Kevin's Healing Journey: January/February Talker Update

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

January/February Talker Update

The Talker is an iPad and Kevin now likes to keep the screen lit when we are having a session or when it's on his lap while we are out. When the screen starts to go dim before it shuts down to save power - Kevin touches the screen to make it light up again and ready to use. I love that he wants it on and ready to use.

We've been going to an indoor track so that I can get some walking in and push Kevin in the stroller. He plays around on the Talker a lot during the walk. Sometimes it seems some of the words are intentional...and sometimes it seems he's just playing around on it...which is fine because we've added a lot of new words so it is good for him to explore and find these new words. At the end of our walk I always tell him when it's the last lap around the track and when we finish and get off the track he says ALL DONE...definitely intentional!

Here is another favorite moment with the Talker. Kevin said WANT MORE one evening after watching an episode of Wheel of Fortune...so we watched more.

We added Music words, Art words, and Animal words to the Talker

Music words for Music Therapy

Art Words for Art Sessions

Animal Words

Favorite animal word is owl

I've been wondering if it is the sound of the word owl that he likes best. It sounds like OW...as in I'm hurt...but he never appears to be hurt or uncomfortable when he says it. It's kind of funny though that twice right after he said owl we did see an owl...how often does that happen!? Once when we were at the Natural History Museum and another time we were on a hiking trail.

Kevin has his first sentences on the Talker.

I am so excited about having a family page on the Talker with everyone's name and picture!!!

Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, & Cousins

Happy Birthday Uncle Steve

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My Blog

This blog was created to keep our family and friends updated on Kevin's healing journey. It is also our hope that others may find this blog to give help and hope to other delayed kids.

About Kevin

They told us Kevin would never walk or talk. But with lots of prayers, hard work, and extra hands, he began walking when he was four years old and we continue to have faith and hope as we wait patiently for his speech to develop. Kevin is now eight years old. He is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy due to a brain-injury he had before birth that was caused by a stroke. In 2006, before Kevin was 2 years old, we found Glenn Doman’s book "What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child" that had answers to help children with special needs and developmental delays. We began an individualized home treatment program for Kevin immediately and have been dedicated to our program ever since. We spent three years with the Doman family at The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP) and now we are with Matthew and Carol Newell at The Family Hope Center (FHC). Twice a year we return to Philadelphia where Kevin receives a neurological evaluation to determine the progress he has made in the last six months. Then they provide us with an individualized, program that puts me in charge to help Kevin develop and reach his fullest potential.

Do You Know a Delayed Child?

The best recommendation we can give to another parent with a special needs or developmentally delayed child (brain-injured, brain-damaged, mentally retarded, mentally deficient, cerebral-palsied, epileptic, autistic, athetoid, hyperactive, attention deficit disordered, developmentally delayed, or down's) is to read Glenn Doman's book What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child and/or Dr. Coralee Thompson and Dr. Philip Maffetone's book Healthy Brains, Healthy Children. By simply reading these books, you will gain valuable information to help your child which will begin to unlock the potential your child has. And best of all you will learn that there are other options to helping your child that you can do yourself. We would also highly recommend attending the parent course at FHC or IAHP. To read how our journey began and the successful progress Kevin has had refer to the January 2010 blog archive.