And the Words Are Coming

It is easy to get impatient waiting for Logan to start saying more words since he is already 19 months old and we spend so much of our day just talking and talking to him.  He has had his implants turned on for 6 months now and, so far, has said a handful of words over the last couple of months.  Jasmine was an early talker so we always try to be careful not to compare him to her, especially because, at nearly 3 years old, she can really talk your head off!

Cochlear implants actually don't restore a person's natural hearing.  Instead, they provide a different way for the brain to access sound. Electrical signals are transmitted into the internal device which stimulates the auditory nerve and sends those signals to the brain for interpretation.  My point in describing this is to explain that the cochlear implants provide a completely different way to access sound, and because of this, when they are first turned on after surgery the recipient's hearing age is 0, like a newborn.  And since Logan's hearing age is 6 months now, we can expect him to make babbling sounds like a 6 month old would (this is the average for children implanted at 1 year), which he does.   

Our goal is for him to 15-20 words by the time he is 2 and to catch up to his hearing peers by the time he is 3.  Based on his progress so far, I think this is a very realistic goal.  Just today he said 3 new words!!!!  He said "flush" (or "ush"), he said "trash" (or "ash") and "yuck" (or "uck").  Andrew said he thinks he also heard him say "sit" to Blackjack.  This coupled with him saying "Jasmine" (or "jah ihn") earlier this week, we are well on our way.  He has already managed to say at least 10 words these last 6 months!  I am just so proud of my little man!