Test Run

Levi's trial device arrived! We have enjoyed working with it the past few days and while it will take some time to fully get used to, he is picking it up very quickly. In this video, we had really been doing the puzzle for maybe 10 minutes and he had never seen the puzzle menu before on his device and was already using it. Smart cookie!  Notice too when I ask him his name and was at the home menu, he knew right where to go.  We have made very slow progress with sounds, but he can say "yeah" when he is looking at me to get a cue of how to form his mouth. He also was mumbling his no, which sounds like "oh" for him, but when I asked him to try harder it sounded much clearer. It's such hard work for him to make the sounds he wants. I don't blame him for getting lazy with it. He's allowed to be two, Apraxia or not. (Please try and ignore my voice.... ugh)

 

Here's a look at the device. It's about the size of an ipad mini. There is a bluetooth speaker mounted on the back.

Here is the first menu you see, or the "home" menu. 

When you tap chat, it takes you to these common conversational phrases. He tapped "name" to say his name.

If he taps "I want" it takes him here, where he can choose what he wants next.

This is the "to play" menu

This is the "cars" menu. I added the "Mater" button, since that is his favorite toy car that we have. He can tap two buttons to start pairing words together, such as "car crash" and "Mater jump". He should be pairing words together and forming sentences at his age, but since he can't speak, he is very behind in this. A device can aid him in building this language skill even when his mouth can't keep up.

This is the "puzzle" menu he was using in the video.

This is the "things" menu, which we will add into use over time. It helps provide words that he may want randomly, if he's hurt, wants his socks, or to wash his hands.

I'm excited to use this menu tomorrow so he can tell me what he wants to see at the zoo!! He's never been able to do that before. I'm curious to see what he decides.

So that's the basics of it. We have given the OK to go ahead and start the process of getting this ordered, but I'm not sure if they'll be able to do that until we return the device. Oh, and another great story about it: On Sunday, I was making cookies and Levi was whining for something when he walked into the kitchen. At first I thought it was chocolate chips, which is wasn't. Then I thought it was Mater, which he threw. I decided to give Levi the device to see if that would help, and he quickly tapped right through the menus saying "I want" "To eat" (then went into the snack sub menu) and chose "cookie". THAT is what we're hoping for more and more of!!

P.S. (Toby, plug your ears) Abby lost another tooth!  The one just to the left of her middle one that she lost. She's got a top one that's barely wiggly now, but she's getting to work on it. She likes loosing these teeth.