I couldn't resist a trip down memory lane...here is our Coley a month after he was born, before we knew he was deaf...so much has changed since the day this picture was taken!!! Let's fast forward 3.5 years...My 3.5 year old son has been hearing now for 2 years and we recently had the chance to sit down with his SLPs (Speech and Language Pathologists) and hear the results of his most recent testing!!! We have great news to share!!!
Every 6 months, Cole goes through a series of tests to determine how he is progressing in a number of areas, including language, vocabulary, speech and how he socially interacts.
When I walked into the room to meet with the two therapists that have worked with him daily since August, I could tell right away, we were going to have a great meeting :) Kristin, the therapist who sees Cole 3 times a week shared with me right away that she had been so excited to have this meeting with me all week! She even told me that after Cole's scores were tabulated, she carried them around for a while showing others at school how well our boy was doing and how awesome his gains were over the last 6 months! Praise God.
...Here's the scoop...
Keep this in mind:
Actual Age - 3.42 years
Hearing Age - 23 months (How long his implants have been activated at the time of testing)
scores in green are above his actual age
scores in red are below his actual age
gains over the last 6 months are in blue (any gains OVER 6 months mean we're doing a good job in making up for lost HEARING time! That's our goal!!!)
Receptive Language:
The level of language usage he understands...
4.2 years (WOW!!! We have one SMART boy!)
19 month gain from the last test 6 months ago!
Expressive Language:
The level of language he uses when he speaks...
3.4 years
12 month gain!!! Amazing Coley!
Receptive Vocabulary:
The level of vocabulary he understands...
3.4 years
5 month gain (huge gains were made over the previous 6 month cycle)
Expressive Vocabulary:
The level of vocabulary he uses when he speaks...
3.5 years
13 month gain!!! (WOW!!!...He's using WAY more words than he used to :)
Nonverbal Play Skills:
His interaction with objects and responses to initiations by others...
3.7 years
3 month gain...(He scored REALLY high on this one last testing cycle!)
Verbal Play Skills:
The way he initiates play with others and what he says while he's playing...
3.6 years
8 month gain...(He's always been a social little thing!)
Speech:
What the words he says SOUND like...
1.7 years
4 month gain...(This has always been the hardest part for him...Now that he's mastered all his vowels, he's starting to work on his consonant sounds which will make him much easier to understand!!! This is where his therapy starts to get really exciting!
So there you have it...our boy has made some HUGE gains over the last 6 months and continues to work hard to close that gap of 18 months that exists between his hearing age and his actual age.
We have to attribute much of his progress to his incredible teacher and therapists at CAOS. They are incredibly dedicated to ALL of their students as they work to help them achieve their goals everyday. I love to hear stories of Cole's teacher, Carolyn, poking her head out of her room to tell one of his therapists, Kristin, what he just said! They truly are an answer to so many prayers prayed by so many people who know and love our boy over the past 2 years on this Hearing Journey we are all on.
Without their level of expertise and their commitment to his progress, I am confident Cole would be nowhere near where he is today in his aural rehabilitation :) As much as this team and we, his family, have worked to help him to this place, there are no words I could express that would do justice to the role that God has played and continues to fulfill in Cole's journey. There were many times this year, that a therapist or two would comment on how Cole did something or achieved some goal that surprised them since they hadn't worked on it with him yet, or at least not very intentionally. I would be lying if I said I worked with him as intentionally at home as I should on a daily basis to produce this kind of growth. Remember...I have 4 little children to care for now!
Crazy as it seems, I do have an answer to their wonderings...
GOD.
Because I've been asked in the past, I want to clear up one thing.
I do not consider myself a religious person.
To ME, the term religious paints the picture that by some effort of mine or John's, (and with a little help from God), good things are happening for Cole.
This couldn't be further from the truth.
God tells us that every good and perfect gift come from Him. - James 1:17
It does not say and good things or outcomes are produced by our efforts and then passed on to Him to gift wrap at the end and claim all the glory for.
Yes...I believe God empowers us to accomplish amazing things in His name, but so many times, when all is said and done, we perform, take a bow, receive credit and then go to bed MAYBE remembering to praise God for it as our head hits the pillow at night.
There is no good work in Cole's life that John or I can take credit for.
God made Cole
God brought us to IL
God moved us 10 minutes away from the most amazing team of Hearing Loss experts in the world (can you tell I'm partial!)
God gives Cole's team wisdom to instruct Him to encourage his growth
(yes, they all went to college but God gave them the minds to learn all they needed to to work with my boy and so many others!)
As compelling as all this is, there is still someone reading who is thinking...if God is so great and powerful, then why did he create Cole and so many others with a disability in the first place?
God gives us each a story to tell,
so that others may come to know Him.
If you are one who is living life with the God who saves...
May I encourage you this year...Tell your story!
One of the main reasons I started writing is because God gave me a story to tell, MUCH of which involves the miracles He is doing in the life of my son who is deaf.
Is it hard for you to believe that a loving God would allow disability in the life of one so that MORE would know HIS name? If it is, you need to know more about Him.
Nothing He does or allows is EVER without purpose.
Life as the world defines it, is better if a person is considered free from medical health issues....this is the world's definition of healthy.
God's definition of healthy is one lived with HIM.
In Proverbs 4 God says through Solomon...
Dear friend, listen well to my words;
tune your ears to my voice.
Keep my message in plain view at all times.
Concentrate! Learn it by heart!
Those who discover these words live, really live;
body and soul, they're bursting with health.
Cole's life is one who will always be highlighted because of his disability.
Because people will aways want to hear His story, many will hear about a powerful, loving and intentional God who saves. We were ALL created to live life with God. When those who endure hardship and trial live life with Him, their lives display all more more brightly, the saving and matchless love of our Creator.
So far, in the 3.5 years my son has had life, God has taught me so much through my Coley.
I've learned that what the world sees as a life that is disabled, God sees as beautiful and perfect and without blemish, because His purpose and plan for Cole is GREAT!!!
People look at the outer appearance, but GOD looks at the heart...the one He made and has great purpose for.
We all have a story to tell. We all have blemishes we need redemption from. Not so that we can live perfect lives and never need redemption again, but so that through God redeeming us...bringing beauty from our ashes...we learn what it means to live a life WITH God.
And again...why???
Because it is ONLY through God and His son Jesus, that any person can live a life with purpose, freedom and JOY...and God wants to journey with EVERY person He so intentionally created and placed on this earth.
It is my sincere prayer, that Cole's life (along with the lives of our family) will help you come to know and embrace what it means to live your life with God at the center. There is nothing in the world I would love more, than to personally speak with anyone who does.
In doing so, I am embracing Cole's journey...the one God chose for Him to begin 3.5 years ago, and the life who lead you to the One who saves.
I cannot imagine a greater purpose for the life of my son.
I love you, Coley.
And Jesus...thank you for our boy :)
Wow! Amen, Danice! That sums it all up!! And Happy 2nd hearing birthday, dear Coley Cole! We love you, dear grandson, and are so very proud of the tireless work you put in every day to learn and grow! Love, Grammie
Preach it, sista! Thanks for sharing the update, I'm so glad he's doing so well! We do serve an amazing God, don't we? What do people do without Him?
God's power always comes through, everytime you speak! Thank you! Happy Hearing Birthday Cole! Cole you have been working hard and God's hand is upon you! Just think where he could be in 6 more months...it is amazing isn't it? So glad to hear he is doing so amazing Danice!
Lynsey