Ren Allen

Hey all you writers...this might be of interest to you. I got this
email yesterday and thought some of you might want to know about it:

name = Kite Magazine
email = hello@...
comments = Hi, I'm Kay, the editor of Kite magazine. Kite is a new
publication
designed to inspire people to live healthy, free, creative, meaningful
lives.
Kite is seeking contributors with a story to tell...people who are
living their
passion and would like to encourage others to trust in and follow
their own
paths.

Some of the topics Kite will be exploring include non-toxic living, whole
foods/vegan nutrition, self-healing, attachment parenting,
unschooling, home
birthing and unassisted birthing, adoption, creative arts, manifestation,
mind/soul/body connection, etc.

If you would be interested in contributing (or know anyone else who
would!) we'd
love to hear from you! All submissions are welcome...articles and
essays,
stories, art, recipes, craft tutorials, etc. For further information
on the
magazine and submission details, please visit Kite online at:
http://ReadKite.com

Thank you...have a beautiful day!

Kay Earnshaw, Editor
Kite Magazine
Website: ReadKite.com
Email: hello@...

Amy Mason

How timely...I've been tossing and turning over whether or not to
subscribe to a magazine, and if so, which one. I love the looks of the
unschooling one "Live Free Learn Free", I also love "Mother Earth News",
"Green Guide" and "Natural Home", "Mothering"...how to decide? This
Kite one looks wonderful because it combines everything I love....more
decisions to be made...ugh!
Thanks for sharing
Amy

Mara

Hi everyone,
I have an issue that has kept me wondering for some
time, but I am not sure what to do about it. I have a
now 29 mo. old son who is not saying much at this
time. He does try and he does make up his own words
for things. He is quick with signs and will also make
up his own signs once I have run out.
his doctor said that I should go and ask for early
intervention and some program called 'ladders'. Now I
am wodering what they are and what they could
possibly do to help him that I am not already doing.
We are a bilingual household (I speak German to him,
my husband English). He has a few words in German, a
few in English. Being unschoolers we spend the days
together: reading books, playing, talking etc, etc.
Others have remarked how he does not seem like a
little kid, he likes to play with the big boys in our
homeschooling group, dressing up as a knight and
putting on swordfights, he can follow and join in a
simple boardgame, he can but together and play with te
little lego pieces, he loves any kind of movement and
is not developmentally behind on those levels. I know
he understands everything and he can make himself
understood to me and his brother and father. He hakes
up words or signs for things he does not know how to
say (example: Ah! = Knight, UUah = Dragon, Blob =
Water, a million variations on the word and
pronunciation of the word baby, which could mean
anything from I want to do this by myself, to I want
to walk, to can I have this etc.).
When he watches Dora he will shout out backpack
(babab) or map etc.
Recently he is trying to form more words, for schlafen
he will just say ffff.
Overall he is a very happy, curious, loving, open
child who can follow long movies with rapt attention
and his own comments. He just is not a 'talker'. I see
that he has some trouble acctually forming the words,
but if you were to lets say sit down and try to have
him repeat certain sound or words and correct him he
does not like that. I do not want to make him feel
that he is deficient in any way - is that not what
those people would do? Look at him to see what was
wrong with him? Or could they really offer something
that I could not give him?
Anyone advice is appreciated.
Love to you all,
Mara





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[email protected]

-----Original Message-----
From: mamadeluz@...
Hi everyone,
I have an issue that has kept me wondering for some
time, but I am not sure what to do about it. I have a
now 29 mo. old son who is not saying much at this
time. He does try and he does make up his own words
for things. He is quick with signs and will also make
up his own signs once I have run out.
his doctor said that I should go and ask for early
intervention and some program called 'ladders'. Now I
am wodering what they are and what they could
possibly do to help him that I am not already doing.
We are a bilingual household (I speak German to him,
my husband English). He has a few words in German, a
few in English. Being unschoolers we spend the days
together: reading books, playing, talking etc, etc.
Others have remarked how he does not seem like a
little kid, he likes to play with the big boys in our
homeschooling group, dressing up as a knight and
putting on swordfights, he can follow and join in a
simple boardgame, he can but together and play with te
little lego pieces, he loves any kind of movement and
is not developmentally behind on those levels. I know
he understands everything and he can make himself
understood to me and his brother and father. He hakes
up words or signs for things he does not know how to
say (example: Ah! = Knight, UUah = Dragon, Blob =
Water, a million variations on the word and
pronunciation of the word baby, which could mean
anything from I want to do this by myself, to I want
to walk, to can I have this etc.).
When he watches Dora he will shout out backpack
(babab) or map etc.
Recently he is trying to form more words, for schlafen
he will just say ffff.
Overall he is a very happy, curious, loving, open
child who can follow long movies with rapt attention
and his own comments. He just is not a 'talker'. I see
that he has some trouble acctually forming the words,
but if you were to lets say sit down and try to have
him repeat certain sound or words and correct him he
does not like that. I do not want to make him feel
that he is deficient in any way - is that not what
those people would do? Look at him to see what was
wrong with him? Or could they really offer something
that I could not give him?
Anyone advice is appreciated.
Love to you all,
Mara

-=-=-=-=-=-

We lived in Germany when Cameron was born. He was a late talker too.
Our home was bilingual as well. When Ben was home, we spoke English.
When Cameron and I were alone, it was mostly German---and of course all
the neighbors and shopkeepers spoke German to him.

He understood *everything* but didn't speak. He'd smile. And nod. <g>

Then the words he DID choose to say first were the same in both
languages: ball, auto, hand, glass, shoe. <g>

So I think it was just a LOT to digest. He found it easiest to work
with what he KNEW. He's always been like that though---he'd concentrate
for a really long time on something---and it would seem (to me) as if
he'd never get it. Then ploetzlich <g> he'd HAVE it. And WELL.

As long as you know that his hearing is OK, I'd just keep doing what
you're doing. Maybe examine the words he DOES say well---are they the
same in both languages?


~Kelly



Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://www.LiveandLearnConference.org








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Manisha Kher

--- Mara <mamadeluz@...> wrote:

I
> see
> that he has some trouble acctually forming the
> words,
> but if you were to lets say sit down and try to have
> him repeat certain sound or words and correct him he
> does not like that. I do not want to make him feel
> that he is deficient in any way - is that not what
> those people would do? Look at him to see what was
> wrong with him? Or could they really offer something
> that I could not give him?
I think he just needs time. 29 months is really young
and many kids, especially boys are not talking at that
age. If you're concerned get his hearing tested. But
it sounds like he has no problem understanding
language.

My son was a late talker. He was in early intervention
because he was developmentally behind in many ways.
Early intervention ends when the kid turns 3. The EI
folks wanted us to put him in the school system for
speech therapy. I was more worried about the messages
he might get about being "not good enough". We decided
to give it time and his speech caught up by and by.

Manisha




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Katharine Wise

I've known bilingual children who were precocious talkers, but I think it's supposed to be more common for them to take longer initially to sort it all out.

You could always meet with and talk to the speech therapist or whomever your doctor recommends by yourself (without ds) and find out what they'd do and what they'd recommend. Then at least you'd have that information to use in making a decision as to what you want to do with your son (nothing different, therapy, or modify some of your own interactions).

My oldest had some speech delays. When he was about 8, I guess, we did have him evaluated. Our insurance would pay for the testing, but not therapy! At that point he was old enough for me to explain to him, "There are some sounds that are hard for you to say, but it also makes it hard for other people to understand you sometimes," and then he was willing for me to help him practice those sounds (mostly /th/) when they came up in normal conversation. Didn't take long for him to get it. According to the testing he also had some language delays, but I don't think those effect his everyday communication. Besides, I had some issues with their validity. For example, they asked him what "to obey" meant. When they told me this, my first thought was, "Well, we never use that word (unless it comes up in a book or something) so I don't think that's a good example for our family." Then they told me his response: to do what someone tells you to. So then I was left wondering
what on earth was wrong with that anyway? I never asked. (Too overwhelmed.)

Katharine






____________________________________________________________________________________
Don't pick lemons.
See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Alice Roddy

Mara, there is a book entitled ‘Late Talking Children’ by Thomas Sowell which may
help you sort out your concerns. I’ve copied a review of it below. Hope this helps.




From Kirkus Reviews
A father's first-person account of his
young son's difficulties in learning to talk, his surprising disoveries
about other late talkers, and some intriguing speculation about the
causes of this problem. Although clearly a bright boy who understood
when spoken to and who displayed unusual analytical abilities (as a
toddler, he managed to outwit a child-proof lock), Sowell's son John
did not speak until he was almost four years old. When Sowell, a Hoover
Institute senior fellow (Migrations and Culture, 1996, etc.), wrote
about his son in his syndicated newspaper column, dozens of parents of
late-talking children wrote to him. A support group of 55 families
representing 57 children eventually formed. Sowell follows the story of
his son John--now a successful computer scientist-- with numerous
anecdotal accounts from these families' letters. Seeing a pattern in
their stories, Sowell sent out questionnaires in 1994 and 1996, and the
results of the longer 1996 survey are summarized here. He discovered
that most of the late talkers were boys, with especially good memories
and puzzle-solving skills, that most were slow in their social
development and late in toilet training, and that many had close
relatives who played musical instruments or were in analytical
professions. Sowell, who is more anecdotal than scientific in his
approach, is quick to acknowledge that his is a biased sample of late
talkers, but he asserts that both professionals and parents should be
aware of this pattern of mental abilities and family backgrounds. It
may be, he speculates, that some bright children are late in talking
precisely because the demands of their analytical abilities, localized
in the left half of the brain, are being met at the expense of the
speech function. Children like his son, he warns, are frequently
misdiagnosed as retarded or autistic and thus risk being placed in
special- education classes, from which release may be difficult. Hardly
definitive, but should ease the minds of worried parents. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Alice
Breastfeeding is the biological norm for infants. It is a relationship that provides food, connection, protection from illness to the baby and stress reducing hormones to the mother.





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halfshadow1

-Hi, My son was speech delayed also. I was concerned and brought him
to speech therapy however what she did wasn't anything i couldn't do
with him. I read that speech delayed children start talking when they
are 5 or 6 like everyone else. It didn't help me not to worry but like
everything else it worked out on it's own..kwim? We used signs. For a
long time he would just make sounds, i'm sure you know,lol. I wouldn't
worry if i were you. My son talks all the time now :)-- In
[email protected], Mara <mamadeluz@...> wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
> I have an issue that has kept me wondering for some
> time, but I am not sure what to do about it. I have a
> now 29 mo. old son who is not saying much at this
> time. He does try and he does make up his own words
> for things. He is quick with signs and will also make
> up his own signs once I have run out.
> his doctor said that I should go and ask for early
> intervention and some program called 'ladders'. Now I
> am wodering what they are and what they could
> possibly do to help him that I am not already doing.
> We are a bilingual household (I speak German to him,
> my husband English). He has a few words in German, a
> few in English. Being unschoolers we spend the days
> together: reading books, playing, talking etc, etc.
> Others have remarked how he does not seem like a
> little kid, he likes to play with the big boys in our
> homeschooling group, dressing up as a knight and
> putting on swordfights, he can follow and join in a
> simple boardgame, he can but together and play with te
> little lego pieces, he loves any kind of movement and
> is not developmentally behind on those levels. I know
> he understands everything and he can make himself
> understood to me and his brother and father. He hakes
> up words or signs for things he does not know how to
> say (example: Ah! = Knight, UUah = Dragon, Blob =
> Water, a million variations on the word and
> pronunciation of the word baby, which could mean
> anything from I want to do this by myself, to I want
> to walk, to can I have this etc.).
> When he watches Dora he will shout out backpack
> (babab) or map etc.
> Recently he is trying to form more words, for schlafen
> he will just say ffff.
> Overall he is a very happy, curious, loving, open
> child who can follow long movies with rapt attention
> and his own comments. He just is not a 'talker'. I see
> that he has some trouble acctually forming the words,
> but if you were to lets say sit down and try to have
> him repeat certain sound or words and correct him he
> does not like that. I do not want to make him feel
> that he is deficient in any way - is that not what
> those people would do? Look at him to see what was
> wrong with him? Or could they really offer something
> that I could not give him?
> Anyone advice is appreciated.
> Love to you all,
> Mara
>
>
>
>
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________________
> We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to love
> (and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty Pleasures list.
> http://tv.yahoo.com/collections/265
>

Laurie

Hi Mara! My 23mo old doesn't speak much either. And the words she
does use are quite hard to understand - more so than the others were
at this age. Like your son, she understands *everything* said to her
so I'm not concerned with her mental status. If I really work with
her to get her to say a word correctly, she can do that as well. And
I have tested her with whispers many times (and of course the
pediatrician's tests) to make sure it's not a hearing issue and she
can hear just great. She also uses some signs. I personally think my
DD is just going at her own pace. She does other things that are
'advanced' (though I hate that word) for her age. Such as, if I tell
her to put something down, she has to go put it back right where she
found it. It's almost eerie as my other kids haven't done that at
that age at all. lol So my theory is that she's just focusing on
other things right now and she'll focus on speech when she gets to it.

I recently heard a speech from a dentist that said sippy cups are
basically evil when it comes to speech (his wife is a speech
therapist) and he suggested getting them on straw cups and regular
cups as soon as possible because they've seen them have effects on
teeth and speech in some kids. Also to not let them wander around
with sippies all day - drinks in the kitchen or wherever you deem
appropriate. He said the sucking on the no-spill sippies forces
everything in the jaw forward and they should get off of them asap for
dental reasons. Just something I thought I'd pass along...take it or
leave it.

Also, my brother didn't speak a word of English until he was 3 years
old (except yes meant 'no' and no meant 'yes', which drove my
grandfather crazy. LOL). He had his own language - our mother even
had a list of 30-40 words (and their counterparts) written down at one
point. Narnu was 'horse', etc. Oddly (lol), the day I came home from
the hospital, he started speaking english like everyone else. lol He
is now a very accomplished speaker and writer and does movie reviews
and works for CalTech. My mother would interpret for him all the time
when he had his own language. He's always been very creative and is
talented in drawing, sculpting, computer graphics and writing. Most
of the time now, his writing is waaaaaay over my head. lol

If you decide to do the speech program your dr is recommending...and
it is involved with the school system, be sure to check it out
thoroughly. Some districts have full-time enrollment requirements
associated with speech class. You might look around for someone in
your social groups who has worked with speech issues before. Another
mom in my MOPS group is an ex-speech therapist and has given out lots
of advice and help. So it might be good to look around if you're
thinking of doing some kind of program.

Perhaps it's just your DSs creativity showing early or with you and DH
speaking two different languages, he feels he wants HIS own language
too. ;)

Hope that helps!
Laurie

-- In
> [email protected], Mara <mamadeluz@> wrote:
> >
> > I have a
> > now 29 mo. old son who is not saying much at this
> > time. He does try and he does make up his own words
> > for things. He is quick with signs and will also make
> > up his own signs once I have run out.
> > Mara
>

lelania1

I wanted to chime in with another validation of this experience.
Neither of my brothers spoke a word until they were three, and one is
headed to college next year, the other is 14 and perfectly fine with
speech now, though he had really difficult speech until he was 6 or
so. My first son also wasn't very verbal until around three, and has
a very large vocabularly and "good speech" whatever that means at age
4. He had a stutter for a long while that is 98% gone, he had several
classic developmental mispronunciations that were pathologized by
well meaning speech people at parent events we went to, and 98% of
those are gone. My ped in NY wanted us to have all kinds of evals
done, but it never happened.
MY ped here in PA could care less, and thinks people make a huge deal
out of speech issues. He has been in practice for 30 years and can't
understand why people react like they do. My second child just had
his two year check up, doesn't say any words really, and it wasn't
perceived as a problem. This doesn't tell you anything about your
specific child I realize, but it might help put speech theories into
perspective.
In the last ten years, I have seen a huge increase in referrals for
kids to various therapists. While its great for kids with problems, I
feel like 1 out of 3 kids we know is getting some kind of
intervention for a "problem" my own kid or one of my brothers has
had, and as far as I can tell they are all progressing roughly the
same with or without intervention. So I have gotten really skeptical
about this stuff.
carrie


> Hi Mara! My 23mo old doesn't speak much either. And the words she
> does use are quite hard to understand - more so than the others were
> at this age. Like your son, she understands *everything* said to