PECS:

So we were back to Early Intervention and in-home therapy. The therapist introduced PECS, which by the way is a VERY detailed and long teaching process that creates an avenue for non verbal people to tell anyone their needs and wants.

Jacob loved to eat. Chicken nuggets, pasta, hot dogs, apples, bananas really he would eat anything, he just loved food. The therapist decided that since food was so motivating it would be the best place to introduce Jacob to PECS. I'll never forget this, they had been working with Jacob for about a week with PECS at each mealtime, when I saw my first real sign that Jacob could and would speak.

He was eating Tyson Chicken Dinosaurs from Costco and instead of handing his therapist the PECS card for chicken he said "ch'in!". Oh my eyes filled with tears, wait, could he do it again....he did, "chi'in!" Oh the glee of a mother's heart. I knew from that moment on that PECS would not be used for communicating in our family! One victory, one step created one big measure of hope.