Word Count

Edited to add more words and signs on 1/5

Truman seems to be taking off in communication lately. Since signing seems to be more effective for him right now, we are trying to focus on it, and it really seems to be working. He's adding a few words, but lots of signs and seems to understand just about everything we tell him or sign to him. And, just like the experts say, learning to sign a word seems to help him learn to say it as well. He's aquired several of them in pairs or the sign preceded the spoken word.

Here is Truman's current word and sign count:

SPONTANEOUS SPOKEN WORDS:

1. Dada (often comes out as DoDa)
2. Mama / Baba (depending on whether he has the "M" sound that week since it comes and goes)
3. Light (pronounced "dight")
4. Eat (pronounced "et")
5. Eyes (pronounced "ice")
6. Yes (pronounced "yeah, yeah")
7. Outside (sort of pronounced "otz", very difficult to distinguish from jibberish)
8. Ice

PROMPTED SPOKEN WORDS:

1. Off (meaning a request to turn the lights off / pronounced "oaf")
2. candle (hard C sound only)
3. Bye-Bye (always along with a wave bye)
4. Beau (name of grandparents' dog, pronounced "bo, bo")
5. Please (pronounced "es" and always in conjunction with the sign)
6. Baby (accompanied by the sign)
7. Poop (pronounced "bup")
8. Shoes (pronounced "sh")

SPONTANEOUS SIGNED WORDS:

1. More (often uses it in conjunction with saying "eat", so it's really more a request to eat)
2. Please
3. All Done
4. Play
5. No (shakes head, not the actual sign)
6. Yes (shakes head, not the actual sign)
7. Bye (waves bye)

PROMPTED SIGNED WORDS:

1. Shoes
2. Help
3. Cat
4. Bath
5. Truman
6. Eat
7. Touch (as in "no touch")
8. Face
9. Thank you
10. Baby
11. Drink