"Zhouzhou is sleeping well, now say ’good’ with Mommy," Ye Wanwan said in an exaggerated tone as she tried to show Zhouzhou how to pronounce the word.
But Zhouzhou just stared at Ye Wanwan for a while and showed no intention of imitating her. Finally, he lowered his head and continued to play with his blocks.
Ye Wanwan watched, her expression somewhat disheartened, and it would be a lie to say she wasn’t feeling a sense of loss.
"Let’s have breakfast first. After eating, it’ll be about time to head over to Dr. Huang’s office," Shen Yi reminded from the side.
Ye Wanwan nodded at Shen Yi and then stood up to go to the dining room for breakfast.
By the time Ye Wanwan had finished breakfast, Shen Yi had already helped Zhouzhou put on his coat, and Aunt Yang had prepared all the essentials they needed to take with them.
On the way to the hospital, Ye Wanwan continued to talk to Zhouzhou as usual.
Zhouzhou just listened, occasionally pointing at things outside the window, and then Ye Wanwan would go along with it, talking to Zhouzhou at length.
Since they had an appointment, they went straight to Dr. Huang’s office as soon as they arrived.
Dr. Huang greeted Ye Wanwan and Shen Yi with a nod and a smile before turning his attention to the little patient.
"Zhouzhou is here, long time no see. Do you still remember who I am?" Dr. Huang asked gently.
Dr. Huang, a young man with a gentle demeanor that felt as soothing as jade, spoke to children with special tenderness, like a friendly older brother from next door.
Zhouzhou still didn’t speak, but he nodded to show he remembered.
"Zhouzhou is awesome," Dr. Huang praised, then looked to the parents.
"Has he still not spoken in the past half month?" Dr. Huang asked.
Shen Yi replied, "Yes."
"Have you tried to encourage him to speak?" Dr. Huang continued to inquire.
Shen Yi nodded, "We have. We intentionally speak with him, and sometimes he opens his mouth, but no sound comes out."
"According to the examination, Zhouzhou’s vocal cords are fine; he can speak," Dr. Huang said while making notes.
Shen Yi and Ye Wanwan had heard these words many times, but Zhouzhou just wouldn’t speak.
Dr. Huang continued, "Zhouzhou can express his wishes with gestures, his motor skills might not be that strong, but they’re within the normal range, and there’s no issue with his intelligence."
"His reluctance to speak is mostly due to delayed language development, and there’s also the issue of habit formation. At home, it’s best to use a more assertive attitude to guide him to speak."
"A more assertive attitude?" Ye Wanwan was somewhat puzzled and also a bit nervous, as the word "assertive" gave her the impression that they might have to force Zhouzhou.
Ye Wanwan instinctively rejected this approach. In her previous life, she forced Zhouzhou to do things; she had said that in this life, she wouldn’t do such things!
"Yes," Dr. Huang nodded. "Zhouzhou has delayed language development and can’t quickly express his will verbally, but one of his actions lets you guess what he wants to do or what he wants."
"And before he can articulate it, you’ve already fulfilled his wish, so he feels there’s no need to speak, as you will know what he wants to do anyway."
"This leads him to form the habit of not speaking about anything, using gestures instead."