great therapy session

[Guest guest]

Finally, at 26 months, Cozzy had a wonderful therapy session where

he greeted his therapist with a recognizeable " Good Morning " (in

Japaneses) and then proceeded to repeat every word she requested of

him. Last month, he might have said one word, and the meaning of

that was questionable. This month, some words like " banana " were

unmistakeable, though other words were only distinguishable by

intonation and context. Yet, he also used words occasionally in an

independent way to communicate needs and desires. I have never seen

him that verbal, even at home.

One thing she told us to work on was trying to get him to blow

through a straw, which he can't do at all. She says this will help

him to form more sounds. He can blow his nose, and he can suck

through a straw, but still no mouth ability. She was surprised by

that, but it confirms my belief that he is apraxic even though

nobody here in Japan seems to understand this condition.

Cozzy walked at 20 months as well, and he is just reaching the point

where he can draw a circle. I think his fine motor skills are pretty

normal (though he is also still just getting the ability to use

scissors). But the walking was definitely late. Of course, now he is

challenging jungle gyms (with me being there as a safety). He has

really come a long way in a short time. He can't jump, but he can

almost run. These small milestones are highly celebrated around here.