Speech Update on Colton

So many of you have asked about Cotlon and his speech, so I figured I would just update it on here. As of right now, Colton is still taking speech therapy and a class called Special Instructions with Early Intervention of Tuscaloosa. The classes are going great and Colton loves his teachers!! Ms. Jeanie and Ms Marilyn have been wonderful teachers who have a gift for working with toddlers with speech delay. Colton is still working on his communication with others and he is picking up new sounds every day.

He can now say the following words: "dada", "chip", "bye bye", "see you soon" (this sounds like see ou oon), "bug" (ugg)

We work on our ABC's every day in the car and he will repeat some of the sounds. He usually will say "B", "C", "I", "P"

Then he tends to say other sounds for the other letters. But this is HUGE considering he wouldn't even try to make a sound before.

Since Colton is not talking and he is over the age of 2, we have decided to get him tested for autism. Autism is a brain disorder that often makes it hard to communicate with and relate to others. No one knows what causes it and it is estimated that every 110 child will be born with the disorder.

At the end of September and the beginning of October, we will be going to the University of Alabama for an evaluation with Colton. They have a great program at the University!

His teachers have told us that his talking could take off at any minute and that he may not even have autism, but we feel that by doing this we will be able to find ways to help Colton communicate better.

We would really appreciate all the prayers over the next few weeks and months. We're praying that he will start talking soon and that we can rule out Autism; however we know that God has a special plan for Colton and he will praise him with either outcome.

It was very hard for me at the beginning to watch Colton struggle with talking and communicating for so long, but I have finally come to the point that I know God has a plan for him. It's far better than anything I could possibly imagine and I can't wait to see it unfold.

Thanks again for all the prayers. We are all so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends in our life.