I am beginning to hear more words from him, some words barely discernable. Mostly one syllabus words, which is already an improvement from his familiar grunts. Whenever he tries to grunt to ask for something, I always respond with, ‘Say that in words,’ and he will attempt to say the word of the item. Even if the word sounded wrong, there will be no discouragement through any form of direct correction of the word, instead, I will reply with, ‘Ok, here is the cup with the juice.’
I have also started to give him more choices, from selecting the dvd that he can watch during lunch time, to the snack he can have during tea time. Also I make a point to respect his need for independence. It is heartening to see him happy and well-adjusted, as I hardly see any characteristics of the temper-throwing ‘terrible twos’. Being at home and spending time with him really does make that difference.
