Queries about Isabel's Speech

Several of you have recently inquired how Isabel is doing with her out-loud speaking.

She recently said the following in a letter to friends who do not have access to this blog:

"I am talking some now as the paralysis in my throat has partially lifted. The nurses or my girls need to deflate the cuff of my trach for me to talk. I can't swallow well so have lots of saliva but I can talk! Some of the muscles in my mouth are weak so I have trouble saying some words. I can say aluminum, linoleum, geranium and cinnamon buns, but I can't easily say “k” sounds such as “cat”, so I sometimes spell it out c-a-t. The speech therapist has ordered a speaking valve, which may make it easier to talk."

With a letterboard, the Alphasmart, and occasional outloud speaking, Isabel is finding a variety of ways to share her stories with us all.