At this point, we don't know for sure if he will ever talk, but we are currently trying to help him communicate. We haven't had much luck teaching him sign language, but he does have a few very simplified signs. We have also tried using pictures for communication, but we've had limited success with that, as well.
In an attempt to help him with his communication skills, he will be starting a new therapy soon, called ABA (applied behavior analysis). He will have a one-on-one therapist for several hours a day, five days a week. It will be play-based and customized for him by a speech pathologist. They will primarily focus on functional communication, but they will work with him in all areas.
Emmett has had many different therapies and has benefited from all of them in different ways. This will be a new one for us and it will be strange because it is a full-time program and it is 45 minutes away, but we are optimistic that it will help.
It is going to be an interesting process because what I am training in: the Anat Baniel Method (ABM) and ABA are very different and may "conflict" a bit in the way that they are approached. However, many of Emmett's other therapies appeared to "conflict" with ABM at first, but once I explained the principles, his therapists understood the basic concepts and did their best to integrate what I taught them. My hope is that I can do the same thing with ABA, so his therapists can combine the best of both worlds. If for some reason we decide that ABA isn't a "good fit", we can move on, but if it does help him, we will have no regrets!
Two years ago, when we first tried ABM, we went in with the same
attitude. And now, I am training to become a practitioner and I can't even imagine where
Emmett would be without it. There are so many great therapies and techniques out there. What works
for one child, may not work for another, but we are willing to try just
about anything to help Emmett. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
