Tantrums due to limited language

[jkanderson]

Hi all :)
We are having a rough time with our 2 year old son due to what appears to be difficulties with communication. He has some speech delays, which he is receiving speech therapy for and has made amazing progress in just six months. He probably has about 30 words now, whereas 6 months ago he had less than 5. There are many situations where he is able to tell us what he wants or needs, but lately there have been some new situations, such as when he is watching his favorite tv show (the wiggles) and he keeps handing me the remote and then gets really upset and starts screaming. I ruled out that he wants a different show because if i change it he starts screaming "wiggles" again. I am at a loss at what to do and my only other thought is to not let him watch it anymore. Just not sure if i have the strength to deal with all of the tantruming if we dont allow him to watch it. This is just one example, but its very representative of situations when we are not able to understand what he is trying to tell us. I have been trying anything and everything to try to figure out what he is asking by asking him yes and no questions and staying calm, but the poor guy continues to struggle and get himself very worked up. Any ideas?

[dkreynolds]

It's so overwhelming and frustrating for a parent when a child can't communicate, isn't it? Recognize that his frustration level may be 10x what yours is, as their processing ability is no near what ours is....still frustrating and overwhelming I know....we want and need answers and solutions.

Something that popped into my mind when reading your post was sign language. I used a few signs with my youngest daughter when she was preverbal. There are some great baby/toddler signing DVD's out there, and this could be used and incorporated, possibly, into the 10-20-10 time that is spent with our children. If this isn't possible, maybe making up your own signs for the moment would help.

All the best in your search for answers,

[jkanderson]

thanks for the feedback :) We do use sign language with him which is great for the things that he has a sign for! Our difficulty are the words he doesnt have a sign for and that we can not figure out what he is asking for. We'll keep pushing along!

[Johnnydoodles]

Could somebody list a few of the signing DVD titles? I once read about signing on another forum. It sounds like a very solid concept.
Also, what does the 10-20-10 mean?