Speech has been a struggle for him from day one. Because he could tell there was something 'wrong' with him, for the longest time he would not even try to talk. After 2+ years of weekly therapy, constant practice at home, and the help of preschool, he has made a HUGE improvement.
With this huge improvement came the official diagnoses, Childhood Apraxia of Speech. It is nice to have an actual diagnoses finally. It is sad how much this has been such a struggle for him. Luckily, he is an extremely strong kid. And this trial has made him the sweetest boy ever.
One of the hardest struggles for him has been making friends. I think this is one of the reasons he and Lady Bug are so close. Due to this struggle, he has become so good with other kids who are also struggling. There have been so many instances where a child is in a wheel chair, has a feeding tube, or some other physical deformity, and he runs right up to them with open arms. It is almost like he is saying, "It's OK, I understand" in his non-verbal communication.
Although he has another year of preschool, last month he 'graduated' with his class mates. He was so excited to show off his hard work.
Currently, he is determined to learn to read. His speech therapist gave us instructions for Zoo Phonics, and boy have they been a hit. Over the summer we have also been doing Mommy Preschool. I have been loving each minute of it.
This is a kid who is extremely smart, which has been so helpful. He sees the world in such a unique way. I can not wait to see and hear more of what goes on in his brain. I am so proud of our little four year old!
Thank you so much for sharing this. Liam is certainly one of our heros! He is a wonderful inspiration.
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