Jonathan has been doing some speech-therapy sessions this summer with Annette at Hotel Dieu Hospital. The goal is to get him speaking in two (or more) - word combinations, since at the moment he speaks mostly in single words, usually to comment on what he wants or what interests him: "Toast!" "Plane!" "Truck!" etc. Annette uses toys and games as incentive to try to get him to speak: for example, she will show him a picture card, say "Boy drinking," and try to get Jonathan to repeat the words. If he does, she rewards him, perhaps by letting him capture a toy fish or giving him a little toy sword to stick in a slot. As she gives him this reward she encourages him to say "I want red" or "I want fish." He is getting the idea, although sometimes he is so focused on saying "I want" that he uses it out of context; or when she tries to change it to "I got," he keeps repeating "I want." And halfway through our last session, as Annette was getting out another game, Jonathan sat back happily and said, "I ... want ... ba-ba day!" In other words, blue-box day, his favourite time of the week.
Whether in single words or the occasional phrase, he gets his point across, even if it's in kind of an unorthodox way at times. When we were in PEI, Rich would try to get him to thank Grandma for the meal. After one supper (when Jonathan had just eaten his sixth potato of the day), Rich said, "Say 'thank you Grandma.' " To which Jonathan replied enthusiastically, "Pay-toes! Good!" Grandma agreed that that was thanks enough.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
PEI vacation
We just got back from a 2-week vacation in PEI. We had a very relaxing and enjoyable time there, as always. As soon as we arrived, Allison went looking for the old readers Grandpa & Grandma have on their bookshelf, and Jonathan went looking for toys--in other words, they made themselves at home.
This vacation was particularly special because I got to see all of my brothers--a rarity. We haven't all been together since May 2005. One lives in Maine, one in London ON, one in Fredericton NB (just moved from Edmonton), and one in PEI, so we are quite spread out. It was fun to see them, my 3 sisters-in-law, and my 2 nieces Meredith (14) and Sadie (almost 3).
The strangest thing that happened during our stay in PEI was a 2-day power outage. We should have paid attention to the small omen that occurred on Thursday night while we were staying at a motel in New Brunswick: the power went off for an hour in the middle of the night. Whether that was a portent of the coming storm I'm not sure but a big electrical storm hit different parts of PEI on Fri Aug 3 and Sat Aug 4. At 5 pm on the Saturday, just as we sat down to eat Allison's birthday dinner, the power went out--and it didn't come on until 3pm on Monday. There were many outages all over the Island; extra hydro crews from Newfoundland had to be called in to help get things up and running again. Meanwhile we had 9 people in the house and no lights, running water, or operational toilets. Enforced camping, you might say. We lit kerosene lamps, foraged for cold meals, did a couple of Tim Horton's coffee runs, went to a campground for water, took my parents' small freezer to plug in at an uncle's house ... in other words, we made do. These experiences always make you realize how much you take modern conveniences for granted! We certainly cheered when the lights came on on Monday afternoon.
Otherwise we had a lot of fun going on drives, playing at the beach, and doing touristy things. Allison and I went with my brother and his family to see the "Anne of Green Gables" musical--Allison's first time, my fourth, though I hadn't been in many years.
For me the best times were just sitting around in the kitchen or on the front lawn with family members, exchanging stories and laughing at the antics of kids and dogs. Bye for now, PEI--see you next year!
This vacation was particularly special because I got to see all of my brothers--a rarity. We haven't all been together since May 2005. One lives in Maine, one in London ON, one in Fredericton NB (just moved from Edmonton), and one in PEI, so we are quite spread out. It was fun to see them, my 3 sisters-in-law, and my 2 nieces Meredith (14) and Sadie (almost 3).
The strangest thing that happened during our stay in PEI was a 2-day power outage. We should have paid attention to the small omen that occurred on Thursday night while we were staying at a motel in New Brunswick: the power went off for an hour in the middle of the night. Whether that was a portent of the coming storm I'm not sure but a big electrical storm hit different parts of PEI on Fri Aug 3 and Sat Aug 4. At 5 pm on the Saturday, just as we sat down to eat Allison's birthday dinner, the power went out--and it didn't come on until 3pm on Monday. There were many outages all over the Island; extra hydro crews from Newfoundland had to be called in to help get things up and running again. Meanwhile we had 9 people in the house and no lights, running water, or operational toilets. Enforced camping, you might say. We lit kerosene lamps, foraged for cold meals, did a couple of Tim Horton's coffee runs, went to a campground for water, took my parents' small freezer to plug in at an uncle's house ... in other words, we made do. These experiences always make you realize how much you take modern conveniences for granted! We certainly cheered when the lights came on on Monday afternoon.
Otherwise we had a lot of fun going on drives, playing at the beach, and doing touristy things. Allison and I went with my brother and his family to see the "Anne of Green Gables" musical--Allison's first time, my fourth, though I hadn't been in many years.
For me the best times were just sitting around in the kitchen or on the front lawn with family members, exchanging stories and laughing at the antics of kids and dogs. Bye for now, PEI--see you next year!
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Happy 9th birthday Allison
Today, August 4, Allison turns nine; this will be her last single-digit year! Allison is growing up into a beautiful young lady with a creative imagination. Not only is she an avid (OK, addicted is a better word) reader, often having 45 books out of the library at one time, but she is turning into a creative and fluent writer who keeps a journal and a "Jonathan funny book" and is writing her own stories.
Happy birthday Allison!
We love you!
Happy birthday Allison!
We love you!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
friendship skills
Allison's experience at Friendship Camp is now just a memory, but a good one. She is already talking about going back next year if the camp is held again.
Each day the staff sent home a letter describing the activities done and the skills taught, and suggesting activities to be done at home. One of the major things the group covered was emotional management, with an interesting five-point scale used to rate how upsetting each child might find a particular thing. The points on the scale were
(1) doesn't bother me
(2) bugs me
(3) makes me nervous
(4) upsets me
(5) I could lose control
The children were given an envelope with dozens of small strips of paper that said things like "getting my hair washed", "a thunderstorm", "having dirty hands", "meeting someone new", "losing a game", "being praised", etc. and they were to put each strip in the pocket that corresponded to how upsetting that thing was to them. They made posters with colours and pictures that expressed each level on the scale. They also learned all kinds of strategies for dealing with things that might upset them. For example, they made a "toolbox", a booklet with things they could do to relax and calm themselves during/after upsetting events. They practiced breathing techniques and even a few yoga poses that could help with relaxation.
One thing to be learned from the above activities is that there is a surprising range in what people find upsetting. Allison said meeting new people did not bother her at all, yet being praised makes her nervous. (We learned long ago that effusive praise is entirely the wrong approach with Allison and can even make her cry; a casual "Hey, it's cool how you did that" or "That's pretty nice writing" is much more effective.)
The children also learned a lot of different strategies for typical social situations:
- how to talk on the phone
- how to break politely into a group that is already involved in conversation
- how to recognize when someone else has something to say or is bored by your monologue
- how close to stand to someone depending on if it's a family member, stranger, etc.
Many of these were taught by the camp staff doing little skits that showed the kids the wrong way to behave, and then asking for suggestions on how to act differently.
It is really amazing that this program is offered for children like Allison. She learned some good practical skills, had a lot of fun, and made some new friends.
Each day the staff sent home a letter describing the activities done and the skills taught, and suggesting activities to be done at home. One of the major things the group covered was emotional management, with an interesting five-point scale used to rate how upsetting each child might find a particular thing. The points on the scale were
(1) doesn't bother me
(2) bugs me
(3) makes me nervous
(4) upsets me
(5) I could lose control
The children were given an envelope with dozens of small strips of paper that said things like "getting my hair washed", "a thunderstorm", "having dirty hands", "meeting someone new", "losing a game", "being praised", etc. and they were to put each strip in the pocket that corresponded to how upsetting that thing was to them. They made posters with colours and pictures that expressed each level on the scale. They also learned all kinds of strategies for dealing with things that might upset them. For example, they made a "toolbox", a booklet with things they could do to relax and calm themselves during/after upsetting events. They practiced breathing techniques and even a few yoga poses that could help with relaxation.
One thing to be learned from the above activities is that there is a surprising range in what people find upsetting. Allison said meeting new people did not bother her at all, yet being praised makes her nervous. (We learned long ago that effusive praise is entirely the wrong approach with Allison and can even make her cry; a casual "Hey, it's cool how you did that" or "That's pretty nice writing" is much more effective.)
The children also learned a lot of different strategies for typical social situations:
- how to talk on the phone
- how to break politely into a group that is already involved in conversation
- how to recognize when someone else has something to say or is bored by your monologue
- how close to stand to someone depending on if it's a family member, stranger, etc.
Many of these were taught by the camp staff doing little skits that showed the kids the wrong way to behave, and then asking for suggestions on how to act differently.
It is really amazing that this program is offered for children like Allison. She learned some good practical skills, had a lot of fun, and made some new friends.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Allison's "Friendship Camp"
This is an exciting week for Allison. Every morning she will be attending a Friendship Skills Camp run by the Child Development Centre here in town. This no-cost program is exclusively for children with Asperger Syndrome and high-functioning autism, and this week's camp is just for 8- and 9-year-olds. There are only six children attending, and interestingly enough there is one other girl besides Allison. In terms of children with these disorders, boys outnumber girls by about 4 to 1, so to have two girls in such a small group is wonderful.
I dropped Allison off for her first morning at the camp, held at a local school. Tears came to my eyes as I entered the room and saw this small group of sweet, quirky little people, greeting each other in their awkward ways. The other little girl, whose name is Madison, immediately focused on Allison and said "Hi!" to her with a big smile. When the morning was over and the parents came to pick up their kids, Madison went to her mom and excitedly pointed Allison out, saying, "This is Allison! Her name is Allison!"
The camp is specifically geared to helping children develop friendship-making skills and understanding emotions. Today they did activities like role-playing conversations, colouring pictures according to the feelings depicted, and practicing greetings--not to mention plain old fun on the playground. Allison had a great first morning and is very excited about the rest of the week.
I dropped Allison off for her first morning at the camp, held at a local school. Tears came to my eyes as I entered the room and saw this small group of sweet, quirky little people, greeting each other in their awkward ways. The other little girl, whose name is Madison, immediately focused on Allison and said "Hi!" to her with a big smile. When the morning was over and the parents came to pick up their kids, Madison went to her mom and excitedly pointed Allison out, saying, "This is Allison! Her name is Allison!"
The camp is specifically geared to helping children develop friendship-making skills and understanding emotions. Today they did activities like role-playing conversations, colouring pictures according to the feelings depicted, and practicing greetings--not to mention plain old fun on the playground. Allison had a great first morning and is very excited about the rest of the week.
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