2, provides Ari with many more words and opportunities for growth with her devise.  She really likes this talker, and although she still enjoys playing around on it to explore what new things it will say for her, she has already begun to make strides in her communication with the talker without my verbal prompting.  For instance, a couple days ago, I was trying to coerce Ari to eat her cereal in a hurry before it was time for her to leave for school.  She kept shaking her head ‘no’ and laughing at me.  I persisted anyway, because girlie hadn’t eaten much of anything.  Just then she looked directly at me and said “Want all done” with her talker and looked right back at me and smiled.  I was so happy to hear her asserting herself with her voice that she got her way and that was the end of the cereal ordeal.  Win-win.

So, right now, she can more or less say what we want her to say when we suggest it (meaning that she can find the correct icons on the talker), but we are working slowly but surely towards the point when Ari will say what she wants to say without any external prompts.  I’m so proud of my little girlie! 

And for those who are wondering, Ari has regained most of her strength back and her post-seizure developmental status, as of today, very much resembles her pre-seizure developmental status.  While we are aware of the potential for things to not progress as quickly as they might’ve sans seizure, right now we are grateful for the miracle of a successful return to baseline.