A summary of Samuel's last 3 weeks at church:
Three weeks ago Samuel made it through ALL of mass sitting in church. I don't think we even had to go to the vestibule for a water break. Granted, it was early in the morning and at the time I thought perhaps he wasn't very awake, thereby accounting for his compliant behavior. Also, he recited the last part of The Lord's Prayer! I have been holding up a board book with the words to this prayer for well over a year now, but he has never said any of it out loud.
The second Sunday he not only sat with me, but with his brothers as well. We only had to take one water break, but it was at a pretty good time. Both weeks we reached the Homily before I gave him any Skittles (which has been my reinforcer to keep him quiet for some time now). Now for the amazing part: we attended mass at a time that we have not gone in over a year, AND THIS MASS HAD MUSIC AND SINGING! I informed him ahead of time that there would be singing and music. I asked him if he would be able to tolerate this. His first answer was "No," but after a few seconds he said, "Okay." I really didn't expect him to be able to tolerate it, but he did fantastic! He again said part of the Lord's Prayer out loud.
The third Sunday was today. Hopeful that Samuel would continue his positive trend, I had our entire family sit in the same pew, something we have not done yet. This appeared to bother Samuel a little, but he sat just as well as he had the previous two weeks. We didn't have to take any water break, but just before communion he got a little impatient. He was asking questions about the Lord's Prayer book and I asked him to wait until after church was over for us to talk about it. Well, that was a bit much for him so he tossed the book! Fortunately we were in the back row so it did not land on anyone. He then screamed so I took him out to the vestibule where he screamed again. I then took him outside of the church. It was a bit chilly so he was not very happy to be there. I told him that he needed to have a quiet mouth before we went back in. The screaming started again and this time his Dad came out. He gave me our little girl and he took Samuel out to the car. Thank goodness our 10 year old and 5 year old boys are little angels in church. They are used to us having to leave them when we have to deal with our little girl or Samuel.
Oh well, our church hasn't been "treated" to Samuel's screams in a long time but they got quite a dose of it today!
What will I do differently next week? First, I'll try to get the boys to bed a little earlier the night before! I got caught up in change-of-seasons clothing project last night and bedtime got away from me! Also, I think I am going to re-type the Lord's prayer on some plain paper. Samuel gets very interested in one of the pictures in his board book, which is what he was trying to talk to me about today. Important: I will show him the re-typed prayer and will let him know that it will replace the board book at mass! Also, if Dad gives me a break from Samuel, I'll be sure to take Samuel back into the church before we leave. I think that is important. He needs to know his behavior doesn't get him out of the expectation we have of him to be in church.
When I got in the car after mass, Samuel was crying and said "I'm so sorry Mommy!" I told him it was okay and that we would try again next week!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Long Days, Lots of Work
I hope I don't sound negative or self-pitying in this post, I'm just sharing what life has been like the last few weeks.
It has been a big adjustment going from one student at home to three. I'm still doing my best to look over all their work every day and to lay out some kind of schedule each day. This then gives me something to look back at to track my progress and the kids' progress. I'm having a hard time keeping up with it, and all that needs to be taken care of around the house. I had hoped that while I was going through the process this fall of discovering what Samuel really knows, that I could also be looking into additional consultant help and checking out alternative teaching materials. I've been surprised at how much I have to alter the materials I use to teach Samuel. I had thought the layout of the first grade materials I am using would appeal to him. He likes the pictures in the workbooks I have, but he just cannot seem to work on the pages. I don't know if there's just too much on the page, or maybe he has a vision problem. He does much better when I type his lessons in a large font on Writing With Symbols. Anyways, I'm so busy during the day that I keep forgetting to try to call potential consultants. I also haven't put as much into planning a social skills curriculum.. though I'm sure we're doing just fine with what I've put together at the last minute so far.
So far the subjects that appeal to Samuel the most are Religion, spelling, and reading(he likes th reader we use). One of my in-home helpers has noticed that Samuel doesn't react well when we try to count money ( I usually make up worksheets, so he's counting pictures of coins on paper). Now that we're up to the 7th week of doing this I'm trying to notice patterns as well.
Samuel's attention span has been very short and it was particularly bad last week. My strategy is to wait him out when he is not paying attention. So far he has been a bit better this week. Yesterday, however, I had to wait him out for almost an hour before he cooperated with working. This was around the time a favorite TV show of his was on. I made him work in a different area away from the TV. He didn't give in until after the TV show was over. We started working a good half hour before it was due to start! I'm so thankful that our in-home helper was able to keep a good eye on him during this time so I could keep the day going for the other kids! Once Samuel decided he was going to do his work, he finished up in less than fifteen minutes!
I'm finding I have a new appreciation for Samuel's former teacher and his aids. Sometimes it is not easy to get Samuel to communicate what he knows. I understand a bit better now just how much effort can sometimes go into teaching him. Not only that, but so much of his performance depends on his willingness to cooperate.
There's lots more I could say, but I am tired and need to get to sleep. Even though I'm exhausted now, I know this transition phase won't last forever. I still think I have done the right thing by deciding to keep all my sons at home for their education. Now I can understand the advice I've heard from others who have started homeschooling a special needs child; to know that a good part of the first school year might just be getting used to working together and "deschooling."
It has been a big adjustment going from one student at home to three. I'm still doing my best to look over all their work every day and to lay out some kind of schedule each day. This then gives me something to look back at to track my progress and the kids' progress. I'm having a hard time keeping up with it, and all that needs to be taken care of around the house. I had hoped that while I was going through the process this fall of discovering what Samuel really knows, that I could also be looking into additional consultant help and checking out alternative teaching materials. I've been surprised at how much I have to alter the materials I use to teach Samuel. I had thought the layout of the first grade materials I am using would appeal to him. He likes the pictures in the workbooks I have, but he just cannot seem to work on the pages. I don't know if there's just too much on the page, or maybe he has a vision problem. He does much better when I type his lessons in a large font on Writing With Symbols. Anyways, I'm so busy during the day that I keep forgetting to try to call potential consultants. I also haven't put as much into planning a social skills curriculum.. though I'm sure we're doing just fine with what I've put together at the last minute so far.
So far the subjects that appeal to Samuel the most are Religion, spelling, and reading(he likes th reader we use). One of my in-home helpers has noticed that Samuel doesn't react well when we try to count money ( I usually make up worksheets, so he's counting pictures of coins on paper). Now that we're up to the 7th week of doing this I'm trying to notice patterns as well.
Samuel's attention span has been very short and it was particularly bad last week. My strategy is to wait him out when he is not paying attention. So far he has been a bit better this week. Yesterday, however, I had to wait him out for almost an hour before he cooperated with working. This was around the time a favorite TV show of his was on. I made him work in a different area away from the TV. He didn't give in until after the TV show was over. We started working a good half hour before it was due to start! I'm so thankful that our in-home helper was able to keep a good eye on him during this time so I could keep the day going for the other kids! Once Samuel decided he was going to do his work, he finished up in less than fifteen minutes!
I'm finding I have a new appreciation for Samuel's former teacher and his aids. Sometimes it is not easy to get Samuel to communicate what he knows. I understand a bit better now just how much effort can sometimes go into teaching him. Not only that, but so much of his performance depends on his willingness to cooperate.
There's lots more I could say, but I am tired and need to get to sleep. Even though I'm exhausted now, I know this transition phase won't last forever. I still think I have done the right thing by deciding to keep all my sons at home for their education. Now I can understand the advice I've heard from others who have started homeschooling a special needs child; to know that a good part of the first school year might just be getting used to working together and "deschooling."
Monday, October 8, 2007
What Surgery?
Samuel's dental work went so well that now, only 9 days later, the whole experience is just a distant memory. He didn't seem to be in any pain this week at all. It is wonderful to see him with complete front teeth again! We have a follow up appointment with his dentist this week. I am expecting that everything will be okay.
We have been into our new school year for a month now. I am quite happy with how things are going. I have developed schedules for the boys that I review each day. I stay up late at night and get up very early in the morning to make sure I have work ready and lined up. Once the day gets started it is best for me to be completely prepared so that I can go an "automatic" mode.
Samuel's school day has become a series of sessions working at the kitchen table. We start off the morning with a look at the calendar and a Social Skills lesson. Samuel's two brothers join us for this. Then for the rest of the day I alternate teaching times between all 3 boys. Samuel has one in-home helper that is with us to get his morning started and then another starts later in the morning. He helps keep Samuel at the table while we do school work, and then they do other activities in the playroom or outside while I work with the other boys. The days go by quickly!
My goals for the next few months with Samuel are to continue trying to assess his abilities, coming up with more hands-on activities both for school work and leisure time, and trying to figure out where to take his lessons from here! I'm hoping to get some consultant help with this.
We have been into our new school year for a month now. I am quite happy with how things are going. I have developed schedules for the boys that I review each day. I stay up late at night and get up very early in the morning to make sure I have work ready and lined up. Once the day gets started it is best for me to be completely prepared so that I can go an "automatic" mode.
Samuel's school day has become a series of sessions working at the kitchen table. We start off the morning with a look at the calendar and a Social Skills lesson. Samuel's two brothers join us for this. Then for the rest of the day I alternate teaching times between all 3 boys. Samuel has one in-home helper that is with us to get his morning started and then another starts later in the morning. He helps keep Samuel at the table while we do school work, and then they do other activities in the playroom or outside while I work with the other boys. The days go by quickly!
My goals for the next few months with Samuel are to continue trying to assess his abilities, coming up with more hands-on activities both for school work and leisure time, and trying to figure out where to take his lessons from here! I'm hoping to get some consultant help with this.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Praise Only for the Cured: The Autism Acceptance Project
Thank you to Estee Klar-Wolfond for this wonderful video statement about how autism is presented in the media. Be sure to visit her blog, The Joy of Autism.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Meeting Another Parent at the Park
Several Saturdays ago I took the 2 younger boys and my baby girl to the park. Samuel's helper was with us. It is so nice to have help for Samuel while we are out in public! It is impossible for me to take the kids to the park or on other errands without attendant help.
As my little girl played a cute little red-haired boy came up and touched her. It was as though he really liked her arms, he kept touching and rubbing them. My baby girl wasn't too amused! Then the little boy flapped his hands wildly and jumped up and down a little. "This looks very familiar," I thought to myself. I was quite sure he had autism. His Dad appeared a short while later. I could tell that he had been searching for his boy and he was quite exasperated. The little boy picked up someone else's bottle of water to take a drink. Dad yelled but by then the little boy was off on other adventures. Dad chased behind him. I wanted so bady to talk to his Dad, but even as the parent of a child with autism, I was stumped as to a good icebreaker to begin a conversation with him. ("Hi, I see your boy has autism..." ??? "Hi, I know how it is, chasing such an active little guy.."????) The icebreaker ended up coming from my curiosity when I saw the little boy was wearing a monitoring device around his ankle. My husband and I have thought about getting one for Samuel.
Anyways, the Dad and I ended up talking for the remainder of our visit at the park. His son is four years old and does indeed have autism. Dad is no longer married to his son's Mom. She lives with the little boy in another county and that is where he goes to school. He admitted that he doesn't have to deal with things on a daily basis like his ex-wife does, but he seemed to really enjoy talking with someone about his son. He had lots of questions, and we both shared stories about the funny things our guys do. I really enjoyed watching his little boy. He was cute and I could tell he is smart as a whip! Even though there are lots of differences between them, seeing this little guy brought back lots of memories of when Samuel was an active pre-schooler.
If it hadn't been for Samuel's helper keeping me on track, I could have stayed and talked another hour to the Dad at the park. It was best things wrapped up though, he was struggling to talk to me while he watched his son at the same time. I had the luxury of someone helping Samuel!
As my little girl played a cute little red-haired boy came up and touched her. It was as though he really liked her arms, he kept touching and rubbing them. My baby girl wasn't too amused! Then the little boy flapped his hands wildly and jumped up and down a little. "This looks very familiar," I thought to myself. I was quite sure he had autism. His Dad appeared a short while later. I could tell that he had been searching for his boy and he was quite exasperated. The little boy picked up someone else's bottle of water to take a drink. Dad yelled but by then the little boy was off on other adventures. Dad chased behind him. I wanted so bady to talk to his Dad, but even as the parent of a child with autism, I was stumped as to a good icebreaker to begin a conversation with him. ("Hi, I see your boy has autism..." ??? "Hi, I know how it is, chasing such an active little guy.."????) The icebreaker ended up coming from my curiosity when I saw the little boy was wearing a monitoring device around his ankle. My husband and I have thought about getting one for Samuel.
Anyways, the Dad and I ended up talking for the remainder of our visit at the park. His son is four years old and does indeed have autism. Dad is no longer married to his son's Mom. She lives with the little boy in another county and that is where he goes to school. He admitted that he doesn't have to deal with things on a daily basis like his ex-wife does, but he seemed to really enjoy talking with someone about his son. He had lots of questions, and we both shared stories about the funny things our guys do. I really enjoyed watching his little boy. He was cute and I could tell he is smart as a whip! Even though there are lots of differences between them, seeing this little guy brought back lots of memories of when Samuel was an active pre-schooler.
If it hadn't been for Samuel's helper keeping me on track, I could have stayed and talked another hour to the Dad at the park. It was best things wrapped up though, he was struggling to talk to me while he watched his son at the same time. I had the luxury of someone helping Samuel!
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