Grant Update

Tomorrow is our 2nd eval for Grant with NACD. As we were filling out the program review for tomorrow Joel and I realized all what he has done in the past several weeks:

1. He is saying a lot more word approximations and trying to talk more and more.
2. He is saying and using "No" appropriately.
3. He has mastered drinking from a straw - something we have been working on for 3+ years!!! He can drink for a juice box now - Praise the Lord! You can only imagine how nice this is now. :-)
4. It doesn't seem like he is falling/tripping as much. This is hard to tell as his parent since I'm around him all of the time but I will say that the past two weeks have probably been the longest stretch for Grant without having a bruise/bump/goose egg on his head somewhere. He did have a bad scratch on his nose but that, to me, was something different than from tripping over his own two feet: He walked into his room when it was pitch black (at night w/ out the light on) and tripped over his train tracks that were all over the floor and either landed on one of the tracks (I think) or hit his bed. I hope it wasn't his bed but I couldn't figure out that part from him other than knowing that he obviously tripped over the tracks from hearing him while in the living room.
5. He has mastered 3 of his goals at school during the past 6wks grading period: immitate/copy circle, immitate/copy cross, and unbutton large front buttons unassisted. The first two have been goals since day 1 of school so this is huge, too!!!
6. He is saying "Gra" with almost an /n/ at the end when you ask him what his name is. This is huge. Val has been working with him all last fall on saying his name and at school they have been working since the beginning of the school year on him saying his name and just in the past 2-3 weeks he has started actually saying his name, well, almost!

This really is a lot for Grant. It's possible this could all be coincidence since starting NACD.......or not. Time will tell, really. But none the less it is very encouraging to Joel and I, and I just wanted to share Grant's progress with you all!