I realize I haven't written about Theo and his cochlear implant in a long time. It seems like every time I go to write about it, something else more urgent comes up. Then by the time I get back to it, he's made so much new progress that I need new videos and have a bunch more to write!
I am also a huge procrastinator when it comes to writing so here I am, almost 4 months after his CI activation, finally writing about his progress...
I have a lot to cover but I'll try to keep it interesting and brief without leaving out anything good ;)
I have had the immense pleasure of overseeing Theo's auditory-verbal therapy at home. I love working with him and watching him begin to hear and develop speech but I'm not going to lie - it has been difficult as well.
When Theo had his CI activation, we had already been through the process a few months prior with Nolan so we knew where to start and were able to use the things we had learned from Nolan's experience for Theo.
The two boys are so different though and very quickly that knowledge ran out.
Nolan is 7 years old (very old for a CI), but Theo is only 3. Nolan was born deaf, but Theo previously had hearing and lost it at 1 1/2 due to meningitis. Nolan has physical challenges that prevent him from developing speech, Theo doesn't.
Considering the fewer obstacles Theo has, it makes sense that he was progressing much quicker than Nolan.
And I honestly had no idea what to do.
I kept getting told how crucial the first year is and I was so afraid that I wasn't going to do it right and in a way, fail him. That he wouldn't develop verbal communication because I didn't give him what he needed to do so.
Theo's therapist that he goes to see 3 times a week was helpful in giving me some ideas, but a lot of what she was doing I didn't really think was what I should be focusing on at that point. But she is trained and I'm not...
Nikki was great at encouraging me to just go with my instincts.
And God reminded me that I can't mess up His plans, even in my incompetence.
God had put me here, working with Theo for a reason and all I could do was love Theo and give him my all and let God do the rest.
In the end, I took some things from the therapist, working on the goals she had for Theo, but also used some of the things I had read and come up with on my own to create a plan for him.
I'm definitely still tweaking and adjusting but over all, I feel good about the plan I have with Theo.
I have talked to a few people in the field to get their input, nervous that they would tell me I was doing it all wrong, but every time God has used them to encourage me in what I'm doing, and give me even more new ideas.
I'm still learning, but I've realized that it's okay if I'm not doing it all right at this moment in time. As long as I continue to learn and grow and give Theo the best I can.
That said, if you're reading this and have experience or insight, I'd love to hear from you!
Here is where Theo is at now and some of the things we are currently working on!
Theo is now really great at differentiating between environmental sounds and speech and consistently answers to his name - even in a room full of children and adults talking.
He says "hi" and "bye" in the correct contexts, with and without being prompted.
While it isn't our biggest focus at home, at therapy they mostly work on fruits, animals, and modes of transportation. Theo can identify a few items in each of those categories.
Lately, we've been working on some basic commands such as come, go, wait, up, down, sit, and eat, and use them in both a receptive and expressive ways. Here is an example. I introduced the concept of "up" and "down" a little less than 2 months ago. I use those words across a variety of activities, but this one with the cars is Theo's favorite!
This was a huge breakthrough for him as he doesn't have much back and forth communication yet. He mostly will just mimic what he hears or mimic the question, then answer it. This past week was the first time he started answering questions without repeating the question first!
His school has asked us to work on learning his colors and numbers so those are the most recent things we've added to our school/therapy sessions.
In the past week, Theo has learned colors red, yellow, blue, and purple (we started with those as he can say them the clearest) and while he won't label them yet, he can identify them now with at least a 95% accuracy with 2 options, and maybe 60 or 70% accuracy with 3 options (more if we've just reviewed them).
He hasn't yet grasped the concept of numbers but we're working on it!
We also do a lot of reading books (Theo's favorite!), doing puzzles, making music, nursery rhymes (where he says a word or does an action at a certain point), and incorporate the words we're working on into different activities such
as "cooking" with the play kitchen set or playing with dolls (yes, we let our boys play with dolls ;)).
I only get 1 - 1 1/2 hours of 1:1 time each day with Theo but we also try to incorporate the things we are learning and focusing on throughout the day, working on both receptive and expressive language.
We still have a long way to go but I am so happy with how Theo is progressing and I look forward to the coming months! My time each day with Theo has become my favorite part of the day.
He is such a bright kid and every day I look at him and thank the Lord that He provided this opportunity for Theo and blessed our home with such a special little boy.
I am also a huge procrastinator when it comes to writing so here I am, almost 4 months after his CI activation, finally writing about his progress...
I have a lot to cover but I'll try to keep it interesting and brief without leaving out anything good ;)
I have had the immense pleasure of overseeing Theo's auditory-verbal therapy at home. I love working with him and watching him begin to hear and develop speech but I'm not going to lie - it has been difficult as well.
When Theo had his CI activation, we had already been through the process a few months prior with Nolan so we knew where to start and were able to use the things we had learned from Nolan's experience for Theo.
The two boys are so different though and very quickly that knowledge ran out.
Nolan is 7 years old (very old for a CI), but Theo is only 3. Nolan was born deaf, but Theo previously had hearing and lost it at 1 1/2 due to meningitis. Nolan has physical challenges that prevent him from developing speech, Theo doesn't.
Considering the fewer obstacles Theo has, it makes sense that he was progressing much quicker than Nolan.
And I honestly had no idea what to do.
I kept getting told how crucial the first year is and I was so afraid that I wasn't going to do it right and in a way, fail him. That he wouldn't develop verbal communication because I didn't give him what he needed to do so.
Theo's therapist that he goes to see 3 times a week was helpful in giving me some ideas, but a lot of what she was doing I didn't really think was what I should be focusing on at that point. But she is trained and I'm not...
Nikki was great at encouraging me to just go with my instincts.
And God reminded me that I can't mess up His plans, even in my incompetence.
God had put me here, working with Theo for a reason and all I could do was love Theo and give him my all and let God do the rest.
In the end, I took some things from the therapist, working on the goals she had for Theo, but also used some of the things I had read and come up with on my own to create a plan for him.
I'm definitely still tweaking and adjusting but over all, I feel good about the plan I have with Theo.
I have talked to a few people in the field to get their input, nervous that they would tell me I was doing it all wrong, but every time God has used them to encourage me in what I'm doing, and give me even more new ideas.
I'm still learning, but I've realized that it's okay if I'm not doing it all right at this moment in time. As long as I continue to learn and grow and give Theo the best I can.
That said, if you're reading this and have experience or insight, I'd love to hear from you!
Here is where Theo is at now and some of the things we are currently working on!
Theo is now really great at differentiating between environmental sounds and speech and consistently answers to his name - even in a room full of children and adults talking.
He says "hi" and "bye" in the correct contexts, with and without being prompted.
While it isn't our biggest focus at home, at therapy they mostly work on fruits, animals, and modes of transportation. Theo can identify a few items in each of those categories.
Lately, we've been working on some basic commands such as come, go, wait, up, down, sit, and eat, and use them in both a receptive and expressive ways. Here is an example. I introduced the concept of "up" and "down" a little less than 2 months ago. I use those words across a variety of activities, but this one with the cars is Theo's favorite!
This was a huge breakthrough for him as he doesn't have much back and forth communication yet. He mostly will just mimic what he hears or mimic the question, then answer it. This past week was the first time he started answering questions without repeating the question first!
His school has asked us to work on learning his colors and numbers so those are the most recent things we've added to our school/therapy sessions.
In the past week, Theo has learned colors red, yellow, blue, and purple (we started with those as he can say them the clearest) and while he won't label them yet, he can identify them now with at least a 95% accuracy with 2 options, and maybe 60 or 70% accuracy with 3 options (more if we've just reviewed them).
He hasn't yet grasped the concept of numbers but we're working on it!
I only get 1 - 1 1/2 hours of 1:1 time each day with Theo but we also try to incorporate the things we are learning and focusing on throughout the day, working on both receptive and expressive language.
We still have a long way to go but I am so happy with how Theo is progressing and I look forward to the coming months! My time each day with Theo has become my favorite part of the day.
He is such a bright kid and every day I look at him and thank the Lord that He provided this opportunity for Theo and blessed our home with such a special little boy.
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