11/10 Preschool work book

Today we worked in a preschool workbook. We did 15 pages and he did great on the mazes, finding the bigger pictures(same pics--each item is a different size), same with knowing which was smaller. KNows which is longer. For some reason at first couldn't grasp which was shorter on the first picture but after I explained he retained it and got the rest of the pictures correct.

He found the items that were the same in the pictures and found matches. He found the different pictures and I made sure that I asked him WHY they were different and most of the time he could tell a reason why they were different..sometimes he could pick two or three things out. It amazed me that he found the harder reasons as to why it was different rather then the simplest which was always it was a different color(yes he knows his colors...LOL)

He matched pictures and said what went with what. Like they gave 4 pics. A tennis racket and you had to figure out what with in the next 4 pics and he always got that correct.

We just started at the beginning of the book. It does get harder as you go through the book. But the simplest pictures are the best for me to get him talking and saying why something is different. But so far seems easy so I'm trying to think of a few things to make that harder. But I praise him so that maybe it will keep him trying(even if the stuff seems so simple to me and to him)

I'm going to look tomorrow at the store for a few different workbooks. And make out his weekly reading list. And questions we can ask him with those books. Den doesn't do that great of thinking of questions so I'm going to write up a few short questions for him to ask when he reads to him at night. Den loves to read to the kids, just doesn't think of what he can ask so maybe if he sees my simple questions that will help.

Thusday 11/3.

11/3/2005

Thursday Christian doesn't have preschool so since it was gorgeous outside we went on a 2 mile hike. His speech therapist said outings were good for him and to do them a lot because so far in our experience they are causing spontaneous speech--clear sentences.
I made sure to ask him tons of questions and encouraed him to ask his own. Granted, we do this anyways. But we have to make sure to do it in more detail because he needs details.

Then we went to Walmart and bought a few things. I bought a few different workbooks that I want to make sure to get some pages copied of first so we have a few extras if he doesn't understand the page we are working on.

Then we went ahead and bought a few games, Memory and CandyLand. Games we've had in the past that pieces have been lost. So we can only get these games down if I get them down. He needs to concentrate more and improve his memory. So we got one game to help with his memory and another to help him sit down and enjoy the game but still help him with some of his needs.

He has story time tonight with, Den. I think on his 2 days off, we are going to have a more structured environment. Normally those 2 days, we were just doing whatever but I'm going to start having story time, game time(Kel plays too) and workbook time. Story time will probably take a while since it will be full of questions so hopefully I can keep him into it. He likes to do this stuff at home but getting him to do it with me is like pulling teeth.

If anyone else has anything else to ad that may help, feel free to let me know!

IEP Speech goals

Last year I really took Christian for testing for his speech. At that point, I wasn't aware that his cognitive skills could be delayed because of his language delay. But slowly(very slowly) he is speaking in sentences and can "sometimes" have a spontaneous speech sentence that is clear. And other times he isn't clear and still sounds tongue tied.

His speech therapist says he Strengths are:
**Understands one/all.
**Understands negatives in a sentence.
**Understands more/most.
**Understands expanded sentences.
**long/tall
**understands noun plus 2 modifying adjectives.
**Quantity concepts 3 and 5(those are just examples of what numbers he was tested with
**Orders pic from largest to smallest
**rhyming sounds
**Combines 3 or 4 words in spontaneous speech.
**Answers what/where questions
**uses verb plus "ing" (running)
**completes analogies
**uses concepts short/long
**describes similiarities
**completes similies (I can swim like a______ (he will fill in the blank with fish on his own with no coaching)
counts items and give correct numbers

You may be wondering why his speech therapist is helping him so much with the above strengths instead of concentrating on sounds. She DOES do sounds BUT she needs to build up his cognitive learning skills--his understand skills also.

Needsto improve
**Descriptive concepts
Articulation of F, CH, L, J, V BL, FL, GL, KL, PL, SL, SP, SW in words
Use of sentences with correct grammar(gotta giggle--many adults can't speak properly and they want someone who just turned 5 to do it...LOL)
Understand pronouns and the use of them
understanding spatial concepts--behind, below, in front, beside...etc.
Answer Questions logically.

It sounds like a lot but we have specific ideas to help at home and he is in a structured environment at school.

We really have to question the heck out of him when we read stories--they said every page is helpful currently and then to space the questions out a few pages and ask him questions for the last few pages so that he can't see the pictures)

We can't just stick a flash card in his face and tell him to tell us the color, what number it is and such...it won't work for him and will bore him. He KNOWS his colors, numbers, how to write his numbers, how to write his name. It isn't that he can't do things, there is a LOT he CAN do and we need to focus on those but bring into light some of the things he can't do and incorporate those into what he can do.

But I actually feel alright after this meeting because it gives me a better place to start. Last year they did a good job with him...I mean he increased by 16 months. But knowing how much he improved with them, gives me and them a better start on his weaknesses.

So hopefully I can come here and list more strengths and cross off his weaknesses. It is going to be a struggle but one I know we can overcome

11/2/2005 IEP meeting--social & academic goals

Today was Christian's IEP meeting. Last year he was in the IEP class but this year needed to be in a class with "typical" children. Typical just means children that are on target for their age or have no delays or disabilities.

Last year when Christian entered school he was a 36 month level. This year he is at a 52 month level so he improved by 16 months...YAY!

Christian has to improve his social development & personal responsibility. Plus he has a delay in cognitive development--needs to improve memory, reasoning, academic skills, and perception and concepts.

One of his goals for this year was to say hi to his teachers on his own without being coached and to go over and play with the other students in the morning on his own. Which I am very proud to say he is doing on his own. He has friends--but he has 2 little boys that he talks about constantly.

Another goal that he reached is matching simple words, recalling objects, identifying sources of common objects and identifying the longer of two sticks which he had problems with last year. He had a lot of trouble with big/small, Which is longer, taller and this year he has that mastered.

Needs improvement on and goals for this year
Goals:
**He needs to exchange ideas with other children and also go along with other children's ideas 90% of the time.(shows that he has social skills to agree to go along with another child but also needs to show his own ideas)
**Will Recognize another's need for help and offers assistance.
**Recall facts from an oral story. (He gets confused if their are too many facts. Say there is a black dog and a gray cat. At the end of the story if you ask him what color the dog is he may say gray. It is easier for him to see the items then it is for him to have to visually picture it in his head)

Read next post for his speech/language goals

The Beginning

Christian was born 2 1/2 months early and while we were cautioned from birth that he could suffer serious problems or be delayed in his growth he didn't seem to have any noticeable problems. Around 2 1/2 years old, we realized that his speech just wasn't going to improve on its own. We started flash cards and other typical things. We pointed everything out and tried to get him to repeat everything. If he wanted something, we made him ask. There was no pointing or grunting for things. At 3 1/2 he still hadn't improved. I was getting frustrated beyond belief with MYSELF because I couldn't figure out why I couldn't help him. I mean I'm his mom and I couldn't get him to do something as simple as talking.

So we started going to the doctor's which was almost a waste of time...don't get me wrong I LOVE our doctor but it was just so hard to figure out where the next step would be. When he turned 4 in July, we decided to try head start--well actually we tried when he was still 3 but it took them 8 months to tell me that no even though he had a need we couldn't get him into head start because we made more money then the average person--whatever is all I have to say to that. The head start wouldn't even clue me in on where to go. I think it was pure laziness on their part because the speech therapist for the school district(IEP) goes to the head start once a week. Finally 3 months after his 4th birthday we had him enrolled in the IEP preschool 3 times a week with speech. He entered that school rated at a 36 month old.
He improved slightly and was actually removed from that class and sent to a "typical" preschool class this year. I'm going to list his needs and things the school and myself and my husband will be doing this year to help him with his speech and other cognitive skills.