Sign Language is the answer! After dealing with a very fussy Micah all day, I took him upstairs and we built a train. We weren't talking yet, so I decided to use ASL to talk to Micah, without voicing. He communicated SPECTACULARLY!!! He was silent the whole time, and looked at me while I signed. We had a conversation for quite a few minutes! If that wasn't enough, the breakthrough came when I asked him a question and he responded with an enthusiastic YES!, and then continued with his playing. It felt like we were in a classroom and I was his aid. If I hadn't known any better, I could have mistaken him for any other 11-year-old boy. He responded so quickly it surprised me. In that moment I knew he completely understood me. He is so smart! Even while I'm writing this, he is continuing to communicate with me in sign language. To go from yelling, pushing your buttons, throwing toys and temper tantrums, to talking back and forth in turn with patience and smiles is a wonderful feeling! I will continue signing with him from now on! For now, I'm not using my voice and we're signing in silence. I think, this way he can concentrate on what I'm signing. Of course we talk without signing sometimes, so I will try to add sign language to our daily routines. Hopefully soon the whole house will be signing! This is so exciting!
What a great night! This just proves that things are always looking up if you just find the right way to solve the problem. I hope this means there are many, many more smiles in my family's future.
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