Abby - Preschool & Speech update

It has been awhile since I have done an update on Abby's speech (here & here), her new preschool, and the progress she is making since starting her preschool communication class.

Abby has been attending a communication class for students with delayed speech 2x week for the last 7 weeks at a nearby elementary school.  She is in class with six other 3 & 4-year olds who have similar speech concerns.  Her teacher is incredible and absolutely someone that Abby adores.  As expected too, and in true Abby fashion, she is really enjoying the socialization that school gives her outside of just playing with Thomas & Marilyn.

The most important goal (both academic & functional) that we have for Abby this school year is to improve her speech and expressive language skills by imitating sounds and speaking in longer sentences.  In just the short time while she has been enrolled in this preschool class, along with continuing her private speech therapy sessions, we have seen a huge growth in the individual, as well as combined sounds that she is making, the words she is using, the length of her sentences, and even the complete sentences that she is saying.  It is actually mind blowing when I step back and look at her progress.  Even at school, her team of teachers is amazed.

But really... none of us should be surprised.  Abby is a spunky, sassy, energetic, sweet, caring, competitive little girl who wants to learn, please, laugh, read, draw, color, and write.  Getting better }using her words & sounds {as we call it} is something that she knows she needs to work on... but she takes on the challenge just like Thomas takes on basketball or Marilyn takes on climbing & running.

Here is a glimpse at her one afternoon when Thomas is doing his homework and she wanted to work on letters.  You can see in the video she loves to "check off" the letters she knows and is always curious about what letters are in each of our names.  Not only the letter recognition, but the progress she has made with her verbalization and showing us what she knows, is incredible.