Friday, July 24, 2015

An appointment with the speech therapist

So, I decided to drop Jaden's speech therapist a message asking for some help as I was really worried about Mason's speech development.

I did not want to play the waiting game. I needed some help in observing the right milestones a 1.5year old boy must meet as I no longer knows what else to do other.

Some parents are commenting online that it is pretty normal for boys to be late talkers, some dont hit it at 3 or 4 years old but in my case, that is not acceptable. No.. not after what I have been through. 

I had never been through this neurotypical milestones' situation before because as you all would have known by now, how different these two boys of mine are.

Today, we met up with the speech therapist and she helped me observe Mason and gave me some tips for me to work with Mason until he reaches two years old.

Thankfully, her observation came back saying he is hitting all the milestones he should be hitting and that he seems to be playing in a bigger boy's manner due to his exposure of a big 8 year old brother.

His imitation skills are spot on, he is quite fast to catch on to things, he initiates play through good eye contact and his attentive acknowledgement to his name is good. 

So, yea.. for now, I can sit back and relax just a little before I start again on trying to do more with Mason, and of course Jaden, hoping he can at least develop together with Mason the milestones he, Jaden, had missed out while growing up. 

The next step for me is to put Mason into a playgroup to mix with peers his age. Wish me luck in finding a good one for him since he is still an unvaccinated child.. I need somewhere that meets my criteria of a safe and healthy environment. *wink*

and of course to start working on two words speech with Mason... I guess I can really only breathe easy when Mason is 5 years old. 


Monday, July 20, 2015

Mason's speech development

Finally, some time to myself. Some time to blog again while Frozen is playing on TV, the small one napping while the big one is having his ABA therapy upstairs.

I contacted Jaden's speech therapist and asked for some tips on how to kickstart Mason to talk. Not that he is not picking up words but if compared to peers, he seems to be slow. 

She has asked me not to compare to the girls but it is hard not to when I am being so desperate for the second born to grow up as neurotypical as he can. 

So, I have compiled some of the words that he can say thus far and hope it will add on as he grows.. and for the love of him, I hope he will soon talk in sentences. 

·         Papa
·         Daddy
·         Mama
·         Kor Kor
·         Poh Poh
·         Hi (used to say ello for a short while before he stops)
·         Bye
·         See you
·         Buh (Milk)
·         Wou Wou (Dog)
·         Na Na Na (Cat for Meow Meow /  sometimes he uses it for Bird)
·         Moooo (Cow)
·         Mam mam mam (eat)
·         Up
·         Car (Vroom vroom)
·         Twain (train)
·         Xia (Down in Mandarin)
·         Shoe
·         Socks
·         Mei Mei
·         Thank you
·         Go (short for mango –his favourite fruit)
·         Nana (Banana / sometimes he will say it in full, sometimes just nana)
·         Wow! (wows appropriately at things he is fascinated with)

·         Uh oh (when things fall down)


What do you think? Mason is doing ok so far? To me, I am still feeling very scared. I see how other boys, maybe a month or two older than him, seems to be more verbal and also 
academically a little more interested although I feel Mason is a visual learner. 

Therefore, I am also now searching around for affordable playschools to enrol him in. To let him mix around with peers, to let him observe how talking will get him things. He needs to be expose to more children his age. 

Speaking about health wise, I think I mentioned that Mason probably had fever about twice or three times since birth. 19 months, three fevers that lasted not more than three days. That I should feel at ease but somehow I am also feeling worried if I am doing the right or wrong thing for him when I decide not to vaccinate him. Friends and family have asked me to but somehow I feel that I might start to lose him if I do.. and that is one risk that I would not want to take. I know if I ever do lose him because I gave in to that pressure, there is no one to blame but myself. OF course there will people I will hate for the rest of my life and probably shut myself off from them but in the end, there will only be me myself to blame for taking that step. For now, until he talks and turns 5 maybe.. maybe.. I will consider one or two shots especially tetanus. 

Parents out there that keeps accusing us parents that do not vaccinate our children are selfish but if one walks my path, you will feel the fear too. Maybe there are others that their children are normal and chooses not to vaccinate, then there could be a debate but in my case, I pray you leave me alone in this matter as it is not one that I wish to talk about. Until you have been in my shoes of dealing and worrying about how my child is going to grow up, when he is an adult, when I am gone and no one is around to see to him, you might see why.. you might just see why I choose to leave the second one unvaccinated. 

Jaden has always been a child with lots of health problems. He has had really terrible ezcema, cradle cap that smells like rotten egg and did not go away until we gave him steroid meds, and steroid meds for his ezcema flare-ups, constant night wakings, leaky gut that will not absorb nutrients and of course, autism.... Maybe if I did not go religiously on time to vaccinate him, maybe, just maybe he could have been slightly better than what he went through as a baby. 

Every parent will love their children.. almost every parent, except for monsters. So please do not judge as each parent will only want to do the best for their children.. do not judge me. I am also trying to do the best I can and struggling with dealing with two boys of mine with different needs all on my own.