Belle is now 2 years and 1 month old and is continuing to do well. You can see in the video below the improvement Belle has made with her Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) exercises. I only made her go to 10 on the horn, but she can do 25 fairly easily when I can her motivated. She loves to say "ten" when we are counting, as you will notice during her horn exercises :)

The introduction of gum chewing has also been a big hit. She sees her older siblings chew gum frequently, so she likes the fact that she can participate in something that the big kids do too.

I am continually amazed at Belle's receptive language and her ability to learn. We have found, however, that she is fairly quick to shut down with her Oral Placement Therapy tasks if she perceives something as too hard, or thinks that she will not be successful.

Our SLP, Whitney Pimentel, was the first one to pick up on this during one of our Skype sessions. Belle was refusing to play one of her horns, because she knew that her first attempt was not on target. Whitney then seamlessly altered our program so that Belle could find success on her previous, lower-level horn, and we could then strategically interject the new horn.

I am also happy to report that Belle has been off the bottle and pacifier for 3 full weeks now! We are so proud of her. 

Here is a video of Belle chewing gum, using Bubble Bear & Horn #2:

-Lanie Beetsma

Annabelle has Down Syndrome and has been using TalkTools Therapy since she was born. Her story is a great inspiration for parents seeking help for a child with Down Syndrome. Follow Miss Annabelle’s journey from the beginning here.

Belle turned 2 years old this month! How is it possible? She is full of life and joy. I am so proud of this little gal. She celebrated her birthday with family and friends and even blew out her own birthday candles! I know this wouldn't have been possible for her without TalkTools. She has had a lot of practice blowing bubbles so she knew how to carry that skill over to her candles. Belle has more than 45 words now and is even starting to name a few colors. Her favorites are blue and purple! She loves to try to sing along to kids songs on the piano and wants to be heard in all social interactions.

As Belle strives to make more of her own decisions and become more independent, she pushes back on some of her daily therapy exercises. Through working with Whitney, we have altered our oral motor placement routine a little in order for Belle to have more of a role in the decision making process. I try to make our sessions shorter and also reward with reading books. Reading is absolutely Belle's favorite thing to do. We are welcoming the 2's with open arms and look forward to another year of great progress, fun, and learning.  

Belle Repeating Words She Commonly Says on Her Own

-Lanie Beetsma

Annabelle has Down Syndrome and has been using TalkTools Therapy since she was born. Her story is a great inspiration for parents seeking help for a child with Down Syndrome. Follow Miss Annabelle’s journey from the beginning here.

Belle is doing well and consistently adds to the lively chatter in our home :) She has approximately 35 words that she says regularly, although someone from outside our family may only understand about half of those without an interpretation.

Belle has been working with Whitney, our Speech Language Pathologist with TalkTools, for about 18 months now. We get to see Whitney in person about twice a year, we email regularly, and have video conferences as needed. This month, however, we decided that it was time to start scheduling therapy sessions for Belle via Skype 2-4 times per month.

Belle has reached a point in her development that I need additional assistance with her oral motor placement exercises. She is striving for more independence and understands that speaking is a way for her to be heard and quickly get her needs met.

Working with Whitney this month has allowed me to better understand how each exercise is used to encourage a particular mouth posture, sound, etc. She has helped me to revamp our current TalkTools program to minimize frustration on many levels.

In a matter of a few days, Belle no longer needs the straw to blow bubbles through the wand. She can do it all by herself!  I am so thankful for these additional therapy sessions, and Belle is making great strides!

Here are three quick videos that highlight Belle's progress in month 23.

Belle Practicing with TalkTools' Apraxia Shapes

Belle Chomping on Her Red & Yellow Chewy Tubes

-Lanie Beetsma

Annabelle has Down Syndrome and has been using TalkTools Therapy since she was born. Her story is a great inspiration for parents seeking help for a child with Down Syndrome. Follow Miss Annabelle’s journey from the beginning here.

We have some fun pictures in this update including one of Belle with her extremely loving brother and sister. You can also see Belle enjoying her veggie straws at therapy (notice her food placement on her side molars) and having fun with some Play-Doh.  

Our family's schedule has been quite busy lately, so I try my best to get in one full session of oral motor therapy in each day. We will be able to pick back up another session as our daily routine gets back to normal next month. Belle continues to drink very well from her straws and purple Recessed Lid Talk Tools cup.

Thankfully, Belle really enjoys being vocal. She now says 27 words voluntarily that I am able to understand. And within the last week, she even put two words/signs together including "more drink" and "eat please." We are thrilled!

Belle Working with Horn #2

We started this horn last week, and she really likes it. Although we have not reached our goal of 25 sounds yet, she consistently produces around 10 each day so she is well on her way!

-Lanie Beetsma

Annabelle has Down Syndrome and has been using TalkTools Therapy since she was born. Her story is a great inspiration for parents seeking help for a child with Down Syndrome. Follow Miss Annabelle’s journey from the beginning here.

Belle is continuing to progress month after month. She has become more vocal, and she has officially mastered walking. Belle is confident in her ability to walk anywhere she wants to go. She consistently says 23+ words and is trying to say several more but may leave the beginning or ending sounds off. For example, in the video of her speaking below, Belle pronounces the work "yuck" as a very strong "ck" sound.

She enjoys talking and being a part of all social interactions. In some settings, she even likes to "show off" a little with her signs and words :)

I just started using the TalkTools Apraxia Tactile Tubes. Belle thinks these are pretty fun! She is also doing great with her Horn #1 and has mastered her 25 breaths/sounds through it. I think we are ready to start the second horn soon. We have settled into a good summer routine and consistently do her exercises each morning and night. Belle likes this one on one time with her Mommy too!    

Belle Speaking

Belle Practicing with her TalkTools Tactile Tubes

-Lanie Beetsma

Annabelle has Down Syndrome and has been using TalkTools Therapy since she was born. Her story is a great inspiration for parents seeking help for a child with Down Syndrome. Follow Miss Annabelle’s journey from the beginning here.