Morgan Kate

Speech

The only thing I can think of to compare speech to is a roller coaster. Or that's how it is for me. One day we are up and having a great time and learning and then the next session we come crashing down. One session MK is working and talking and the next session she is throwing herself on the floor and will not cooperate. I don't mean to whine or complain, but it can be quite draining. Really draining. And frustrating.

Here's my theory on why speech is so hard for us. Just my opinion. Speech, at times, requires MK to sit down and be still. MK is not really good at sitting down and being still. She's a mover. Always on the go. So getting her to sit and be attentive and complete a task is pretty difficult right now, especially if she's not 100% interested in it. I'd like to think it's that way for most soon to be 22 month olds, but I could be wrong. It might just be a problem we have.

Monday's session went really well and I was so thankful. Instead of having MK work the entire time, the therapists (our actual SLP and then our student SLP) had MK work for a little while and then "play" for a little while. And the therapists were sneaky. The "play" was really work, but it was so much fun that MK didn't have a clue she was actually working. For instance, we would sit at the table and work on a puzzle or book and then we would all stand up and dance and sing "Ring-a-round-the-rosie". Mk thought it was fun and she loves to dance, but it was also motivating her to talk and make sounds. Perfect. I hope we have many, many more sessions like Monday. Because days like Monday make the roller coaster seem a little less scary.

Occupational Therapy

We only see our OT once a month and I may have updated since we last saw her. Personally, (and I may be a little biased) I think MK's fine motor skills are right on. She can complete puzzles, put shapes in the shape sorter, use a spoon (to the best of her ability), stab food with a fork, pick things up with her pincher grasp, brush her hair, etc. It's funny though. We first had MK evaluated because of her fine motor skills and now they seem to be her strong point and she really hasn't had that much therapy. We see our OT again this week so I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Physical Therapy

MK loves PT and her therapist. She works really hard and I think it's because she doesn't know she's working and because she gets to move, move, move. MK is walking very well and very fast, running, kicking a ball, throwing a ball and trying her hardest to catch a ball. She can walk up and down the stairs with assistance. And she is trying so, so hard to jump. She wants to so badly, but she can't quite figure out how to get her feet off of the ground. It's the cutest thing ever. I really need to get a video of that.

Early Intervention

We are now on our third EI and we have only been in the system for a year and a half. It seems we get a new EI every 6 months. Our new EI is really good. She has a lot of great ideas and seems really motivated. She's fresh out of school and I think it really makes a difference. She has a great attitude and MK seems to already love her. Lola really likes her too and that says a lot. While she's here we work on PT things, OT things and even speech. We do it all. We used to see our EI once a week, but we have now moved to once every two weeks. I am really liking our new schedule.

In August our EI will evaluate MK again. She gets evaluated every six months. At that time we will see where she is in regards to gross motor, fine motor, language etc. And we will decide what she still needs, if we need to make any changes or if we need to make any additions. I'm anxious to see what the evaluation shows and what our next steps will be.