16 Months and Speech Therapy

Noah is 16 months old.  Where has the time gone?  He is getting so big, though he's still small compared to other little boys his age.  He has begun asserting his independence more and more.  He does not like to be held and loves being on the move - climbing, running, chasing Lydia, anything where he can move.  He loves swimming and water.  It is a little concerning for us because he just will jump in.  We have to know where he is at all times.  He also loves the dogs.  He helps hold Aspen's leash on our walks.  He pokes her and pulls her.  Thankfully, she's very tolerant.  Noah actually has a funny side to him.  He sneaks up on Lydia and tickles her feet, he will "get" you by poking or pulling when you aren't looking.  He also likes to dance and loves music.  He's not much into TV, but will tolerate watching about 3 minutes.  He loves reading books, especially if they are about tractors or animals.  He loves dogs and horses.  He can point those out.  He does not point to anything else.  I think he knows where the nose and ears are, but if asked, he points to his toes and laughs.  He thinks he's a funny little man!

Today we took Noah to his first speech therapy session.  While his receptive language is good (he scored 100, which is 50th percentile on the assessment) his expressive language is not (he scored 77, which is 6th percentile).  He really has no consistent words, though he as started to sort of say "mama." He also has recently started to mimic a few sounds, such as "ah." He has come a long way, though.  I think that his anemia might have set him back.  We are confident that he will catch up soon.  He just has a moderate delay.  Also, we are thankful for good insurance so we can get him speech!  On our way to speech, Lydia said, "Don't worry, Noah, I won't make you talk to that doctor if you don't want too."  That might be some of the problem, as well.  I'm so glad that he is where he needs to be with his receptive language.  I'm sure the talking will come in time.  He does do several signs and uses "Curious George" language, where he points and grunts at what he wants.  Lydia was such an early talker, that it makes him seem later, too.  But Noah seems to like speech.  He thinks it's fun and it's good for him to have to listen to someone besides me.

Noah is such a joy!  Boys bring a different challenge than girls, but each is fun and rewarding! 

Playing in rain puddles - it;s fun being a kid!