I'm in Idaho Falls this week for work, and I called the house this afternoon to check in. Ethan answered the phone, and we had quite a conversation. I'm still not accustomed to him answering the phone, and, when we have adult-like conversations, I have to remind myself that he's no longer a baby. He told me that he was "just hanging out" today, and that "Mom is doing something weird." When I asked what she was doing, he replied, "I have absolutely no idea." He then informed me that the walkie-talkies we purchased were working but that the light on the charger was still red. "That is so funny," he exclaimed. When I get back to Boise tomorrow, we are immediately headed to the mountains outside Baker City, Oregon to spend the weekend at his aunt and uncle's cabin. He is very excited to "ride the snowmobilers" and play in the snow. I asked if he was going to gymnastics later today, and he replied "Yeah, yeah, yeah" afterwhich he told me it was a "beautiful day out Dad!" By the end of this conversation he said, "I'm gonna go now." I tried to interrupt that I wanted to talk to Mom, but he hung up. Someday I will take phone conversations with my son for granted, but, for now, I relish them and marvel that he's no longer the little baby who sat on my lap.
This morning, from 10:30 to Noon, at St. Lukes in Meridian Idaho, I participated in the “Aphasia, Apraxia, and Dysarthria Support Group” started a year ago through Idaho State University. We meet weekly. So, what is wrong with us? Aphasia is the name given to a collection of language disorders caused by damage to the brain. A requirement for a diagnosis of aphasia is that, prior to the illness or injury, the person's language skills were normal. The difficulties of people with aphasia can range from occasional trouble finding words to losing the ability to speak, read, or write, but does not affect intelligence. This also affects visual language such as sign language . The term "aphasia" implies a problem with one or more functions that are essential and specific to language function. It is not usually used when the language problem is a result of a more peripheral motor or sensory difficulty, such as paralysis affecting the speech muscles or a general hear...
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