Home Therapy and yet another reason to love Target

I often get questions about what therapy techniques we use at home.

It is a question that is hard to answer. Mainly because we really don't feel that we use "therapy techniques". I used to be very intimidated by the phrase "In Home Audio-Verbal Therapy" and I know a lot of other parents feel the same way, especially in the early days of the journey.

If Erin's RIHP Rep reads this, she'll laugh and roll her eyes. Because she tells us at every home visit that we are a "Classic AVT Home Setting".

What does that mean?

We don't sit Erin at a table an hour a day with flash cards or games or listening tools... hands over our mouths... in sessions that I envisioned would be necessary when I first researched AVT. We don't narrate every action in our daily lives. We don't say "Look, Erin, we are chop, chop, chopping the hot dog!"

So, if we're not doing that, how can we be a "Classic AVT Home Setting"?

I've come to learn that AVT does not have to be taken to an extreme degree to be effective. And it need not be structured to the point where we have to chain Erin to a chair an hour a day. We have learned to incorporate conversation into our day to day activities, without feeling like we are just narrating our lives away.

We talk about what Erin did in daycare that day. We talk about what toys she would like to play with after dinner. We talk about what we did at work. We talk to her directly and we talk to each other. We just talk. And, if we don't have anything to say, we don't talk.

We talk when we play. And for this I give a lot of credit to Target.

Yes, you heard me. Target.

You know how toddlers get bored very easily? How it is impossible to keep them interested in anything longer than a few minutes? How they attach to a new toy like it is the long lost, best friend they've been searching for?

Well, that is where the Target Dollar Bins come in. We are at Target almost weekly. And right inside the doors are the Target Dollar Bins. We have never walked past the Target Dollar Bins without spotting at least a few items that we can use for language building exercises.

In the early days, we found little wooden toys: cars, airplanes, boats, trains, animals, etc. that we could use for the Learning to Listen sounds.

Later, I found a puzzle made of cardboard with pieces in standard shapes. She quickly learned to identify them all by sound - square, rectangle, circle, etc. And before I knew it, she was saying each word herself.

Right now, her favorite is a basic Memory Game that came in a cute wooden box. "Erin's turn! You found a frog! Where is the other frog? There it is! Mommy's turn. What did Mommy find? A butterfly! Where is the other butterfly?"

There are also generally a few Dollar Board Books available in the bins. We love these. They are usually very short - no more than a few pages. But they are chock full of things to talk about. Right now our favorites are a counting book with dinosaurs "Dinuhsar Book!" and a book of bugs in different colors "Bug Book!"

It is nice to be able to grab a few new toys every week to keep language based play interesting... without breaking the bank.

We also use a lot of normally priced toys in ways to encourage language building. For example, she loves to take turns stacking blocks. For each one, we talk about what color the block is. How many blocks are stacked so far? I ask her what would happen if she put a little block under a big block. Will the stack fall down?

Books with a lot of photographs are also a favorite. Priddy Books are some of our favorites, but you can find similar options anywhere, including the discount tables at local bookstores. There are so many out there to choose from. They are staples in our "therapy sessions".

My best advice is to just talk. Talk about whatever comes to mind. But don't stress too much if you aren't talking to your child 24/7.

It is also important to work with your child's therapist to identify missing links... sounds that he or she may be missing. Be cognizant of words that use those sounds and try to work them into your everyday language. For example, Erin drops consonant sounds in the middle of words. So, we are sure to put an emphasis on words that fit that bill. Da-DEE, Mo-MEE, etc.

That is what we're doing for Home Therapy. I don't think it is all that different from families with hearing children. We just kick it up a notch and are more aware of language building opportunities. And we take those opportunities when we see them.

And, of course, we hit the Target Bins for ideas.

A Clarification on "hearing" without processors.

Based on a couple comments I've received off blog, I wanted to post a clarification on my post regarding Erin "hearing" without her processors.

Erin by no means hears sound without her processors.  What she "hears" (I believe) is an internal form of sound, based on lip reading common phrases she is familiar with.   She "hears" the words in her head.  

She has become a fantastic lip reader.  When she is given familiar phrases used in the proper context, we are able to communicate with her extremely well without her processors on.   

However, if we were to try to use a phrase she is not very familiar with or one that would not make sense in the context, she would not be as successful in understanding us.

I hope that helps clarify the post.  Like many parents of CI Kids, I tend to emphasize successes.  But I didn't want anyone to think I had convinced myself Erin could now "hear".  ;) 

Sprinkler Proof? Why bother.

We just got back from vacation at Disney. Toes had a great time. Of course, at this age, she had more fun at the pool than anywhere else. But that was fine with us. It was so much fun to watch her play in the sprinklers.Cochlear Americas promotes their processors as "sprinkler proof" but we have never felt brave enough to test that theory. So, Toes goes without her processors when she is near water.

It is amazing how well we are able to communicate with limited signs and lip reading. There was never a moment where I felt she didn't understand what we were saying. "Eat lunch?" "Don't drink the water!" "Go on the slide?"

A month ago, a friend e-mailed me a link to a video of a family that came up with an ingenious way of wearing a processor in the pool. (Drew's Dad posted it as well) We look forward to offering this to her as an option when she is older. But at this point, we are pretty successful communicating at the pool. Other than the need to tap her on her shoulder instead of calling her name when we want to get her attention, there wasn't a glitch.

I imagined that as she got older and our communication became more developed, the limited conversation in un-aided situations would become frustrating. But after reading the latest entry on Lotte's blog, I think I may be underestimating what these kids are capable of. Toes is already showing signs that she "hears" without her processors. In another few years, I imagine she will be much like Lotte in her ability to "hear" - even without sound.

I don't think there will ever be a point where I stop being amazed at what CIs can do.

Post note: 

Based on a couple comments I've received off blog, I wanted to post a clarification regarding Erin "hearing" without her processors.

Erin by no means hears sound without her processors. What she "hears" (I believe) is an internal form of sound, based on lip reading common phrases she is familiar with. She "hears" the words in her head.

She has become a fantastic lip reader. When she is given familiar phrases used in the proper context, we are able to communicate with her extremely well without her processors on.

However, if we were to try to use a phrase she is not very familiar with or one that would not make sense in the context, she would not be as successful in understanding us.

I hope that helps clarify the post. Like many parents of CI Kids, I tend to emphasize successes. But I didn't want anyone to think I had convinced myself Erin could now "hear". ;)