The Power of Communication

I have been so immersed in life, that I did not realize until today how long it had been since my last blog update. SO much has been happening in Kaden's World these last 6 weeks, and his progress has been astounding! I am so excited to share with everyone.

As his Special Day Class summer session came to a close last month, I spent a lot of time talking with his teachers and reflecting on what an amazing little person Kaden is. This little guy has very limited vocabulary, yet has been able to make connections and build relationships with his peers. His teacher called me one day because she just had to tell me about a couple of interactions Kaden had at school that blew her away.

There is one little boy in Kaden's class that he had grown particularily close with, and one day at circle time that same little boy stood up and said "I LOVE you Kaden, you are my best friend." On another day, one of the aides in his class sent home a video on a flash drive for me. My heart filled with pure joy as I sat and watched a little blonde haired girl sitting cross legged on a bench in the outside play area. Kaden and another boy were picking flowers and bringing them to her. Before I knew it, this little girl had a hand full of flowers holding them close to her chest.  Kaden and his friend ran back and forth, picking her flowers and bringing them to her. After her hands were full, Kaden sat down next to her and just watched as all of the other children played. They sat still together, as if they were having some sort of communication with no words at all.

As a parent, one of the most fundamental things you want for your children is for them to build meaningful and effective relationships. I suppose this is particularly something that parents of a child with an Autism Spectrum hopes for, as this is often a challenge for these kiddos. For Kaden to have such a limited vocabulary, and still be able to build these types of connections with his peers is pretty amazing!

So just as I was feeling overwhelmed with joy at Kaden's social progress, despite his speech & language challenges, something amazing happened. It was a Saturday night and we had been at the fair watching his cousins show their pigs all day. We were all tired. Kaden and Ayla were sitting on the couch, as I thought about what I should cook them for dinner. I looked over at Kaden and I said "hey, what do you want for dinner?" I have asked this question a million times, never expecting an answer of course. Just as I was getting ready to answer the question for him, he looked up at me and said "grilled cheese." My jaw just about hit the floor. Did he really just answer me? Kaden has never answered a question except for "yes" or "no." I looked at him and I said "Kaden, did you just say grilled cheese?" His face lit up with the biggest smile as he started jumping up and down saying "YES,YES,YES!!!"

The next morning the kids were at my mom's house and my mom called me at work around 10am. She told me that Kaden had went and fetched two eggs out of the refrigerator, brought them to her and said "cook." From this point on, more words started coming, and he even started putting words together. He started putting "I want" in front of words, a concept I had no idea he understood. Now I wake to him every morning saying "I want juice." Of course, I still have to do some serious prompting to get the "please" on the end, but hey ~ he is three after all!

I'm not sure which brings more joy to my heart - the fact that he is starting to use words to get his needs met, or the way his face lights up when he realizes he does get his needs met when he uses the words. He gets so excited as he gets the words out, he realizes the power in his words. Even more, he loves the positive reaction he gets when he uses his words. This is all very promising.

Kaden's Pediatric Neurologist at UCSF recommended a form of music therapy for Kaden, something that she thought would be extremely beneficial for him. She felt that with Kaden's motor planning and sequencing challenges that the rhythm of the music might really help him start to put things together. Three weeks ago he had his first visit with Pierre Brennan, Developmental Rhythms http://developmentalrhythms.com/. This has been amazing for Kaden. He really responds to the music that Pierre incorporates in his behavioral therapy, and his having so much fun. It is music to my ears when I am  driving and hear Kaden in the back seat singing the ABC's. WHO KNEW? Of course, he doesn't have the letters down but you can definitely tell what it is he is trying to sing.

As always, he just continues to amaze us day after day. His progress, his spirit, and his energy. Watching him put the pieces of this puzzle together has to be one of the most rewarding things as a parent. There is not one day that goes by that we do not appreciate how much this little man has taught us about life and how precious every little piece of it is. For Kaden, learning the power of communication has opened up a whole new world for him. For us, finally hearing his voice is one of the greatest sounds in the world!