Ceris (rhymes with Paris) is 8 and has Down Syndrome, CAS, a protruding tongue, hypotonia, and Autism. She has had ST, OT, and PT since she was a baby. She has had swallow studies, sleep studies, and she is currently scheduled for another swallow study. We have done home therapy, gone to specialists outside of the home for ST/OT/PT as well. We've tried the preschool prep, abcmouse.com, we've tried where you put her hand on our throats to feel the vibrations. She's never been interested.
Then we heard about Gemiini, and have been using it since September of 2015. We were about to cancel it in July of 2016 because she just wasn't interested in it. We were broken. When we really didn't have anywhere else to turn, we realized that Ceris is just a late bloomer. For example, even with all the therapies, she didn't even start walking until she was 3 1/2.
So Gemiini was the only thing she was any sort of interested in. So we started picking up the pieces. Although she is still not at a conversational place yet, she will get there, and we have Gemiini to thank for that. I’m so glad we didn't give up.
Honestly, I cannot express how heartbreaking it is to tell my daughter I love her and she not say it back. She now says, "Hi" to everyone she knows. She says "bye-bye" she literally started waving last week. She is not potty trained, but she says "pee-pee” when she wants to go potty. She can say lion, fish, monkey & makes the ooh-ohh ahh-ahh monkey sound. She can say green, purple, blue. She can say rectangle, triangle. She can SING her ABC's and she can COUNT to TEN!
Although she doesn't say, "I love you" yet, she says "Nite-nite" since using Gemiini, she follows instructions more, such as paying attention when we are at the store, or wherever and she will stay in line at school. She stays in her seat more at school, and she is more attentive in general. She used to be mostly in her own little world, but now things are just starting to 'click' with her. We are unbelievably grateful for Gemiini.
They say having a child with special needs is like taking the scenic route. You still get to where you are going. It may take a little longer, but it will be well worth the trip. And Ceris is an amazing tour guide. I stated earlier that we were broken. Well, Gemiini has truly been a piece we've been missing. As you know, progress is progress, no matter how slow you go. Gemiini has helped us become whole, and Ceris will be very verbal with time and practice (and lots of patience & faith)."