So, Xander apparently had an amazing speech therapy session today. We've talked about how much fun he's been having with letters and numbers lately, even saying them OUT LOUD, which is huge for him. He actually knows quite a few, which is impressive for a kid who doesn't really speak.
But back to today. He apparently engaged with the Miss Lisa for the entire session, also rare. He can be a bit stand-offish at times, depending on his mood. He also talked, A LOT. He said a few colors - blue, green and yellow - without prompting while playing with some toys. He also said letters while playing with the MagnaDoodle and with the little wooden blocks (both gifts from early Christmas at the lake). He even talked about his "car" and made it go "crash."
A lot of his words are still tentative and hard to understand if you're not familiar with him and what he's trying to say. Consonants usually drop off the end of words and whole parts sometimes get skipped. But, it's still a huge step forward for him. He's been largely non-verbal since very early this year, when his twin brother also slowly stopped talking.
Of course, the only down side is how obsessed he is with it at the moment. We want to encourage him, obviously, every chance that we get. But seriously, do I want to be stalked by a three-year old dragging his MagnaDoodle by the pen on a string? Because that's him right now, from the moment he wakes up until the moment he falls asleep. Trying to eat a meal, be prepared for it to be stuck under your nose (and probably in your food, if you're not fast enough). Playing with someone else (how dare you), then be prepared to have it shoved in your face and likely hitting at least one person in the head on it's way there. He's a tad bit insistent, to say the least.
But, despite the down side, it's still one of the best toys ever. He's actually talking again, for the first time in nearly a year, and that is nothing short of amazing!