Day 15 of Better Speech and Hearing Month
Celebrations
So as a parent of a child with Apraxia and SPD, there are things we celebrate. Just today, I celebrated the fact that Cha-cha is now yelling when he's frustrated. Yes, at 4 years old, I'm excited that when he's frustrated (mostly with his sister), he stops what he's doing and yells. To some that is just an annoyance, but to me, it's music to my ears (well for today maybe). Usually he's very passive and agreeable (thanks to the underresponsive SPD), but seeing him branch out is great.
Also, today I celebrated the fact that my progress meeting with Cha-cha's school actually went well. They handed over the IEP amendment with no issues, I signed it and handed it back. I heard great reports from his teacher, new SLP, OT and PT. They commented that now he has consistent speech and a consistent schedule, he's doing really well adjusting. It was nice to hear good things from his TEAM.
And tonight I celebrated being a mom at dinner with some friends. I love getting together with women and talking about being a mom. It's the most challenging job you will ever do - more challenging than being a full time teacher. There are so many balls we have to juggle as a mother and it's a miracle that we are able to do it all. So while you celebrate your kid's accomplishments, don't forget to celebrate your own. :)
Showing posts with label SPD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SPD. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Friday, May 3, 2013
May 3rd - Coexisting Issues with Apraxia
Day 3 of Better Hearing and Speech Month
Coexisting Issues with Apraxia
“Pure” CAS is when no other speech, language, cognitive, or sensory issues coexist with the disorder. The professional literature states that “pure” CAS is very rare. A child with CAS may also present with other motor planning deficits. Limb apraxia refers to motor planning deficits relating to arms, legs, fingers, etc. Global apraxia refers to motor planning deficits with all of the above. Children with Apraxia can also be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADD/ADHD, various genetic disorders, low tone, learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities, etc. The list can be endless.
We are lucky that with Cha-cha, his Apraxia is his primary diagnosis, however he is not considered "Pure" due to his Sensory Processing Disorder (under-responsive subtype) and hypotonia (low tone). These coexisting issues can interfere with treatment and the approach therapists take in treating the apraxia. With Cha-cha, it takes a lot to motivate him to practice and do his therapy. I remember his EI SLP coming in with a bags of new toys and games and he took one look at her and her bags, turned his head and said, "Ugh!" and walked away. Often in therapy, when things get overwhelming for him, he will turn to me for a squeeze or tight hug. We use to do brushing therapy, but we found that he didn't need it as much anymore, and we could do some jumps, running up and down the hallway, or tight squeezes instead to get his motor going. His SPD makes him quiet in nature and plays into social anxiety, so it's hard to get him to talk sometimes when he's feeling anxious. This typically happens in social gatherings where he's around a lot of unfamiliar people. We are lucky that he doesn't tantrum much - most of his upsets are over things that would upset most children, however he has things he doesn't like at all like hair washing, toe nails cut, wearing no socks, and brushing his hair.
Just today I had the honor of taking a tick off from him. This is not easy with any child, but with Cha-cha to talk sense into him that the cap full of "water" (rubbing alcohol) I was going to pour on his head wouldn't get into his nose, eyes, ears, or on his shirt, took about 10 minutes. I accidentally pulled some of his hair out of his head with the tweezers trying to get the tick out, and you would have thought I was torturing him. Tonight he pooped in his pants and needed a tubby. His immediate response, "Doe you haft-oo doe a air washin? Are dey bugs in de tubby?" (Do you have to do a hair washing? Are there bugs in the tubby?)...he gets over things pretty quickly, but I think this one is going to take a while. :( Most of this can be categorized as normal in any child, however it's hard to know if this is "normal" or "Cha-cha normal".
Any child is a puzzle, but when you throw in diagnoses, it puts more pieces to the puzzle and it just takes a little longer to figure out.
Coexisting Issues with Apraxia
“Pure” CAS is when no other speech, language, cognitive, or sensory issues coexist with the disorder. The professional literature states that “pure” CAS is very rare. A child with CAS may also present with other motor planning deficits. Limb apraxia refers to motor planning deficits relating to arms, legs, fingers, etc. Global apraxia refers to motor planning deficits with all of the above. Children with Apraxia can also be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADD/ADHD, various genetic disorders, low tone, learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities, etc. The list can be endless.
We are lucky that with Cha-cha, his Apraxia is his primary diagnosis, however he is not considered "Pure" due to his Sensory Processing Disorder (under-responsive subtype) and hypotonia (low tone). These coexisting issues can interfere with treatment and the approach therapists take in treating the apraxia. With Cha-cha, it takes a lot to motivate him to practice and do his therapy. I remember his EI SLP coming in with a bags of new toys and games and he took one look at her and her bags, turned his head and said, "Ugh!" and walked away. Often in therapy, when things get overwhelming for him, he will turn to me for a squeeze or tight hug. We use to do brushing therapy, but we found that he didn't need it as much anymore, and we could do some jumps, running up and down the hallway, or tight squeezes instead to get his motor going. His SPD makes him quiet in nature and plays into social anxiety, so it's hard to get him to talk sometimes when he's feeling anxious. This typically happens in social gatherings where he's around a lot of unfamiliar people. We are lucky that he doesn't tantrum much - most of his upsets are over things that would upset most children, however he has things he doesn't like at all like hair washing, toe nails cut, wearing no socks, and brushing his hair.
Just today I had the honor of taking a tick off from him. This is not easy with any child, but with Cha-cha to talk sense into him that the cap full of "water" (rubbing alcohol) I was going to pour on his head wouldn't get into his nose, eyes, ears, or on his shirt, took about 10 minutes. I accidentally pulled some of his hair out of his head with the tweezers trying to get the tick out, and you would have thought I was torturing him. Tonight he pooped in his pants and needed a tubby. His immediate response, "Doe you haft-oo doe a air washin? Are dey bugs in de tubby?" (Do you have to do a hair washing? Are there bugs in the tubby?)...he gets over things pretty quickly, but I think this one is going to take a while. :( Most of this can be categorized as normal in any child, however it's hard to know if this is "normal" or "Cha-cha normal".
Any child is a puzzle, but when you throw in diagnoses, it puts more pieces to the puzzle and it just takes a little longer to figure out.
Friday, June 29, 2012
One Year Later
Hard to imagine that a year ago, Cha-cha had his big evaluation in Boston and Hubby and I were waiting for the results of that eval. We knew in our hearts that it was Apraxia. We were told by EI that was what they thought was going on, as well as his ENT who had said he would be surprised if it wasn't. As much as we were prepared to hear those words, you can never be prepared enough. The blow stings. The dreams you have for your child seem to fall down around you. You get angry, you grieve, you get sad, you beat yourself up about the could haves, should haves, would haves. Then somewhere, somehow, you brush yourself off and do what you know. You love. You learn. You help. But you always go back to love.
We've grown a lot in the past year. I've learned to be a better mother and a better teacher. We've read and started talking to others who have children who also have Apraxia. We raised money for CASANA. We registered for the National Conference. We sat and tried to be patient with Cha-cha as he struggles to tell us his story and we tried to figure it out. We sought out new treatments, we graduated from EI and were introduced to Special Education in the Public Schools. We found a fantastic, young Speech Pathologist, who will adapt sessions in anyway that will get the most attempts at language for our Cha-cha.
Then there are the ways that Cha-cha has grown. He is now 3yrs 4 months and a mini giant at 3feet 5 1/2 inches and 45 lbs. He can now touch the bottom of the shallow end at most pools. :) A year ago he had 7 utterances with no words for mommy, daddy, his big sister or himself. He can now say Mommy and Daddy, along with Bee-bee's correct name and he can say his first and last name (last name is still garbled, but I'll take it). He can now speak in long 4-5 word phrases and has even gotten up to an 11 word sentence! In context, the three of us can understand him about 85% of the time. Close family, about 60% of the time, and strangers anywhere from 25-40%. When people who have known him since he was younger see him, they are completely amazed at his ability to communicate and his desire to communicate. Sometimes, they are completely shocked - I know, I can read their faces. ;) He has come so far, but there is still a way to go.
We have some new challenges to add to our plate. Not as significant, but big enough that need to be addressed. Cha-cha's SPD gets in the way of some things. He has low muscle tone and the developmental pedi believes that he has issues of gross motor planning that comes from the Apraxia. He has always been very cautious and deliberate with his movements, but it's now effecting him more in the areas of playing on the playground, manuvering stairs appropriately, and joining in with other kids with age appropriate games. The PT at school is also concerned and has picked him up for weekly sessions.
He also has a lot of anxiety going on - mostly separation anxiety. He won't separate from us in his therapy sessions. I don't have to say a word, he just wants to make sure I'm there sitting in the corner and present. His Tiny Tots Camp this week was close to a nightmare. He was the only kid who would not separate from his caregiver. I even had Bee-bee stay inside the fenced-in area with him, but he screamed and cried. I did the whole walk away and leave him and it was worse. He would only participate if I held his hand and the game was Fishy, Fishy, Cross my Ocean, Simond Says or playing the parachute. After thinking about it, those are the things he's comfortable with. He isn't comfortable kicking, throwing or catching a ball. He isn't comfortable with new people (even though the counselors are fantastic!). Too much chaos is overwhelming for him. He spent a lot of time watching the other kids playing and being content by that. I can imagine that he's anxious about having to talk to other adults if one of us aren't around because of his Apraxia and his demeanor (kids are easier for him to talk to). We will continue to work with this - more playdates and playgroups, more trips to the park, more ball play in the backyard and more stair climbing.
It's been a long year - long but good, and a productive one for him. He really is a delightful little boy who still gives the best sloppy kisses and the fiercest hugs around. :)
We've grown a lot in the past year. I've learned to be a better mother and a better teacher. We've read and started talking to others who have children who also have Apraxia. We raised money for CASANA. We registered for the National Conference. We sat and tried to be patient with Cha-cha as he struggles to tell us his story and we tried to figure it out. We sought out new treatments, we graduated from EI and were introduced to Special Education in the Public Schools. We found a fantastic, young Speech Pathologist, who will adapt sessions in anyway that will get the most attempts at language for our Cha-cha.
Then there are the ways that Cha-cha has grown. He is now 3yrs 4 months and a mini giant at 3feet 5 1/2 inches and 45 lbs. He can now touch the bottom of the shallow end at most pools. :) A year ago he had 7 utterances with no words for mommy, daddy, his big sister or himself. He can now say Mommy and Daddy, along with Bee-bee's correct name and he can say his first and last name (last name is still garbled, but I'll take it). He can now speak in long 4-5 word phrases and has even gotten up to an 11 word sentence! In context, the three of us can understand him about 85% of the time. Close family, about 60% of the time, and strangers anywhere from 25-40%. When people who have known him since he was younger see him, they are completely amazed at his ability to communicate and his desire to communicate. Sometimes, they are completely shocked - I know, I can read their faces. ;) He has come so far, but there is still a way to go.
We have some new challenges to add to our plate. Not as significant, but big enough that need to be addressed. Cha-cha's SPD gets in the way of some things. He has low muscle tone and the developmental pedi believes that he has issues of gross motor planning that comes from the Apraxia. He has always been very cautious and deliberate with his movements, but it's now effecting him more in the areas of playing on the playground, manuvering stairs appropriately, and joining in with other kids with age appropriate games. The PT at school is also concerned and has picked him up for weekly sessions.
He also has a lot of anxiety going on - mostly separation anxiety. He won't separate from us in his therapy sessions. I don't have to say a word, he just wants to make sure I'm there sitting in the corner and present. His Tiny Tots Camp this week was close to a nightmare. He was the only kid who would not separate from his caregiver. I even had Bee-bee stay inside the fenced-in area with him, but he screamed and cried. I did the whole walk away and leave him and it was worse. He would only participate if I held his hand and the game was Fishy, Fishy, Cross my Ocean, Simond Says or playing the parachute. After thinking about it, those are the things he's comfortable with. He isn't comfortable kicking, throwing or catching a ball. He isn't comfortable with new people (even though the counselors are fantastic!). Too much chaos is overwhelming for him. He spent a lot of time watching the other kids playing and being content by that. I can imagine that he's anxious about having to talk to other adults if one of us aren't around because of his Apraxia and his demeanor (kids are easier for him to talk to). We will continue to work with this - more playdates and playgroups, more trips to the park, more ball play in the backyard and more stair climbing.
It's been a long year - long but good, and a productive one for him. He really is a delightful little boy who still gives the best sloppy kisses and the fiercest hugs around. :)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Big Hospital Visit in the City
Cha-cha had his 6 month follow up with the Developmental Pediatrician in the city today. I was worried about making it to our appointment on time, so I rushed out of work, picked up Cha-cha and my mom (for another set of eyes and ears) and we were off! Of course, there was no traffic and we were 50 minutes early for our appointment, but Cha-cha was able to entertain himself with the waiting room toys and my mom and I were able to spend time chit-chatting.
Of course, Cha-cha was wary of the doctor - he hadn't seen her since June and she started right away with his quasi physical. He's approximately 43lbs (only 7 lbs away from his 6 year old sister!) and I think he was 42 inches (Yes, we breed 'em tall here!). Everything looked great and the doctor even commented that his legs were "solid" and he had "great muscle" compared to last time. Cha-cha had a hard time being coaxed into climbing the stairs, but he chased me up and down the hallway enough for the doctor to get a good look at his run and was pleased. She wasn't as concerned about his gross motor skills as the public school is, mostly b/c she said he has good tone (and better tone than last time), but it's his temperament of being difficult to engage and being cautious that is holding him back physically. She was glad to hear that he will be getting some PT at his new school so they can "push" him to take risks. (Glad to see that his bed and couch jumping skills have helped with the muscle tone! lol!)
We moved into her office where she took out blocks and Cha-cha decided that he would not perform. He wanted nothing to do with building her towers or sorting blocks, so we caught up on his progress and my mom and I tried to engage him in conversation to have him "show off" and warm up to the doctor...hysterically, my mom asked him to build a garage out of the blocks and then proceeded to ask him, "Do you have a garage? Who has a garage?" and he responded, "Papa has a garage (in Cha-cha speak)!" The doctor asked him, "What's in Papa's garage?" and he proudly said, "T-burr!" She looked at us and said, "He's joking, there's not really a T-bird in there, is there?" To which my mom and I laughed and told her that there was. He was very intrigued with her collection of water/oil emulsion toys and asked to play with one and then proceeded to talk all about mixing the "soap" and "water" and watching the wheels spin. He also enjoyed looking out her window which overlooks the emergency room.
Over all, she said that she's seen significant progress. Cha-cha's Apraxia is not global and not as severe as she saw back in June, but it's still significant. She mentioned that his facial muscle tone has increased and he doesn't have that "open mouth look" as much as he did back in June. He is still unintelligible to strangers when what he is saying is not in context and I said for me, I understand him about 70% of the time (90 with context, 50 without). She encouraged to continue with our plan of moving him to the Language-based, integrated preschool (she was excited that our city has one) and continue with the outside therapy. She also said to keep him around kids as much as possible b/c they are the best therapists. :) She was very pleased with his attention and his awareness of what is going on around him. He definitely is very deliberate in his thoughts and his actions, and she said that you can almost see the wheels in his brain turning. She made a great point about not forcing him to make eye contact, because he is still engaged when he's not looking at you. She encouraged a 90 degree angle when communicating with him, since if you are looking and talking about the same thing, he is being engaged and communicating, which is the desired goal. She also said that males, even as young as Cha-cha, are intimidated with straight on eye contact and they feel less threatened when it's at a 90 degree angle...I loved her comment of guys staring at a TV screen watching sports and communicating...it's what they do! :)
As for our transition, she told me to write 3-3-3 notes for his teachers/care providers:
3 Things that are important to know about Charlie
3 Things he is working on
3 Things he enjoys
She reminded me to keep them brief and direct and to update them often. ;) Yes, me brief...
Overall, it was a great appointment - at the end, he gave her good eye contact and said, "Gu-Bye!" while waving. He was such a trooper and we go back in 6 months for another update. :)
Of course, Cha-cha was wary of the doctor - he hadn't seen her since June and she started right away with his quasi physical. He's approximately 43lbs (only 7 lbs away from his 6 year old sister!) and I think he was 42 inches (Yes, we breed 'em tall here!). Everything looked great and the doctor even commented that his legs were "solid" and he had "great muscle" compared to last time. Cha-cha had a hard time being coaxed into climbing the stairs, but he chased me up and down the hallway enough for the doctor to get a good look at his run and was pleased. She wasn't as concerned about his gross motor skills as the public school is, mostly b/c she said he has good tone (and better tone than last time), but it's his temperament of being difficult to engage and being cautious that is holding him back physically. She was glad to hear that he will be getting some PT at his new school so they can "push" him to take risks. (Glad to see that his bed and couch jumping skills have helped with the muscle tone! lol!)
We moved into her office where she took out blocks and Cha-cha decided that he would not perform. He wanted nothing to do with building her towers or sorting blocks, so we caught up on his progress and my mom and I tried to engage him in conversation to have him "show off" and warm up to the doctor...hysterically, my mom asked him to build a garage out of the blocks and then proceeded to ask him, "Do you have a garage? Who has a garage?" and he responded, "Papa has a garage (in Cha-cha speak)!" The doctor asked him, "What's in Papa's garage?" and he proudly said, "T-burr!" She looked at us and said, "He's joking, there's not really a T-bird in there, is there?" To which my mom and I laughed and told her that there was. He was very intrigued with her collection of water/oil emulsion toys and asked to play with one and then proceeded to talk all about mixing the "soap" and "water" and watching the wheels spin. He also enjoyed looking out her window which overlooks the emergency room.
Over all, she said that she's seen significant progress. Cha-cha's Apraxia is not global and not as severe as she saw back in June, but it's still significant. She mentioned that his facial muscle tone has increased and he doesn't have that "open mouth look" as much as he did back in June. He is still unintelligible to strangers when what he is saying is not in context and I said for me, I understand him about 70% of the time (90 with context, 50 without). She encouraged to continue with our plan of moving him to the Language-based, integrated preschool (she was excited that our city has one) and continue with the outside therapy. She also said to keep him around kids as much as possible b/c they are the best therapists. :) She was very pleased with his attention and his awareness of what is going on around him. He definitely is very deliberate in his thoughts and his actions, and she said that you can almost see the wheels in his brain turning. She made a great point about not forcing him to make eye contact, because he is still engaged when he's not looking at you. She encouraged a 90 degree angle when communicating with him, since if you are looking and talking about the same thing, he is being engaged and communicating, which is the desired goal. She also said that males, even as young as Cha-cha, are intimidated with straight on eye contact and they feel less threatened when it's at a 90 degree angle...I loved her comment of guys staring at a TV screen watching sports and communicating...it's what they do! :)
As for our transition, she told me to write 3-3-3 notes for his teachers/care providers:
3 Things that are important to know about Charlie
3 Things he is working on
3 Things he enjoys
She reminded me to keep them brief and direct and to update them often. ;) Yes, me brief...
Overall, it was a great appointment - at the end, he gave her good eye contact and said, "Gu-Bye!" while waving. He was such a trooper and we go back in 6 months for another update. :)
Saturday, October 1, 2011
We made it through September!
Yesterday was the last day of the month - and we made it! We have all been back in school for at least 4 weeks and the house is still standing. With one exception due to an unexpected doctor's appointment, everyone has made it to work or school ontime! No one had to take a sick day (watch, next month there will be 5) and despite a minor cold for me and allergic reactions to mosquitoes for Cha-cha, we were healthy! I call that success!
My school year is going well - I'm loving the transition to a lower grade and I really love my students. I love their excitement and enthusiasm. They get excited about the littlest things and I love that! I'm enjoying my new team and they have made the transition so easy for me. I have never been this organized in my 9 years of being a classroom teacher - granted, I had a brand new empty classroom to start with - but they are so on top of photocopying and planning that I never feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants or rushing to get things done.
Bee-bee is doing well in school - maybe a little too well...I went in to talk to her teacher about her and one of the things I mentioned is that she is a little bored of the school work. Thankfully, the K screening is this week and I'm hoping they are going to be able to differentiate lessons so she is challenged. Sadly, no one signed up for the art class she wanted to take, so it was canceled, but she is signed up for Daisys and if no one steps up to be the troop leader, I'm going to do it. I feel bad as she needs something to look forward to and she doesn't want to do dance, she can't do soccer until the spring, and we missed the boat for swim signups. She is making friends and has a best friend in her class already - her mom and I are playing phone tag, but we hope to get the girls together for a playdate soon.
And then we have Cha-cha...this has been a good month for him in a lot of ways. He has gone from sitting by himself and hanging out with the teachers during outside time, to running and chasing the kids in their unorganized tag/chase games. When he wants to join in on an activity, he points to himself and yells, "Me!" and rarely gets a teacher to help him join in. His language is making progress in many ways. He doesn't have too many new words, but he's using his old words more and more. Recently we've heard a few 2 word utterances such as, /ma-ma coo/, /bee-bee coo/, and /cha-cha coo/ for Mama's school, Bee-bee's school, and Cha-cha's school. He also has said /shz uh/ for shoes off and the other night we heard /go ca peaz/ for go car please, when he wanted to go for a ride. He is learning his colors and can say in his own way, yellow, purple, blue and pink. His new greeting is the French version of hello - /allo/ - it is freaking hysterical, even when he's suppose to be going to sleep and he pops up and yells, "Allo!" It constantly makes hubby and I laugh.
An exciting thing happened this week too during his EI SLP session - she came in with the OT and we were chatting, Cha-cha pulled out some of her toys and started scripting his own play with a ball toy - saying /up/, /go/, /duh/ for down, and /eh/ for in with no prompting. Then he took out the farm animals and started making them eat saying /num-num/ and saying some of their sounds without prompting...his SLP burst into happy tears and said, "I've never seen him do that on his own without any prompting!" Of course, this is something we've been working on with him for over a year now - and he can finally do it on his own.
Of course, then you have setbacks...we are currently in a sleeping hell with Cha-cha - he won't stay in his toddler bed and he won't stay asleep. For the first two weeks of school with all the craziness, we were sitting outside his bedroom for a good 2 hours and were getting nowhere. We drive him around to get to sleep and he wakes up an hour later (at 11pm). If he happens to fall asleep and we move him to his bed, by 3am he is up and wanting to come to our bed. It was never our intention to have him sleep with us - but we were desperate - we all needed to get more than 5 hours of sleep a night - and now we've created a small monster. On top of that, we've seen his sensory issues go to another extreme at night - it's almost like we spend all day long getting his motor running, that in the evening, you can't stop him. He tosses and twirls and flips in his bed - he's wired. Thankfully, we are starting sessions with an OT next week and we're going to be looking at some brushing techniques to see if that will help calm his motor at night, as well as looking into a weighted blanket for him.
Another issue is that he's not excited to see his therapists come to his school. When his Developmental Specialist, who he has seen since he was 7 months old, comes to daycare he runs to the door and tells her to "Go!" and "No!" and "Bu-bye!" Eventually he will work with her, but he's very slow to warm up. Same with his SLP - he's starting to tell her to "Go" and doesn't want to work with her. His outside SLP, when she pushes him, he pushes back and tells her to "Move" and "Go" Granted, we're excited that he's communicating his wants, but at the same time, it makes everyone wonder if we're pushing him too much. I would say that at least 50 minutes out of the hour sessions, he's working and enjoying himself - so for 10 minutes of discomfort for everyone, he does get into things and is laughing and playing for the rest of the time.
Now we're on to a new month - we're going to keep doing the things we're doing in terms of therapy with Cha-cha and add some OT to see if we can keep things going in the right direction. We're going to try to let him cry it out for sleep so we can have our bed back. I'm going to start a homeschool math curriculum with Bee-bee to try to challenge her. We're going to enjoy the fall weather and do apple picking and fun fall things.
My school year is going well - I'm loving the transition to a lower grade and I really love my students. I love their excitement and enthusiasm. They get excited about the littlest things and I love that! I'm enjoying my new team and they have made the transition so easy for me. I have never been this organized in my 9 years of being a classroom teacher - granted, I had a brand new empty classroom to start with - but they are so on top of photocopying and planning that I never feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants or rushing to get things done.
Bee-bee is doing well in school - maybe a little too well...I went in to talk to her teacher about her and one of the things I mentioned is that she is a little bored of the school work. Thankfully, the K screening is this week and I'm hoping they are going to be able to differentiate lessons so she is challenged. Sadly, no one signed up for the art class she wanted to take, so it was canceled, but she is signed up for Daisys and if no one steps up to be the troop leader, I'm going to do it. I feel bad as she needs something to look forward to and she doesn't want to do dance, she can't do soccer until the spring, and we missed the boat for swim signups. She is making friends and has a best friend in her class already - her mom and I are playing phone tag, but we hope to get the girls together for a playdate soon.
And then we have Cha-cha...this has been a good month for him in a lot of ways. He has gone from sitting by himself and hanging out with the teachers during outside time, to running and chasing the kids in their unorganized tag/chase games. When he wants to join in on an activity, he points to himself and yells, "Me!" and rarely gets a teacher to help him join in. His language is making progress in many ways. He doesn't have too many new words, but he's using his old words more and more. Recently we've heard a few 2 word utterances such as, /ma-ma coo/, /bee-bee coo/, and /cha-cha coo/ for Mama's school, Bee-bee's school, and Cha-cha's school. He also has said /shz uh/ for shoes off and the other night we heard /go ca peaz/ for go car please, when he wanted to go for a ride. He is learning his colors and can say in his own way, yellow, purple, blue and pink. His new greeting is the French version of hello - /allo/ - it is freaking hysterical, even when he's suppose to be going to sleep and he pops up and yells, "Allo!" It constantly makes hubby and I laugh.
An exciting thing happened this week too during his EI SLP session - she came in with the OT and we were chatting, Cha-cha pulled out some of her toys and started scripting his own play with a ball toy - saying /up/, /go/, /duh/ for down, and /eh/ for in with no prompting. Then he took out the farm animals and started making them eat saying /num-num/ and saying some of their sounds without prompting...his SLP burst into happy tears and said, "I've never seen him do that on his own without any prompting!" Of course, this is something we've been working on with him for over a year now - and he can finally do it on his own.
Of course, then you have setbacks...we are currently in a sleeping hell with Cha-cha - he won't stay in his toddler bed and he won't stay asleep. For the first two weeks of school with all the craziness, we were sitting outside his bedroom for a good 2 hours and were getting nowhere. We drive him around to get to sleep and he wakes up an hour later (at 11pm). If he happens to fall asleep and we move him to his bed, by 3am he is up and wanting to come to our bed. It was never our intention to have him sleep with us - but we were desperate - we all needed to get more than 5 hours of sleep a night - and now we've created a small monster. On top of that, we've seen his sensory issues go to another extreme at night - it's almost like we spend all day long getting his motor running, that in the evening, you can't stop him. He tosses and twirls and flips in his bed - he's wired. Thankfully, we are starting sessions with an OT next week and we're going to be looking at some brushing techniques to see if that will help calm his motor at night, as well as looking into a weighted blanket for him.
Another issue is that he's not excited to see his therapists come to his school. When his Developmental Specialist, who he has seen since he was 7 months old, comes to daycare he runs to the door and tells her to "Go!" and "No!" and "Bu-bye!" Eventually he will work with her, but he's very slow to warm up. Same with his SLP - he's starting to tell her to "Go" and doesn't want to work with her. His outside SLP, when she pushes him, he pushes back and tells her to "Move" and "Go" Granted, we're excited that he's communicating his wants, but at the same time, it makes everyone wonder if we're pushing him too much. I would say that at least 50 minutes out of the hour sessions, he's working and enjoying himself - so for 10 minutes of discomfort for everyone, he does get into things and is laughing and playing for the rest of the time.
Now we're on to a new month - we're going to keep doing the things we're doing in terms of therapy with Cha-cha and add some OT to see if we can keep things going in the right direction. We're going to try to let him cry it out for sleep so we can have our bed back. I'm going to start a homeschool math curriculum with Bee-bee to try to challenge her. We're going to enjoy the fall weather and do apple picking and fun fall things.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Whirl Wind Wednesday
We are in the middle of the week - WEDNESDAY! My things are going fast - I don't think I've ever been this exhausted...well, yes I have, but it's been a long time since I felt this way. School is in full swing and I am so happy that I made some big changes in my teaching career last year. Teaching a new grade level has been refreshing and fun. Even today when I was getting tired of asking a few students to do the same thing over and over - I reminded myself that I was enjoying where I was, who I was working with, and loving my new students. I had a parent phone call after school that made me smile and it sealed the deal that this is where I'm suppose to be.
At the same time, our after school life is a little crazy - two different pick ups, therapy, art lessons, and now I'm trying to throw swim lessons into the mix - add the "regular" things like lunch making, dinner, baths, homework (for K! eeek!), and bedtimes and I'm lucky to sit down by 8:00pm.
Bee-bee is loving school and when I find time to find my cord and upload pictures, I have a few cute ones of her first day of K. She loves her teacher, she loves learning her letters (that she's already learned), and she loves commenting on other kids' behaviors...yeah, that one I need to put to rest soon. Being a teacher, I love how she comments on how her teacher runs her classroom - she is fascinated that the tables have the same color chairs, so the teacher only has to call out, "Will the yellow chairs please line up..." She loves her mailbox at school where she gets her daily forms for mommy to fill out and return the next day (seriously, how many more forms can I put my name, phone number, and emergency contact on?). Yes, I think we have a future school teacher on our hands.
Little man is plugging along. I think he is finally opening up at school. They are hearing more sounds and more word attempts than the first week where all I think he did was sign and gesture. He really is a trooper. Yesterday, we have no idea how this happened, but he was bit by a nasty mosquito at least 15 times on his face/head and back of his legs. He looked like he was left outside overnight for 10 hours, yet he was inside all night, sleeping right next to me (yeah, this bedtime/sleeping thing requires a whole post in itself). Hubby ran some benedryl over to him and he seemed fine all day - never once scratched or complained. The "blessing" of his SPD means that he doesn't feel light pain. He could get a minor cut/scratch or bite from a bug and not feel it. He currently has a scratch on his foot and we have no idea how it happened - all we know is that it happened at home and between a certain time frame, but when it happened, he never shouted, cried, yelled, or showed us. I just noticed it on his foot with a little blood. We go to his pedi on Friday (yet another thing to add to my afternoons) and I'm hoping she can help us out with these ballooning bug bites and seeing if she has ideas of his lack of feeling minor pain.
Other than that, we are plugging along - he is definitely pushing himself more in his therapy and he really loves his outside therapist, Emily. All I have to say is, "Do you want to see Miss Emily?" and he is running for the door. When we get there, he insists on pressing the elevator button and I pretend I don't know where I'm going and he thinks it's the best thing on earth as he shows me where to go and yells, "ka!" (come) as he runs down the hallway. We're really lucky that we found her.
We have a big weekend coming up - more about that later! Time for the Whirl Wind Wednesday to start! :)
At the same time, our after school life is a little crazy - two different pick ups, therapy, art lessons, and now I'm trying to throw swim lessons into the mix - add the "regular" things like lunch making, dinner, baths, homework (for K! eeek!), and bedtimes and I'm lucky to sit down by 8:00pm.
Bee-bee is loving school and when I find time to find my cord and upload pictures, I have a few cute ones of her first day of K. She loves her teacher, she loves learning her letters (that she's already learned), and she loves commenting on other kids' behaviors...yeah, that one I need to put to rest soon. Being a teacher, I love how she comments on how her teacher runs her classroom - she is fascinated that the tables have the same color chairs, so the teacher only has to call out, "Will the yellow chairs please line up..." She loves her mailbox at school where she gets her daily forms for mommy to fill out and return the next day (seriously, how many more forms can I put my name, phone number, and emergency contact on?). Yes, I think we have a future school teacher on our hands.
Little man is plugging along. I think he is finally opening up at school. They are hearing more sounds and more word attempts than the first week where all I think he did was sign and gesture. He really is a trooper. Yesterday, we have no idea how this happened, but he was bit by a nasty mosquito at least 15 times on his face/head and back of his legs. He looked like he was left outside overnight for 10 hours, yet he was inside all night, sleeping right next to me (yeah, this bedtime/sleeping thing requires a whole post in itself). Hubby ran some benedryl over to him and he seemed fine all day - never once scratched or complained. The "blessing" of his SPD means that he doesn't feel light pain. He could get a minor cut/scratch or bite from a bug and not feel it. He currently has a scratch on his foot and we have no idea how it happened - all we know is that it happened at home and between a certain time frame, but when it happened, he never shouted, cried, yelled, or showed us. I just noticed it on his foot with a little blood. We go to his pedi on Friday (yet another thing to add to my afternoons) and I'm hoping she can help us out with these ballooning bug bites and seeing if she has ideas of his lack of feeling minor pain.
Other than that, we are plugging along - he is definitely pushing himself more in his therapy and he really loves his outside therapist, Emily. All I have to say is, "Do you want to see Miss Emily?" and he is running for the door. When we get there, he insists on pressing the elevator button and I pretend I don't know where I'm going and he thinks it's the best thing on earth as he shows me where to go and yells, "ka!" (come) as he runs down the hallway. We're really lucky that we found her.
We have a big weekend coming up - more about that later! Time for the Whirl Wind Wednesday to start! :)
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