[Barksum]

Our 2+ year old son is non-verbal, and we don't seem to be making great leaps in the speech department. Little tiny, teeney, weeney babysteps, but not much in "real" progress. This isn't usually a big deal, and we have had some limited success with sign language. Our son now has about a 6 word vocabulary, 2 verbal and 4 sign. There also is some question of cognitive delays as well as fetal alcohol (inability to learn from experience, lack of caution, not understanding cause and effect) and such, so communication is difficult at times.

HOWEVER, he does not make any noise when we call. I'm trying to teach him to clap, but this is in the early stages and not reliable. We are diligently working on having him come when we call, as well. Again, he's only two and doesn't always do things in a reliable way! What with him now testing boundaries and being more explorative we are concerned about not being able to locate him quickly if he wanders.

NOT that he's ever allowed purposefully out of sight, but I do have to go to the bathroom on occaision and he is testing boundaries. We're re-doing our outside fences and gates so he can't open them, and I'm making our doors so that he can't open them, but even with all that I'm a little scared about his desire to explore. Shoot, he's gotten so inquisitive and is doing things that just last week he wouldn't have dreamed of doing. Why do kids have to make these kinds of leaps of inquisitivness and exploration when they don't yet have the ability to use caution?! My hair is turning gray faster than Miss Clairol can keep up.

Does anyone know of a device for tracking non-verbal children? Something that resonds when called or paged or something? Kind of the reverse of the "I've fallen and can't get up" thingie they advertise on TV? I've been looking at the deaf equipment sites on the web with no success...any ideas?

[echaos]

Not sure of what it's called but I have seen people use the "Clapping" thingy that is meant to find your keys. You clap really loud and it beeps. you could attach it with a key chain to your childs clothes.

[Lilathe]

http://keyringer.com/tl.html

or something similar to it. They probably sell them at places like Radio Shack or Walmart too. You would just need to put it in something easily attachable to his clothing. Wouldn't want to put it up around the ears though, so maybe on the shoes or belt? Depends on how loud it is I guess.

[HappyMomAnna]

We have used one of the "binky" ties (it clips on the shirt and attaches to a passafier) and attached a plastic whistle....... When our 22-month old has vanished we yell "blow the whistle" of course sometimes he does and sometimes he does not....
I can tell you this is frustrating....turn your head abnd he is gone... in the bathroom, up the stairs, or hiding behind the chair?
I can also tell you this seems to be recuring problem the other day I nearly had a heart attack calling for my 5 1/2 year old....she heard me and simply didn't 'feel' like calling back.... I panicked and ran all over the house....only to find her playing in the play room..... man I don't get that.
Our son is also non-verbal. DH says he keeps having a dream at night that when he goes to work our son talks up a storm and when daddy gets home it is a game.... ( DH might want to analyze this dream?)
Sign language has been helping but, it does take a long time and repitition. We have also started to 'allow' sounds to represent meaning..... generally I would not teach "baby talk" with a child but, in this case he seems to have difficulty in putting sounds together.....(it alsmost seems he has speech dyslexia) So now we are alloing him to say, "ta" for wanting to play...and 'eeee" for wanting to eat.....and 'sssssssss' for sissy. We are sort of looking at it like teaching a child to read one sound at a time?
Our son has no clear words yet and hardly ever cries when he wakes up from nap --I was never really sure how long he had actually been awake.... We have paid a little money but, I got one of those vedio monitors now---I hate to think he could just be sitting in his crib waiting and waiting for me.
We also spent a little money and put severl monitors in the far corners of the house..... It is kind of funny because on my kitchen counter there are four of the recievers......all labled for which room....... I leave the stations on all the time and when I wonder whats up I turn on the room the kids are in..... I use it alot to keep tabs on big sister when she wants to play. Of course it was pretty funny a few weeks ago when my mom was visiting and my husband and I had a simi-private chat right next to the playroom monitor...forgetting the receiver was on full blast in the kitchen....mom had fun teasing me about that (thank God we didn't talk about her)

Good luck and I like echaos idea---I am going to go out today and see if I can find some of those clapping gagets.... When safty gates fail we sure do have to get creative

[crick]

I am a hearing impaired person and my mother used to tell me that she had a hard time keeping track of me when I was little. She would put little bells on my shoes or attached to my shirt so that she could figure out where I was since I couldn't hear her call me. Also tied a baby rattler to my waist sometimes but said that drove her nuts because I played with it all the time.

I have the opposite problem, obviously! Haven't been able to go to the bathroom with the door shut in over a year now because I have to leave it open in order to hear my kids. :0)

Crick

[Barksum]

I just KNEW there had to be some simple solutions we could use!! But my brain just kind of shut down and went into super technical mode and all I could think of was super secret spy technology complete with government warehouses selling off a surplus of goggles that sense body heat, super microphones that can hear through walls, and everything.

Thanks to you all I'm going to Radio Shack tomorrow for a key finder and extra batteries, then down the Christmas aisle in Wal-Mart and getting some jingle bells. We'll also be buying a binkie holder and a whistle. Then Mommy is going to get a babysitter and go in my room and lie down and sleep for awhile!! LOL Trying to keep track of all these kids is going to drive me round the bend....

Did I mention we're in the process of working on a 3rd adoption (making 4 kids)? Did I mention that I'm wondering if I need a nice young person in a clean white coat to come and lead me gently away!? ROFL

[Stormy]

Barki,

First, congrats on working on #4. Good news!

I am sure you know that our older son has language delays, and now we are finding out that our younger child has speech delays. For anyone who may be confused, apparently speech is the actual formation of the word, the sounds and the functions it takes to make them...language is the process of getting a thougth out into words, even if the words are prefectly preformed.

I wanted to suggest a PECS system. I don't know if the professionals you have working with you have told you about that or not. But we have had great success with it. Both kids have been taught sign from infantcy (I went to

[Stormy]

Barki,

First, congrats on working on #4. Good news!

I am sure you know that our older son has language delays, and now we are finding out that our younger child has speech delays. For anyone who may be confused, apparently speech is the actual formation of the word, the sounds and the functions it takes to make them...language is the process of getting a thougth out into words, even if the words are prefectly preformed.

I wanted to suggest a PECS system. I don't know if the professionals you have working with you have told you about that or not. But we have had great success with it. Both kids have been taught sign from infantcy (I went to school for Interp for Deaf) but we have found that the PECS has been better for us with speech and communication. It stands for Picture Exchange Communication System I believe and basically it is a simple way of using pictures to communicate. I don't know if that would help you with getting some communication give and take, but I thought I would give you our experience. I understand that it can be used with children of all ability levels. Our oldest son (who is mildly autistic) and a friend of his in his regular classroom (the friend is profoundly disabled and unable to speak at all) both use this system and it has helped improve their communication, frustration and language skills (even our son's friend is now trying to use the words).

Anyway, just a thought. I know you weren't asking for help in the speech, but I wanted to tell about what has been helping us. I know how difficult it can be when your child doesn't talk or communicate.

And I have visions of your son with bells on his shoes, a cow bell around his neck and a beeper clipped to his back.

[Indy]

6s are much more fun.

Congratulations on working on #4. I loved some of the ideas! I am glad I don't have that problem. I need to work on the opposite...finding time for me. Dad's night out only happens once a month!

Take care, my friend!

[kalynn]

Hi Barksum, I actually have a semi-high tech thingie which keeps track of your child. I don't know the brand name, but they do exist. It is like a two part baby moniter. You attach one part on the child's belt and you keep the other part. When you want the child you press the button on your monitor and the child's portion beeps loudly. You can also speak to the child over the monitor, however, like you said, if the child is young or unable/unwilling to follow directions this isn't going to help. It was around $100, but I did get it on sale (at a children's toy store) and it does work! As well, I have an ID bracelet made for my son who has speech difficulties, just in case he ever does get lost.

I would also like to second Stormy's suggestion of starting to use PECS with your son. Although he is still young, any communication that you are able to develop, in any way is important. If you do an internet search for Mayer-Johnson you will easily find the publisher of the pictures and be able to read a bit about them.

Good luck, Kalynn.

[Barksum]

We've been working on all of the suggestions, and I'll be on the web tonight looking for the thingie that Kalynn suggested, as well as the PECS. We're really working on the sign lang., but he's not all that motivated. We will continue. I think the PECS might work better because it is pictures.

As to #4 I didn't state myself very well. We aren't matched yet, and we won't know if we are matched until after December...or maybe January the way things are going. Sigh. It's that old waiting thing. Have any of the rest of you had to wait to hear about children you hoped to adopt? ( ROFL )