Communicating with Wilson

Wilson has been growing increasingly frustrated with the communication barrier that comes with not being able to talk. I (as in I take responsibility for this decision) had resisted teaching him a lot of sign language because:

1. We're (sadly) not with him enough during the week that I thought we could teach and enforce it
2. Articles hinting that speech comes later when children know sign language (this is dangerous to admit/post since we have a lot of teachers in our lives who wholeheartedly disagree - don't be haters, I backpedel later in this story)

However, he has learned that screaming gets a lot of attention. He screams because:

1. He is having fun
2. He likes to hear himself do it
3. He likes to watch himself do it in the mirror
4. To get what he wants (more food, let me down, pick me up...you get the idea)

Finally Becky spent Tuesday teaching him sign language for "please" to help curb scream reason #4. He learned it that day but we still need to teach him the concept of "please." He beats his breast with both hands agressively, seeming to demand whatever it is he wants at the time. Hmmmm...

Wilson does talk some, though. He used to say dad and mama but it has dropped from his vocabulary altogether, presumably replaced with screaming. He does say ball and actually knows what it means. He also says, "hi" constantly and repeatedly. He likes to take Kevin's cell phone (or anything resembling a phone) put it up to his ear and say, "hiiii" in a drawn out drawl. Then he gives it to us to say, "hi" as well. When we wake up in the morning or walk in to see him after work an enthusiastic, "hi!" is the first thing we hear.

Thursday morning for the first time we got him to enthusiastically wave to me as I pulled out of the garage for work. This was after showing him how good he looked doing it in the mirror.