Words Ethan is using.

Ethan has experienced a very recent burst of language. Over the past few weeks, these are the words he has started using regularly.

1. “ca-kuh”
Cracker. Used as a label/request. This is cool. This may be his first actual direct identifying label-word.

2. “wah-bum”
Used as a request for water, or other drinks. Does not use as a label to identify liquid (i.e. has no visible understanding of the bathtub being full of “wah-bum”, etc.).

3. “up”
Used as a request for being held, or being placed somewhere “up” such as the counter or a tabletop. Never used as a directional description (i.e. “Where is the sky?” means nothing to him.) He only does this because I went for a time refusing to pick him up when I knew that was what he wanted unless he spoke the word.

4. “wow!”
Used exclamatorily, in reaction to unexpected or loud events. He learned this from a kids’ video, and he copies the intonation, key, and expression quite accurately. We encourage this by mimicry as often as he uses it.

5. “yum-yum” or “num-num”
Used to express positive feelings about food. He uses it in two contexts- Pretend, as in when he sees people enjoying something in a book we’re looking at, he will occasionally describe them with “num-num.” or when he hands me a toy tea cup he has filled with imaginary tea, he proffers it saying, “num-num.” Secondly, it’s was as close to “thank you” as he got for the past several months. If I gave him something that he LOVES, like chocolate or etc, he would eat some, and then offer with a smile, “num-num.” He has recently (this week) begun using "dik-duh" instead.

6. “buh-bah, duh dah”
His approximation of “bye-bye.” I still don’t know why he echoes himself. Perhaps he is mimicking the chorus of good-byes everyone gets in our house when they leave, with several people talking at once. I have no idea. He did finally begin a crooked wave to go with this, after two-and-a-half years of no gesturing.

7. “e-a-eee” or “yay”
Exclamation of happiness or pleasure. With enough repetition and drilling, we encouraged him to include clapping with this expression. He wants to, needs to, demands to hear this from us, complete with the clapping, whenever he performs something we are trying to get him to do.

8. “oh-ch”
Ouch.

9. “shh”
Accompanied by placing his finger over his lips, or over yours.

10. “ttht”
A perfectly unmistakable sound he makes when he sees a lighter. He will bring lighters to me and make the sound, which sound EXACTLY like the sound of lighting one. He also brings candles to me and makes this sound, connecting the object “candle” with the object “lighter” and describing the action that links them with the noise it makes.

11. “they-e-yiz” or “they-yiz”
Almost non-syllabic approximation of “There he is” in response to “Where’s the baby?” (this is not a question, it is a routine. He participates in the game.) Even if we were not previously playing, if I say “Where’s Ethan” in that special sing-song he equates with the game of Peek-a-boo, he will look sneaky, and wait, and sing “they-yiz” in a matching tone of voice. I am relatively sure he has no understanding of these individual words, only the game around them, which he LOVES.

12. “eyes”
I have countless times placed him on my laps, poked my own eyes, and said, “Mommy’s eyes” in the same lilting tone. Then I touch his eyes, and say, “Ethan’s eyes.” First he just sat there and looked at me, and after several months he started jabbing me in the eyes in response. Then after a couple months of this, just a month or two ago, I can now sit him on my lap, and say “Where’s Mommy’s eyes?” If I enunciate “eyes” in the special tone of voice, he will now mimic me, and jab himself in the eyes. He now pokes his toys’ eyes and labels them, as of the last few days.

13. “woof-woof”
A sound more than a word, amazingly accurate representation of a dog’s bark. Will point to picture of almost any animal with four legs and make this sound.

14. “dik-duh”
Thank you, or a rough approximation thereof. Usually used preemptively, as in he will gesture for something and say it as if it were please. Then when you hand it to him he will say it again. Its usually accompanied by eye contact and a smile.

15. “leh-yeh”
Love you. He’s started using this more frequently now.

16. “hluh?”
Hello. Will say this only into a telephone so far.

17. “Hai-i. Hah-yuh.”
Hi, how are you? Used as a greeting/conversation opener.

18. “good-yahb!”
Good job! He uses this correctly, as affirmation that you’ve done something right, and also as a request for your approval.

He uses a plethora of descriptive noises, compare with #6 above, loves to mimic noises (BOY STUFF!), and will sometimes attempt a hum or non-syllabic sing-song to match a word we are trying to get him to say. But what he’s best at? High-pitched, ear-shattering screeches. These and guttural, belligerent bellows are his catch-all communication. Frustration, anxiety, anger, confusion, over-stimulation, stubbornness, excitement, exuberance- and these are all closely linked for him and can slide unpredictably from one to the next and so forth- all are communicated with eardrum-rattling screams.

Two most recent developments:

1. The recognition of numbers as quantifying a set of similar objects, the visual recognition of numbers, and semi-accurate identification of numbers on rare occasion. For example, he was paying rapt attention while Ti’anna and Dad were playing Myst (a computer puzzle game), and they got to a part where you are supposed to match numbers. There was a 1,3,2 progression on the screen, from top to bottom, and he pointed, and said “ahn” very nasally, “feh” and “duh” and named them correctly. Yesterday at the library, we were passing the encyclopedia, which all look alike except for a small number on the spine, and he began poking them and making a counting song with nearly consonant-free nasal sounds approximating the letters. He recognizes that shapes that are numbers, and equates this “counting” sing-song with them, as well as the act of pointing to each number in sequence. I feel really good about this. He will count to ten now with these approximations, if you count along with him. He will be one number ahead of you.

2. Humming a recognizable tune, complete with clicks of the tongue for drum beats, but using inflections of voice only. When we get to the end of the song, “He is that hero,” there is a pause, and then the hero shouts haltingly “I AM THAT HE-RO!” Ethan will sing this with feeling in identical tone and rhythm as “UHN UHN UHN EYH-YOH!” I don’t even have to sing the whole song, just the click the drum beat with my tongue, and he will start in on it. If I sing the next-to-last line and stop and look at him, he grins and does the last line, right on cue in key. Very cool.