What all did Helen pick up as a child before her teacher’s arrival ?

Helen retained some memories of what she had seen and heard before she went blind and deaf at nineteen months old. She continued to learn through touch. As she puts it:

My hands felt every object and observed every motion, and in this way I learned to know many things.

She was able to communicate through a simple sign language, such as pretending to cut and butter bread when she wanted bread and butter. Her mother helped her learn, and she could understand, for instance, when her mother wanted something from upstairs. Helen would then go and get it for her.
She learned to fold clothes and to recognize which were her own. She learned that her mother and aunt would dress up to go out, and in that way, she knew they were leaving. She learned that people wear different clothes when they entertain guests and recalled once trying to dress up for company in a bustle and veil.
Helen continued to learn and develop after becoming blind and deaf but became increasingly frustrated because her ability to communicate could not keep pace with the way her mind was developing.