Just need cheering up!!!

[chickensaresafehere]

My dd2,2.9,does not walk(very hypermobile) & does not talk(no dx) and just feeling a bit low about it all,she does not nod or shake her head (for yes & no),the only word she says is 'dada',we are still not sure if she has limited understanding,no-one can tell us why she cannot communicate.We use makaton & have done for 12 months but she has not picked up one sign.I am so worried about the future
She is a very happy,gorgeous little girl & we adore her,but I feel there isn't a light at the end of the tunnel & it is getting me down.
We are getting help & she is off to a CDC next month,would appreciate a sympathetic reply from other Mum's in a similar situation.
Sorry to moan!!

Hi Chicken, have you tried using PECS as a form of communication? My dd2 was non-verbal at the age of your dd2, we started using PECS and after 6 months she started talking (she also had music therapy and SALT).

My dd2 has ASD so also has a lack of understanding, she doesn't nod and rarely answers questions. We tried makaton with dd2 but she only picked up a couple signs and was not really interested.

Thanks Marne,she responds to makaton,but will not do it herself.The SALT did some PECS,but the pictures weren't very good & she isn't interested in them.
She loves to look at books,so will have to try some better cards.

Hi Chickens

It's great you are getting assessment and looking into things - it's so easy to be fobbed off by well meaning friends and family telling you all will be well.

sorry you are feeling down about it all. i must admit i'm struggling at the moment - my son is nearly four and delayed in many areas but without a dx as yet. i find it hard not knowing what the future will bring for him or us.

So no advice but lots of empathy - you are not alone.

In what way were the pictures not very good? We started PECS by using photo's of dd's favorite things (mainly food) as the pencil drawings (PECS cards are hard to understand) and then place the PECS symbol in the corner of the photo. Dd2 now uses a mixture of photo's and PECS symbols (as well as some speech). We also made her a photo book with pictures/photo's as well as the PECS symbols in the corner (pictures of Mummy, Daddy, our house, bed room etc..).

Hope you manage to find something that works for both of you, its very frustrating not knowing if and when they will be able to communicate.

Thanks mummysaraus,it's good to know I'm not alone,as sometimes it feels like that.She just doesn't seem to be making much progress.

Marne,good idea about the photo's,the pics the salt gave us were,small b&w ones,which my 9 yr old had trouble working out what they were!!!I don't think PECS cards would grab her attention,photo's seem a better way to go,thanks.We really need her to start communicating with us in some way,as we are both getting so frustrated!!

There is another approach similar to PECS but that starts with colour photos (line drawings may be too abstract for such a young child). I think it's called EKLAN (??) but you could just do your own as Marne suggests by making up a book of favourite colour photos. I know exactly what you mean about the images being hard to understand - a SALT suggested them for DS1 and I did not know what some of them were and some were for concepts he does not understand yet - such as 'surprise'

Elklan

www.elklan.co.uk/jk/2008/about/index.html

youre probably aware of this but the Something Special BBC dvds are great for getting kids interested in makaton. They seem more willing to start signing back to justin than to real life people.