I'm full of emotions these days because I had to have a good cry after our WONDERFUL speech therapist left for the last time today. Carver's graduated from the SKIP program (birth-3 yrs) and is now ready for our school district's program, a developmental preschool in our case. I've loved doctors in the past and teachers the girls have had, but there is something really profound about someone who loves and helps your child with special needs. It just tugs at my heart strings like nothing else. So here's a big THANK YOU to one really special speech therapist.
She had great tips for our preschool IEP in a week, getting into writing his oral needs and making a plan for sending the chewy tube and probably gum in his backpack. Also she noted an improvement in his drooling and suggested wrist bands for wiping his face himself. I think it's REALLY time I put that on my list for Target. :)
We talked about goals we made back in May at the beginning and it was exciting to reflect on Carver's progress. He's come so far in just 6 months. Those first appointments he spent throwing fits, begging and crying for milk or food all the time, with absolutely no attention span for play. Now he not only associates his ST with play-doh, but sits for a good 20 minutes or so playing with us. AMAZING. And he uses words for what he wants, he waits for the next activity so much better than he used to, understanding that we're doing something now and he waits for something to come later. We still have a lot of work to do (dressing, undressing, potty training, to name a few...) but we've come so far!
The transportation dept at the school district called today and scheduled bus stop times for Carver and it works out perfectly to have him picked up here. I can't believe it fit into my already bus-stop filled day. Hurray for that! We're going to go take a little mini tour of the bus the Monday before he starts to see what it's like. I hope it helps. What an exciting time. Change always makes me emotional, moving, graduating, maybe it's the change of seasons, too. Sometimes I'm amazed I don't cry when I take out or put away the winter clothes! What an exciting, stretching time for Carver and for me, too.
Showing posts with label therapy report. Show all posts
Showing posts with label therapy report. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
the latest
I'm getting behind! Therapy was last week, she brought "thera-putty" which is basically silly putty in various degrees of softness. It's pretty cool, but Carver's afraid of it because I popped a couple air bubbles in it at first, thinking he'd like it. Guess not! Grace loves it, so does everyone else. I like how it sinks back down smooth when you're done but feels so firm when you play with it.
We worked on a puzzle with him (an animal sound kind from Melissa and Doug) and he wasn't very interested in finishing it. We also built towers with wooden blocks and said, "up, up" with each block added. He wasn't interested in the tower until we made a garage for his car and then he was all about helping add blocks to the top! I guess it's always about finding the angle. :)
And now... drum roll, please..... we took away the pacifier! Saturday morning was the last time. I'd been prepping it on Friday by saying things like "where did your pacifier go? Is it on a boat? Did it go on a train? Is it at it's grandma's house?" silly things like that. I believe that helped get the idea of the pacifier being far away, not just in my pocket or in the kitchen drawer. I really think it's helped. So we didn't do a "fairy" or a trade or a big garbage throwing away moment and, while I'm using only good old fashioned lying as my technique, I think it's saving us trauma. Ellie talked about her "happer" in the garbage truck for MONTHS and never liked the stuffed cat we offered as a trade. what's the point? I've just told him it's gone, we don't have it anymore. That's true. Then we hypothesize about where it could have gone and that's that. Bedtime is tricky. He's requiring a lot of singing and arm rubbing, but that's how it started out when we moved him from his crib. It might take a couple weeks, but he'll adjust. As I type, he's fallen asleep on our bed without the "yum-yum." there is definitely hope! :)
It all started because the preschool teacher called and I asked which she'd rather we work on, the pacifier or the potty training. She said pacifier and I figured now was as good a time as any! We're working on getting the bus stops set up, as well. We meet on the 17th to make an IEP (Individual Education Plan or something along those lines) and his first day is his birthday, Oct. 22nd! Wednesday. Wow. So exciting.
He's a super Mommy's boy right now - pretty tiresome, but sweet at the same time. I love being needed and there are few things cuter than being taken by the hand by Carver to go play, unless of course he's whining and crying and pulling hard. I think that happens most often!
I'm sure proud of him for going cold turkey on the yum-yum. I hope this week is okay for all of us!
We worked on a puzzle with him (an animal sound kind from Melissa and Doug) and he wasn't very interested in finishing it. We also built towers with wooden blocks and said, "up, up" with each block added. He wasn't interested in the tower until we made a garage for his car and then he was all about helping add blocks to the top! I guess it's always about finding the angle. :)
And now... drum roll, please..... we took away the pacifier! Saturday morning was the last time. I'd been prepping it on Friday by saying things like "where did your pacifier go? Is it on a boat? Did it go on a train? Is it at it's grandma's house?" silly things like that. I believe that helped get the idea of the pacifier being far away, not just in my pocket or in the kitchen drawer. I really think it's helped. So we didn't do a "fairy" or a trade or a big garbage throwing away moment and, while I'm using only good old fashioned lying as my technique, I think it's saving us trauma. Ellie talked about her "happer" in the garbage truck for MONTHS and never liked the stuffed cat we offered as a trade. what's the point? I've just told him it's gone, we don't have it anymore. That's true. Then we hypothesize about where it could have gone and that's that. Bedtime is tricky. He's requiring a lot of singing and arm rubbing, but that's how it started out when we moved him from his crib. It might take a couple weeks, but he'll adjust. As I type, he's fallen asleep on our bed without the "yum-yum." there is definitely hope! :)
It all started because the preschool teacher called and I asked which she'd rather we work on, the pacifier or the potty training. She said pacifier and I figured now was as good a time as any! We're working on getting the bus stops set up, as well. We meet on the 17th to make an IEP (Individual Education Plan or something along those lines) and his first day is his birthday, Oct. 22nd! Wednesday. Wow. So exciting.
He's a super Mommy's boy right now - pretty tiresome, but sweet at the same time. I love being needed and there are few things cuter than being taken by the hand by Carver to go play, unless of course he's whining and crying and pulling hard. I think that happens most often!
I'm sure proud of him for going cold turkey on the yum-yum. I hope this week is okay for all of us!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Back in the swing of things
I'm feeling all better, I had my hard day and now I'm back into regular mode. I'm excited and grateful for all that we've seen in terms of progress and we have much to look forward to!
We didn't have speech until this week. Wednesday to be exact. She answered a lot of my questions, thoughts about preschool. I should be able to take Carver to observe the preschool, maybe ride the bus with him or follow it the first couple days. They teach standard preschool curriculum - shapes, colors, etc... potty training is a high priority, as well. I've been dreading that for years, seriously. But if they want to try it, we'll do our part. I guess it's got to get worse before it can get better. Pull-ups are so stinkin' expensive, though! She thinks morning would be better for Carver, as do I. I need to call today since I still haven't heard from a preschool teacher.
Our ST said that the term for Carver's speech difficulty is "apraxia" which is basically poor motor planning in your mouth. There are 3 types/degrees. The first is just verbal - difficult with speech. The second is oral and relates to swallowing and eating, drool, etc... The third is general apraxia and affects the entire body. Despite Carver's lack of coordination in his motor skills, his apraxia is somewhere between verbal and oral. Swallowing and eating hasn't been a problem, but he obviously has a hard time containing his saliva and feeling drips, etc... This is not disheartening to me. It is just a name for what we've already known. Having a name gives me more books to read, websites to browse. Check out apraxia-kids.org for more on this.
Latest successes:
Lots more words strung together. Mostly 2 words, sometimes 3 if you disregard pauses between them. Even "green lawn mower."
I feel like colors are getting better for him, he's right more often than he used to be. :)
He's counting. I swear I hear him get these right half the time, even up to 10. It's hard to decipher his language, though, even knowing what he's trying to say. Bless his heart for trying!!
He's been doing much more imaginative play - crawling around and making animal sounds. A snake on the kitchen table for example or a lion crawling around my room. I might limit animals to the floor, but it's so cute.
He also assigns familial roles to his toys now - moms and dads mostly. I love seeing that. and usually the dad is the big one, so he's thinking about it.
He sits through books better than he used to, listens and wants to talk about the pictures and the action. He loves Green Eggs and Ham right now. And truck books. Are you My Mother, too? He likes to answer "no" whenever I read, "is the cow his mother? is the dog his mother?" It's great!
Carver has been learning to be more gentle with Grace, even trying to play with her a little. The other day she was trying to tickle him and he looked totally surprised and unsure what to do. He let her play around a bit and then stood up and wanted to squeeze her. It was sweet to see him want to show her affection like that.
He's talking about bubbles and pancakes and loves to make pretend pancakes in the bath.
I could probably keep going, but this is enough for today. Thank you to the many friends and family for your support and love on my rough days and on the good ones, too.
We didn't have speech until this week. Wednesday to be exact. She answered a lot of my questions, thoughts about preschool. I should be able to take Carver to observe the preschool, maybe ride the bus with him or follow it the first couple days. They teach standard preschool curriculum - shapes, colors, etc... potty training is a high priority, as well. I've been dreading that for years, seriously. But if they want to try it, we'll do our part. I guess it's got to get worse before it can get better. Pull-ups are so stinkin' expensive, though! She thinks morning would be better for Carver, as do I. I need to call today since I still haven't heard from a preschool teacher.
Our ST said that the term for Carver's speech difficulty is "apraxia" which is basically poor motor planning in your mouth. There are 3 types/degrees. The first is just verbal - difficult with speech. The second is oral and relates to swallowing and eating, drool, etc... The third is general apraxia and affects the entire body. Despite Carver's lack of coordination in his motor skills, his apraxia is somewhere between verbal and oral. Swallowing and eating hasn't been a problem, but he obviously has a hard time containing his saliva and feeling drips, etc... This is not disheartening to me. It is just a name for what we've already known. Having a name gives me more books to read, websites to browse. Check out apraxia-kids.org for more on this.
Latest successes:
Lots more words strung together. Mostly 2 words, sometimes 3 if you disregard pauses between them. Even "green lawn mower."
I feel like colors are getting better for him, he's right more often than he used to be. :)
He's counting. I swear I hear him get these right half the time, even up to 10. It's hard to decipher his language, though, even knowing what he's trying to say. Bless his heart for trying!!
He's been doing much more imaginative play - crawling around and making animal sounds. A snake on the kitchen table for example or a lion crawling around my room. I might limit animals to the floor, but it's so cute.
He also assigns familial roles to his toys now - moms and dads mostly. I love seeing that. and usually the dad is the big one, so he's thinking about it.
He sits through books better than he used to, listens and wants to talk about the pictures and the action. He loves Green Eggs and Ham right now. And truck books. Are you My Mother, too? He likes to answer "no" whenever I read, "is the cow his mother? is the dog his mother?" It's great!
Carver has been learning to be more gentle with Grace, even trying to play with her a little. The other day she was trying to tickle him and he looked totally surprised and unsure what to do. He let her play around a bit and then stood up and wanted to squeeze her. It was sweet to see him want to show her affection like that.
He's talking about bubbles and pancakes and loves to make pretend pancakes in the bath.
I could probably keep going, but this is enough for today. Thank you to the many friends and family for your support and love on my rough days and on the good ones, too.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The chewy and more
Today was therapy. We played with the dollhouse and Carver and Ellie had a blast together playing peek-a-boo through the windows. our ST commented on Carver's extended attention span playing with her. It takes some motherly intervention sometimes, but the girls can be very helpful with him!
We talked about limiting the "yes/no" questions and trying to prompt Carver to say words on his own, now that he's imitating us so much more. Which he is!! Almost everything we say he tries to copy. His sounds are getting more clear and you just see him watching our mouths and trying so hard to get it right. He thinks he's doing something great and we're excited to see growth happening. We've really turned a corner in that way.
She said that his language is currently limited to "here and now" which works to his advantage since it's easier for people to understand because there is ALWAYS context for his words. So what might seem to be a challenge to overcome definitely has a "silver lining."
Getting him ready for school will include helping him express what he needs and wants in multiple ways. She also suggested helping him "show me" or ask in another way by telling him "my ears didn't understand that" rather than placing responsibility (AKA blame!) on him for a lack of understanding. She said that self-esteem really starts forming in these years and we don't want to make him feel like he has problem that he can't overcome.
RECENT SUCCESSES:
At the park last week during Lydia's soccer practice, he was driving with the steering wheel on the big toy and I asked him if he was driving. He looked delighted and said, "mm-hmm." Then thought a minute and said, "bus." Score for Carver!! Imagination, language, answering question, playing with me - it was all there. It was a happy mom moment. He also used his handy string to give the bus "gas." I LOVED it!!
He said, "my chocolate chip" the other day. Really, chocolate chip is one word since he doesn't know they are separated. But the my+ phrase is so wonderful to hear! It's a classic toddler expression, too, huh? :)
I've been working on limiting the "yum-yum" and especially encouraging the chewy tube, which we call his "chewy." Here's a picture of it. It's 1 foot long.
And here's Carver with it in his mouth. I think he usually prefers to stick one end in his mouth like a straw and he DEFINITELY prefers it loose to being tied in a knot.
His speech therapist said that using it at all is a step up from the pacifier, even though having it in a knot around his wrist would be helpful for school. I'm trying to bring it to the bus stop (that's 90 minutes of my life every day, remember) to get it into routine. And I hadn't even thought of this, but the ST said that was perfect because if I keep working on that association, it'll be really natural to send Carver with it on his own bus in a month and a half. It's nice when things work out like that, huh? I'll pretend it's because I'm such a wise mom. :)
Kids at the bus stop DO ask what it is and it's a good introduction to the many issues surrounding kids with special needs. I just say it's for him to chew on instead of a pacifier. That makes sense and answers their question directly. Works for me!
Carver's climbing into his booster SO well. Today was a hiccup and he didn't do so hot when our ST was here, but otherwise that's helping a lot. I'm trying to teach him to wash his own hands at the sink. Another good step in the direction of self-help.
Friday is the district evaluation!! 2 more days and I can get a whole lot more answers, things to plan on. Oh, and a new learning curve comes into play now that I've got the hang of the SKIP program. It's about time to up my sensory education a notch or two!
We talked about limiting the "yes/no" questions and trying to prompt Carver to say words on his own, now that he's imitating us so much more. Which he is!! Almost everything we say he tries to copy. His sounds are getting more clear and you just see him watching our mouths and trying so hard to get it right. He thinks he's doing something great and we're excited to see growth happening. We've really turned a corner in that way.
She said that his language is currently limited to "here and now" which works to his advantage since it's easier for people to understand because there is ALWAYS context for his words. So what might seem to be a challenge to overcome definitely has a "silver lining."
Getting him ready for school will include helping him express what he needs and wants in multiple ways. She also suggested helping him "show me" or ask in another way by telling him "my ears didn't understand that" rather than placing responsibility (AKA blame!) on him for a lack of understanding. She said that self-esteem really starts forming in these years and we don't want to make him feel like he has problem that he can't overcome.
RECENT SUCCESSES:
At the park last week during Lydia's soccer practice, he was driving with the steering wheel on the big toy and I asked him if he was driving. He looked delighted and said, "mm-hmm." Then thought a minute and said, "bus." Score for Carver!! Imagination, language, answering question, playing with me - it was all there. It was a happy mom moment. He also used his handy string to give the bus "gas." I LOVED it!!
He said, "my chocolate chip" the other day. Really, chocolate chip is one word since he doesn't know they are separated. But the my+ phrase is so wonderful to hear! It's a classic toddler expression, too, huh? :)
I've been working on limiting the "yum-yum" and especially encouraging the chewy tube, which we call his "chewy." Here's a picture of it. It's 1 foot long.
And here's Carver with it in his mouth. I think he usually prefers to stick one end in his mouth like a straw and he DEFINITELY prefers it loose to being tied in a knot.
His speech therapist said that using it at all is a step up from the pacifier, even though having it in a knot around his wrist would be helpful for school. I'm trying to bring it to the bus stop (that's 90 minutes of my life every day, remember) to get it into routine. And I hadn't even thought of this, but the ST said that was perfect because if I keep working on that association, it'll be really natural to send Carver with it on his own bus in a month and a half. It's nice when things work out like that, huh? I'll pretend it's because I'm such a wise mom. :)
Kids at the bus stop DO ask what it is and it's a good introduction to the many issues surrounding kids with special needs. I just say it's for him to chew on instead of a pacifier. That makes sense and answers their question directly. Works for me!
Carver's climbing into his booster SO well. Today was a hiccup and he didn't do so hot when our ST was here, but otherwise that's helping a lot. I'm trying to teach him to wash his own hands at the sink. Another good step in the direction of self-help.
Friday is the district evaluation!! 2 more days and I can get a whole lot more answers, things to plan on. Oh, and a new learning curve comes into play now that I've got the hang of the SKIP program. It's about time to up my sensory education a notch or two!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
sunny day in the sandbox
Today we did therapy outside and it was BEAUTIFUL. Finally the summer days I've been dreaming of, right after school starts! :)
We practiced walking on the edge of the sandbox and he did great. We practiced concepts like under/over, in/out. Mostly it's a great sensory activity for him. I asked Ellie to give him some space while he walked on the wall and he repeated "space" 10 more times, delighted that he could say it himself. What he thinks it MEANS is another story, but the word is a great start! :)
Ah, the SPIO suit saga continues. But I think we've reached a happily ever after. The red one is great, but the top started to slide up over the tummy (reminds me a little of pregnancy...). One day at the park, he wore his SPIO and I started to hear little snagging sounds on his pants while he climbed on logs and immediately panicked about our $200 lender. I whipped it off him and discovered a pulled seam in the top at the same time. YIKES! I talked to our ST today and she called the SPIO rep and they're getting us a new top (their fault, not mine on the pulled seam - whew!) and they don't mind delaying billing til January when our insurance gets upped a notch. At least I am banking on that increase in benefits. ANYWAY, next week after we get the new top, we'll be giving the SPIO suit another go-around and see what we think. She said to watch to see if it helps his posture at all - I think I'll research what it might help so I can pay better attention. I really like the idea of something helping him all the time - especially at preschool - so I am happy to try again.
Also, our ST recommended talking to the pediatrician about the curdle-y milk spit-up thing. She thinks it's worth investigating, especially if it might a reflux issue fueling his desire for milk products. I'll ask in October.
I let Carver play in the bubbles in the kitchen sink this morning and learned a couple new tricks to curb the mess. Kind of embarrassing that I didn't think of these sooner...
1. use a lot of soap so you don't need as much water to fill the sink with bubbles.
2. don't give him full size cups - just measuring cups and spoons
It made SUCH a difference in the mess. He still tried to put his leg in a few times and dunked his head in the bubbles once or twice, but the mess was manageable. I don't mind changing his clothes afterwards, it's the water streaming down the cupboards and puddling on the chair, rug, floor, counter, etc... that drives me nuts.
Carver learned to say "peach" this week for his yogurt and is so proud of himself. It's wonderful to see how excited he is about words. He even bit his lip for the "f" in "off" after watching and practicing and trying so hard. What a challenge to have everything take so much effort. I admire his efforts to do things like his sisters and friends, no matter how hard it is for him.
We practiced walking on the edge of the sandbox and he did great. We practiced concepts like under/over, in/out. Mostly it's a great sensory activity for him. I asked Ellie to give him some space while he walked on the wall and he repeated "space" 10 more times, delighted that he could say it himself. What he thinks it MEANS is another story, but the word is a great start! :)
Ah, the SPIO suit saga continues. But I think we've reached a happily ever after. The red one is great, but the top started to slide up over the tummy (reminds me a little of pregnancy...). One day at the park, he wore his SPIO and I started to hear little snagging sounds on his pants while he climbed on logs and immediately panicked about our $200 lender. I whipped it off him and discovered a pulled seam in the top at the same time. YIKES! I talked to our ST today and she called the SPIO rep and they're getting us a new top (their fault, not mine on the pulled seam - whew!) and they don't mind delaying billing til January when our insurance gets upped a notch. At least I am banking on that increase in benefits. ANYWAY, next week after we get the new top, we'll be giving the SPIO suit another go-around and see what we think. She said to watch to see if it helps his posture at all - I think I'll research what it might help so I can pay better attention. I really like the idea of something helping him all the time - especially at preschool - so I am happy to try again.
Also, our ST recommended talking to the pediatrician about the curdle-y milk spit-up thing. She thinks it's worth investigating, especially if it might a reflux issue fueling his desire for milk products. I'll ask in October.
I let Carver play in the bubbles in the kitchen sink this morning and learned a couple new tricks to curb the mess. Kind of embarrassing that I didn't think of these sooner...
1. use a lot of soap so you don't need as much water to fill the sink with bubbles.
2. don't give him full size cups - just measuring cups and spoons
It made SUCH a difference in the mess. He still tried to put his leg in a few times and dunked his head in the bubbles once or twice, but the mess was manageable. I don't mind changing his clothes afterwards, it's the water streaming down the cupboards and puddling on the chair, rug, floor, counter, etc... that drives me nuts.
Carver learned to say "peach" this week for his yogurt and is so proud of himself. It's wonderful to see how excited he is about words. He even bit his lip for the "f" in "off" after watching and practicing and trying so hard. What a challenge to have everything take so much effort. I admire his efforts to do things like his sisters and friends, no matter how hard it is for him.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
motor planning and more
Speech was yesterday. She brought the evaluation results -
Auditory comprehension: standard deviation -1.67
Expresssive communication: SD -2.07
Total Language: SD -2.07
Qualification for therapy is determined by standard deviation, beyond -2 is considered enough in one category. Less than that and you'd need to qualify in more than one area. He might qualify in other areas, as well, but this number alone is enough to guarantee preschool. Reading her report was sobering. It was a good reminder of how far we have to go, of how much more I could do with him. I'm grateful that school is starting soon and that our routines are ready to be revamped. I'm going to try to schedule in more Carver play time.
I had him eat yogurt when Christina was here (something she'd wanted to see in the past) and it was really good. I use a dry washcloth to wipe his face and it helps him feel the drips and mess. He is getting better at feeling that, it's just hard for me to always be attentive to him when he eats. Christina also noted that carrying him to the sink to rinse him off afterwards is not only going to kill my back, but misses the opportunity to practice Carver's self-cleaning skills. Giving him the washcloth to wipe his own hands and face extends the snack (and therefore attention span) and also gives him a sense of confidence and an important skill set. Along those lines, having him climb into his booster seat is important. Of course, these things are difficult to take the time for in a busy house. But efficiency needs to take a back seat right now!
We did play-dough, his favorite thing. She had him open the lid and said... "OH"... and he finished with "-pen." Or kind of. Really exaggerate the OH. I can do that!
She suggested sports wrist bands to wipe drool again. I'm going to try to pick them up next time I'm at the store. At least I can have a towel handy. He's always stealing my kitchen ones anyway.
Poking 1 finger in playdough to isolate those muscles. Really let him do things himself. I need so much patience!! :)
She asked about the little milk curdle he had in his mouth, the last hold-out from years of spitting up. I could tell she was surprised and curious at what caused it. I'll bring it up AGAIN at his well check. No doctor has ever expressed interest or concern about it, no matter how many times I bring it up. It's better than it used to be. Now it stays in his mouth at least.
I asked about his inability to communicate awareness of the past. She said it was all connected to his poor motor planning skills. 2 step play builds cognitive awareness of sequencing, knowing what comes before and after. Interesting to consider how interconnected our senses are and a specific example of how play is work for babies and toddlers. Most babies learn these things naturally, without extra effort (Grace, for example!) but Carver needs to be taught each skill separately and then practice. Talk about exhausting for him and for us! He is doing so much better at understanding "now" and "later" - I can see how we're working towards remembering the past. Also, she suggested family photo albums of vacations in the past, etc... Good reason to print another shutterfly album!! :)
So I have a lot to work on. And I shouldn't just be blogging about it! Back to work!
Auditory comprehension: standard deviation -1.67
Expresssive communication: SD -2.07
Total Language: SD -2.07
Qualification for therapy is determined by standard deviation, beyond -2 is considered enough in one category. Less than that and you'd need to qualify in more than one area. He might qualify in other areas, as well, but this number alone is enough to guarantee preschool. Reading her report was sobering. It was a good reminder of how far we have to go, of how much more I could do with him. I'm grateful that school is starting soon and that our routines are ready to be revamped. I'm going to try to schedule in more Carver play time.
I had him eat yogurt when Christina was here (something she'd wanted to see in the past) and it was really good. I use a dry washcloth to wipe his face and it helps him feel the drips and mess. He is getting better at feeling that, it's just hard for me to always be attentive to him when he eats. Christina also noted that carrying him to the sink to rinse him off afterwards is not only going to kill my back, but misses the opportunity to practice Carver's self-cleaning skills. Giving him the washcloth to wipe his own hands and face extends the snack (and therefore attention span) and also gives him a sense of confidence and an important skill set. Along those lines, having him climb into his booster seat is important. Of course, these things are difficult to take the time for in a busy house. But efficiency needs to take a back seat right now!
We did play-dough, his favorite thing. She had him open the lid and said... "OH"... and he finished with "-pen." Or kind of. Really exaggerate the OH. I can do that!
She suggested sports wrist bands to wipe drool again. I'm going to try to pick them up next time I'm at the store. At least I can have a towel handy. He's always stealing my kitchen ones anyway.
Poking 1 finger in playdough to isolate those muscles. Really let him do things himself. I need so much patience!! :)
She asked about the little milk curdle he had in his mouth, the last hold-out from years of spitting up. I could tell she was surprised and curious at what caused it. I'll bring it up AGAIN at his well check. No doctor has ever expressed interest or concern about it, no matter how many times I bring it up. It's better than it used to be. Now it stays in his mouth at least.
I asked about his inability to communicate awareness of the past. She said it was all connected to his poor motor planning skills. 2 step play builds cognitive awareness of sequencing, knowing what comes before and after. Interesting to consider how interconnected our senses are and a specific example of how play is work for babies and toddlers. Most babies learn these things naturally, without extra effort (Grace, for example!) but Carver needs to be taught each skill separately and then practice. Talk about exhausting for him and for us! He is doing so much better at understanding "now" and "later" - I can see how we're working towards remembering the past. Also, she suggested family photo albums of vacations in the past, etc... Good reason to print another shutterfly album!! :)
So I have a lot to work on. And I shouldn't just be blogging about it! Back to work!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Evaluation Day!
That means that our ST came with her materials to evaluate Carver in his receptive speech (what he understands) and his expressive speech (what he can communicate to others). She'll bring the results back next week. She had him point to things in her book and it was really interesting to see how well he did identifying things UNTIL she got to a page and said, "what do we use to watch a movie?" and he was supposed to point to the TV or "what does Mommy use to cook dinner?" for a pan. He might have been tired, but he wasn't getting those at all. I wonder why. Identifying big and little is also nearly impossible for him.
I also made a list of the words he says, both for the words themselves and an idea of which sounds he makes. I think he's at about 50-60 words, but I keep remembering other words, too. Lots of those he signs, as well, and lots of them are words only Derek and I understand. I get excited about our growing list and then remember occasionally that he very rarely puts any of those words TOGETHER (just bye-bye + word sometimes). We still have a long road ahead of us, but I love hearing Carver's words and his inflection in particular.
He's trying to dress himself right now. He holds his foot with his hand to put it in his shorts. It's so interesting to watch, adorable and heart-wrenching at the same time. It's just so hard for him to tell his foot where to go that he tries to help it out. We can't help but be excited for all these little signs of progress!
Carver is really interested in colors and said "orange" today during therapy. I'm excited that he's understanding that there are names for the colors that he sees. He also LOVES the Letter Factory movie. It's big on the list for his birthday in October. He sees letters now and says "ck, ck, ck."
And how's this for cool? Carver's experience with being evaluated last fall and not qualifying, then qualifying in the spring in 5 areas made them rethink their evaluation process. Children's Therapy Center has changed their evaluation and training because of him and a couple other kiddos like him! good for them, good for Carver!
I also made a list of the words he says, both for the words themselves and an idea of which sounds he makes. I think he's at about 50-60 words, but I keep remembering other words, too. Lots of those he signs, as well, and lots of them are words only Derek and I understand. I get excited about our growing list and then remember occasionally that he very rarely puts any of those words TOGETHER (just bye-bye + word sometimes). We still have a long road ahead of us, but I love hearing Carver's words and his inflection in particular.
He's trying to dress himself right now. He holds his foot with his hand to put it in his shorts. It's so interesting to watch, adorable and heart-wrenching at the same time. It's just so hard for him to tell his foot where to go that he tries to help it out. We can't help but be excited for all these little signs of progress!
Carver is really interested in colors and said "orange" today during therapy. I'm excited that he's understanding that there are names for the colors that he sees. He also LOVES the Letter Factory movie. It's big on the list for his birthday in October. He sees letters now and says "ck, ck, ck."
And how's this for cool? Carver's experience with being evaluated last fall and not qualifying, then qualifying in the spring in 5 areas made them rethink their evaluation process. Children's Therapy Center has changed their evaluation and training because of him and a couple other kiddos like him! good for them, good for Carver!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
More to add to our bag of tricks
Speech report, speech report... this is SUPPOSED to have pictures, but our camera DIED today. What will I do without it?!
Oh, well. Here's what we talked about today:
GUM - we're ready to try this again (he loves it but played with it after awhile and I got more than a little tired of picking gum out of things). She suggested 1/2 piece sometimes, 4 pieces other times for different strengthening of the muscles in his mouth.
CHEWY TUBES - just a therapy resistance band cut into 1 ft. length, tied in a knot at one end. He can wear it on his wrist, chew on either the knot or the other part. It's more age appropriate and all that. So we have two colors: red is softer and the blue is more resistant. I'm not sure which he'd prefer because he WILL NOT even touch them. He has an instant aversion to them for some reason. Grace knew right what to do with them so I'm going to let her show her big brother how fun it can be. :)
NUK BRUSH - these are common enough and another alternative to the pacifier. I got one of these from our ST, too.
BACKPACK - we loaded up his backpack today and he loves it. He loves putting things in it, taking them out, wearing it around. He went to the door and said, "buh-bye." He gets to practice pushing and pulling and using a zipper. We'll be playing backpack a whole lot more.
PLAY FOAM - I finally found this at Target and it's fabulous stuff. The girls love it as much as Carver. It's exactly like playing with rice krispie treats when they are still warm. Cool stuff, more resistant than play doh and less messy. It leaves a little gummy film on the counter/table and the beads sometimes turn up after the fact on a shirt or something, but otherwise it's perfect.
TOOTHBRUSH - I finally got that vibrating toothbrush yesterday and Carver LOVES it. He's going to break the bank buying new vibrating toothbrushes. His ST said it's wonderful for his mouth, on his lips and cheeks - all over. Let him have it all the time, maybe one for actual brushing to leave in the bathroom to stay clean and another one for anytime.
I think that's it. We talked a bit about potty training, where he's at and how it's good enough for now. He wants to sit on the potty, wipe and flush. But the feeling the need is obviously not there. she encouraged him to climb into his booster himself, which he should be able to do with some practice. It's so easy to just do those things for him. It's BETTER to let him learn to do it himself.
Next week she's going to do the evaluation, preschool language testing and speech related tests. This is the evaluation that will go towards his preschool eligilabity. Hopefully he'll be grumpy and uncooperative, right? the school district will evaluate him in the other areas (motor skills, etc...) closer to his birthday. I'm not too worried about next week. It'll be nice to have everything decided and squared away with preschool, but until then I'm just going to be grateful with what we've got and all the progress I see in Carver. He said "dirt" out of the blue yesterday and took turns so nicely at the park with our friends. I couldn't ask for more!
Oh, well. Here's what we talked about today:
GUM - we're ready to try this again (he loves it but played with it after awhile and I got more than a little tired of picking gum out of things). She suggested 1/2 piece sometimes, 4 pieces other times for different strengthening of the muscles in his mouth.
CHEWY TUBES - just a therapy resistance band cut into 1 ft. length, tied in a knot at one end. He can wear it on his wrist, chew on either the knot or the other part. It's more age appropriate and all that. So we have two colors: red is softer and the blue is more resistant. I'm not sure which he'd prefer because he WILL NOT even touch them. He has an instant aversion to them for some reason. Grace knew right what to do with them so I'm going to let her show her big brother how fun it can be. :)
NUK BRUSH - these are common enough and another alternative to the pacifier. I got one of these from our ST, too.
BACKPACK - we loaded up his backpack today and he loves it. He loves putting things in it, taking them out, wearing it around. He went to the door and said, "buh-bye." He gets to practice pushing and pulling and using a zipper. We'll be playing backpack a whole lot more.
PLAY FOAM - I finally found this at Target and it's fabulous stuff. The girls love it as much as Carver. It's exactly like playing with rice krispie treats when they are still warm. Cool stuff, more resistant than play doh and less messy. It leaves a little gummy film on the counter/table and the beads sometimes turn up after the fact on a shirt or something, but otherwise it's perfect.
TOOTHBRUSH - I finally got that vibrating toothbrush yesterday and Carver LOVES it. He's going to break the bank buying new vibrating toothbrushes. His ST said it's wonderful for his mouth, on his lips and cheeks - all over. Let him have it all the time, maybe one for actual brushing to leave in the bathroom to stay clean and another one for anytime.
I think that's it. We talked a bit about potty training, where he's at and how it's good enough for now. He wants to sit on the potty, wipe and flush. But the feeling the need is obviously not there. she encouraged him to climb into his booster himself, which he should be able to do with some practice. It's so easy to just do those things for him. It's BETTER to let him learn to do it himself.
Next week she's going to do the evaluation, preschool language testing and speech related tests. This is the evaluation that will go towards his preschool eligilabity. Hopefully he'll be grumpy and uncooperative, right? the school district will evaluate him in the other areas (motor skills, etc...) closer to his birthday. I'm not too worried about next week. It'll be nice to have everything decided and squared away with preschool, but until then I'm just going to be grateful with what we've got and all the progress I see in Carver. He said "dirt" out of the blue yesterday and took turns so nicely at the park with our friends. I couldn't ask for more!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
3 cheers for preschool!
Today was speech therapy - I love these days. I feel all fired up, full of new ideas and energy to tackle our problems. Our ST (speech therapist) brought an OT (occupational therapist) to help zero in on the sensory issues. GREAT ideas came out of the talk and play. First of all, Carver just eats up all the attention. He loves these friends who come to play with him. It's hilarious to see him show off and so good for him to have special time. He wanted to wear Daddy's hats and it was so interesting to watch him try to feel that it was on even though it was so loose, searching for a way to make it tight. I love seeing more and more confirmation that his "diagnosis" is perfect.
Here's the tips/ideas that came from today:
pictures of our routine - ST brought laminated cards she'd made from pictures I sent of our daily routine to put on a velcro strip. I can put them in order, let him pull them off and see what's coming next. It's not attached to anything yet, I'm working on how to use it on the go.
thick drinks from a straw (strengthen muscles, satisfy oral cravings). Maybe use frozen fruit/ice to reduce calories. :)
satisfying snacks - crunchy, chewy, spicy, etc... wasabi peas, frozen veggies/grapes
compression exercises -saying "squish" as you press in and down with your hands on chest/back
inflatable seat cushion - gives opportunities to wiggle and sit in his place ($3 REI for an inflatable camping pillow)
heavy backpack - 5-10% of his body weight, builds muscle tone and body awareness
play with texture - rice/beans in a container to scoop, feel (rotate for variety). Can use a sheet underneath to contain the mess and make it easy to clean up.
"chewy tube" - Provides more stimulation, more age appropriate than a pacifier. ST will bring it next time.
rubbing his face, cheeks - stimulate muscles, kind of "wakes up" his face.
jumping - I'm still going to keep working on it. Off the couch into cushions, the stairs, anything.
vibrating toys - on his cheeks (when are you going to get that vibrating toothbrush, Rachael!!)
We talked about brushing today, as well - a technique used more for hypersensitive kids, but one that might help Carver. You use a small hand held brush 5 minutes at a time, every 2 hours-ish for 2 weeks or so. The protocol is taught by the OT and needs to be done correctly to be effective. It triggers the brain to release neurochemicals that help organize these kids. It might be an option later, but the spio suit (more on this soon) is a better approach for school situations because it doesn't require any special training. He'd just wear it under his clothes and we'd be set. So we're going to start with the suit and keep brushing as a back-up plan.
They noticed how much more he's watching our mouths to imitate sounds (YEA!) and his efforts to speak continue to increase. He was drooling a lot. We changed his shirt just at the start of therapy and still, there was a good 4-6" band under his chin at the end of the hour. I think that he drools most when he concentrates on other parts of his body. He worked hard today, just playing around with them. He wanted his "yum, yum" (pacifier) the last 5 minutes and found it on his own after begging for awhile and searching high and low, so I let him keep it. He was exhausted and is napping now.
He handled his redirection very well today when he was sitting on the piano keys. He found a "wheels on the bus" book with the song printed at the end so marched straight to the piano and wanted to play it. how cute is that? cuter than when he wanted to turn around and sit on the keys. No tantrums over the redirection, though. that was great. He handled the "no" for a movie better, too.
But the best news was.... drumroll.... our ST said he's a shoe-in for preschool in the fall. She's be VERY surprised if he didn't qualify. The district rep who came in the spring indicated to her that he would be a great candidate. HURRAY!!!! I've been hoping and trying not to hope and now I just feel so grateful and excited. You talk about school around Carver and he says, "me, me!" with his arm up. And a bus that comes to our house to get him? It doesn't get better than that. AND the good news just keeps coming. After he meets all his goals and doesn't qualify for the therapy aspect of the preschool, he will have first choice to become a peer model and STAY at the preschool til kindergarten. We'll have to pay at that point, but I don't think it's an expensive program. Other districts don't let the therapy kids come back as peer models so I am thrilled. Maybe this is one of the reasons we felt so good about this area - maybe living here is all for Carver.
My heart is always full after speech therapy. It's as much for me as it is for Carver. I don't always get to try everything they suggest because of budget/time constraints, but I do what I can. I can't say enough what a great program this is!
Here's the tips/ideas that came from today:
pictures of our routine - ST brought laminated cards she'd made from pictures I sent of our daily routine to put on a velcro strip. I can put them in order, let him pull them off and see what's coming next. It's not attached to anything yet, I'm working on how to use it on the go.
thick drinks from a straw (strengthen muscles, satisfy oral cravings). Maybe use frozen fruit/ice to reduce calories. :)
satisfying snacks - crunchy, chewy, spicy, etc... wasabi peas, frozen veggies/grapes
compression exercises -saying "squish" as you press in and down with your hands on chest/back
inflatable seat cushion - gives opportunities to wiggle and sit in his place ($3 REI for an inflatable camping pillow)
heavy backpack - 5-10% of his body weight, builds muscle tone and body awareness
play with texture - rice/beans in a container to scoop, feel (rotate for variety). Can use a sheet underneath to contain the mess and make it easy to clean up.
"chewy tube" - Provides more stimulation, more age appropriate than a pacifier. ST will bring it next time.
rubbing his face, cheeks - stimulate muscles, kind of "wakes up" his face.
jumping - I'm still going to keep working on it. Off the couch into cushions, the stairs, anything.
vibrating toys - on his cheeks (when are you going to get that vibrating toothbrush, Rachael!!)
We talked about brushing today, as well - a technique used more for hypersensitive kids, but one that might help Carver. You use a small hand held brush 5 minutes at a time, every 2 hours-ish for 2 weeks or so. The protocol is taught by the OT and needs to be done correctly to be effective. It triggers the brain to release neurochemicals that help organize these kids. It might be an option later, but the spio suit (more on this soon) is a better approach for school situations because it doesn't require any special training. He'd just wear it under his clothes and we'd be set. So we're going to start with the suit and keep brushing as a back-up plan.
They noticed how much more he's watching our mouths to imitate sounds (YEA!) and his efforts to speak continue to increase. He was drooling a lot. We changed his shirt just at the start of therapy and still, there was a good 4-6" band under his chin at the end of the hour. I think that he drools most when he concentrates on other parts of his body. He worked hard today, just playing around with them. He wanted his "yum, yum" (pacifier) the last 5 minutes and found it on his own after begging for awhile and searching high and low, so I let him keep it. He was exhausted and is napping now.
He handled his redirection very well today when he was sitting on the piano keys. He found a "wheels on the bus" book with the song printed at the end so marched straight to the piano and wanted to play it. how cute is that? cuter than when he wanted to turn around and sit on the keys. No tantrums over the redirection, though. that was great. He handled the "no" for a movie better, too.
But the best news was.... drumroll.... our ST said he's a shoe-in for preschool in the fall. She's be VERY surprised if he didn't qualify. The district rep who came in the spring indicated to her that he would be a great candidate. HURRAY!!!! I've been hoping and trying not to hope and now I just feel so grateful and excited. You talk about school around Carver and he says, "me, me!" with his arm up. And a bus that comes to our house to get him? It doesn't get better than that. AND the good news just keeps coming. After he meets all his goals and doesn't qualify for the therapy aspect of the preschool, he will have first choice to become a peer model and STAY at the preschool til kindergarten. We'll have to pay at that point, but I don't think it's an expensive program. Other districts don't let the therapy kids come back as peer models so I am thrilled. Maybe this is one of the reasons we felt so good about this area - maybe living here is all for Carver.
My heart is always full after speech therapy. It's as much for me as it is for Carver. I don't always get to try everything they suggest because of budget/time constraints, but I do what I can. I can't say enough what a great program this is!
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