The handsigns do help with frustration. DS didn't have the coordination to speak well for a long time (hence slow speaking) - but we used a few hand signs that helped us all a lot with the frustration. Good one Trinity! I had forgotten about that....
I had a cousin who was an early talker. At 9 mos he couldn't say 'mary', so I taught him to call me 'cousin' because he could say that. I would attempt to introduce synonyms that are easier to say. Otherwise, try for a similar sound. My son couldn't say 'Pearl', but could say 'purple' - so he called his sister purple. Bootiful is probably easier to say than beautiful.
Just a thought.
Good luck,
Mary
