At 8am this morning, I received a call from the augmentative communication program letting us know they had a cancellation and asking if we could make a 9:30am appointment. We quickly rushed to get ready so we wouldn’t miss the opportunity. 

 

The augmentative communication program is made up of speech therapists who specialize in helping children who either aren’t speaking yet or may never speak find ways to communicate. This can look different for each child—some use tablets that speak for them when they press buttons, others use picture boards, and some use ASL. 

 

Abigail has a tablet called a Tobii Dynavox, which allows her to press buttons to communicate what she wants to say. It’s such an incredible tool for someone like Abigail, who has so much to say but can’t always do so with spoken words. 

 

During today’s appointment, we learned how to add new words and customize her tablet, as well as how to better use it in everyday situations. Abigail also had the chance to practice using it, and she did very well. 

 

Later in the day, we received a call from the plastic surgeon’s office letting us know that Abigail’s jaw reconstruction surgery is scheduled for August 6—unless there’s a cancellation, which could move it sooner. 

 

This upcoming week will be a busy one for us. Abigail has multiple appointments and tests scheduled, and she is also set to go to the OR on Monday. I’ll share more updates next week as we get through each one. 

 

Devin and I are so grateful for Abigail’s care team. They have been working together so well and truly making the most of our time here in Boston.