Thank You! & Communication

As Ainsley's receptive language increased I started asking more of her communication. I frequently ask her to sign things. For several months I've been working on Please and Thank You. Asking her to sign "Please" when she wants something and "Thank You" when she is given something. She's a sweet girl and never mind being asked and usually obliges my request but I've always had to ask. On 4/20 she signed "Thank You" for the first time after being given a taste of food on her Nuk brush. Hooray Ainsley! What a leap to understand the concept of Thanks.

One bright side of being confined to a body cast and being imobile is that you have to work to communicate your needs. We've been in the process of getting a communication device for Ainsley through the school system. We met again on Tuesday after class and Ainsley sat by patiently while we worked on choosing the words that the device will say. 

How it works is that sheets are created with the words and pictures over each button and we record the word being spoken for each button. There are 12 channels for 12 different sheets (overlays) of recorded words. When Ainsley pushes the button it will say the word for her. I am waiting to hear back from them but am hoping they will have the overlays complete and the device in our hot little hands soon! I think it's the perfect time to work on increasing Ainsley's communication skills while she is physically imbobile from the hip surgery. I am very eager to see what she does with it.