camp collage!

Assumptions - Top 10 List.

We just went to a special needs family camp and Andrew had a rockin' time. The people who put together the camp were wonderful Christians who try their best. I did however come up against some age old assumptions. I am blogging on dealing with those with autism and a hearing impairment. I think this fits right in. I am going to put my Amy's top 10 (plus one) here and then over the next weeks elaborate on each one. If you have some 'assumptions' you'd like to add, please feel free to put them in the comments. I did not see each list item at the camp. This also contains assumptions I and others have seen elsewhere. I see this series of posts as a great way for people to learn about each other- and help those in the church, and elsewhere, work with those with special needs.


1.) Do not assume....that everyone with a hearing impairment communicates in the same language.

2) Do not assume....that autism looks a specific way.

3) Do not assume....that just because a child talks a lot that they pay attention to what you are saying.

4) Do not assume...that a hearing impaired child is a visual learner.

5) Do not assume...that an autistic child is a visual learner.

6) Do not assume...that a child who has a hearing impairment HAS to sign and do not judge those that choose not to.

7) Do not assume... that a nonverbal or low verbal child does not understand. Often they understand way more than they can express.

8) Do not assume ....that a nonverbal or low verbal child cannot read.

9) Do not assume ....that a fidgety kid is not listening.

10) Do not assume...that behavioral techniques work well with all children.

bonus... Do not assume ....that what appears as 'physical' or verbal outbursts by the child is because of bad parenting or a bratty child.

Simple Woman's Daybook

To get back into the blogging routine I thought I'd follow suit from Cornerstone Home Learning.

Outside my window...A gentle breeze

I am thinking...Should I do Sun and Fun?

From the kitchen....perhaps homemade coconut milk ice cream!

I am wearing....Jeans and a t-shirt. I'm a shorts gal but it is chilly today!

I am reading.... The RDI book, Christ the Healer, Nourishing Traditions.....and several other books.

I am hoping....for so many things...

I am creating....an organized filing system..someday.

I am watching.... Faith like Potatoes...hopefully tomorrow.

I am hearing....the dishwasher finishing, my son wanting to play, and my brain telling me I should have tried to go to Ehub support tonight.

Around the house....laundry laundry everywhere!

One of my favorite things...raindrops on roses

A few plans for the rest of the week.... camping? beach?

Journey to the Center of the Earth

OK...how many people would let their kid just dig a hole in the backyard??


Andrew was quite convinced that he could make it to the center of the earth...especially with some help from Aunt Leslie. So they dug, and they dug, and they dug some more.





They struck root! So Andrew went and grabbed his scissors!!!






Then they struck a really big root! At this point Andrew had the grand idea to get the big whacking gardening tool...but this did not put a dent in it.




What shall we do Aunt Leslie?? What shall we do???




I know...WATER!!!! That will do it!








Just one more thing...SOAP! That will dissolve the root!!!!

Unschooling....

We are continuing with our unschooling fun. Already today we have practiced speech, fine motor, listening, guided participation, fractions and art. Paints kind of freak Andrew out unless confined to a small area but I found cool 3-D sidewalk paints at Walmart. They aren't REALLY 3-D paints but rather you put on 3-D glasses and if you do it correctly, they kind of jump out at you. The art was a lesson in guided participation. I drew the first S and the beginning of the second S. Then you draw another third S (in red) to get a 3-D effect. He did get some on his hands and was 'ok' with it. I had also rubbed the brush on the grass to clean it and he ended up sitting in it. He LAUGHED.

I am finding that rather than trying to fit 'autism / guided participation' together with 'hearing impaired therapy, I am just picking and choosing, in true unschooling fashion, to work on it as we go. Yesterday we were outside playing 'aliens' and there were LOTS of opportunity to work on speech. When he says something incorrectly, I either 'repeat' what he has said incorrectly or look at him funny as if to say..'huh?' When we are working on a minimal pair where I think he can hear such as where vs. lair, i will SAY the incorrect word hoping he will hear the difference and how he said it incorrectly. If I don't think he can hear the difference (fat vs. that) I will give him an 'i'm stumped' look. I do work on these harder minimal pairs in isolation rather than play so he can concentrate on them..and then carry them through to play. This is probably clear as mud if you don't know what about guided participation or minimal pairs. But if you don't know...then you don't need to work on them!!

Wacky Wednesday

Today we tried for another Wacky Wednesday. Don't tell Andrew..but much of the day was spent on math!!! I pulled out the dominoes and we played with Ladybug Girl.

Then we read Math Appeal. This is a Greg Tang book and I highly recommend them. They make you THINK and not just execute the problem. I promise your library will have a few of his books and there are at beginner on up levels.



Then...... Andrew has been WAITING for his new book which he purchased with his own money; Ladybug Girl and Bumble Bee Boy. Can you see the anticipation??? He was so excited he actually went and hid after I opened the Amazon package. It was more than he could stand. And it arrived a day early!!!! Amazon had written mommy an email that said it would arrive May 7...an estimated day. Andrew, being the calendar kid he is, had this written May 7 in stone even though each day I asked, "what does estimated mean?" Praise the Lord...many thanksgivings...it arrived a day EARLY. Whew!!!!

Field Trip Friday

We went to Cranbrook Museum where they currently have a traveling dinosaur museum. Andrew made sure when we got there to inform them, "God made the dinosaurs!" (This is not a creation museum.) His buddy Noah went too..and mom Sydney. As you can tell, the boys really enjoy themselves. Andrew's self awareness is really improving as he said, "let's go home mom." The museum is loud for anyone and for Andrew, even though his cochlear implants cuts off the sound, it is still extremly hard for him to hear in there. I'm glad we have a membership so we can take many short trips.

This was the first time Andrew really was interested in the 'angle' experiment where you change the the angles of the paddles and try to get a ping pong ball into the circle. I just love the expression on Andrew's face as he tries to figure it out! I also noticed I shouldn't worry so much about Andrew's manners.... kids cut in on other kids all the time. I know we should still work on it but I have to stop being so hard on myself and Andrew.

Duck Duck Goose!!!

In the type of autism 'thearpy' that we do there is a flip on the game duck duck goose. There are a variety of ways to change it (sky is the limit) but one version is 'Splish Splish Splash. In this version, you take a cup of water...tap people on the head..splish ..splish..splish... and then for the person you pick you say SPLASH and dump it on their head. And run!

That..um.. doesn't work if you have a cochlear implant on your head. This WOULD be a wonderful NONVERBAL game to play with autistic implanted kids with ears off. I do not recommend this sort of thing immediately after implantation. You need to spend lots of time with ears on and ALL efforts should be to get that hearing muscle working. But...after a few years..let kids have time with ears off for a game like this. You could play this with hearing and deaf kids but say....voices off. Just tap each individual for a 'SPLISH' and dump the water for a 'SPLASH.' And this would be a great activity for those that use different languages; ASL, English, even Spanish! It can be a fun way for the kids to connect!



On to another 'listening' version. If you are working on specific word groups, tie those into a game. For the beginner you might STILL do Duck Duck Goose but could do Dog Dog Cat! A higher level might be Cage Cage Page! Harder still: Ron Ron Wrong! Even if you are focusing on the words, you can still share a ton of emotion sharing!

Should we work on the autism or the hearing today??

I've started another post 10 times on the various therapies we have done with Andrew for his hearing and also for autism but they were tedious...to write and I'm sure to read. I thought an example might be better. Today we were doing alphabetizing with a list from Enchanted Learning. What I do with THIS sheet is cut out the half that has 1 thru 10 and then have Andrew cut apart the words I want him to alphabetize. This is SCAFFOLDING so that I he does not have to concentrate on writing. Then there are various routes we could take:

1) Concentrate on listening: With this process, I would assist him in putting the words together by using words only and maybe even covering my mouth. You could also alphabetize words where you are working on listening. bat, pat, scat, rat, wrap, etc.

2) Concentrate on referencing and guided participation: For this I would minimize my words, glance to which word or words might come next and confirm his 'guess' with a nod. I could guide him with my glance for referencing if I want him to glue it on the paper or if I want to do that part.

3) Academic only: Leave him to finish the exercise on his own.

To be honest, I do ALL of these at various times for various subjects. When dealing with multiple issues there is no right/wrong. It varies from day to day.

Deafness and Autism

Through comments on this blog and privately, I think that Autism + Deafness is a topic that isn't discussed enough. First, there are those that are initially diagnosed with deafness and the autism is missed. Then there are those that are diagnosed with autism and the deafness is missed! For Andrew, both were diagnosed....yet the challenges are heady even with the correct timing. So, I have decided to focus on this blog, at least for the next few months, the challenges of handling both. This will include:

• diagnosis
• cochlear implants
• teaching options
• additional challenges
• bilateral discussion
• autism therapies that may work well with both
• discussion when there are both challenges in the family with separate family members
  

Please feel free to leave a comment on what you might like to see discussed here. Mostly I have had 'writers cramp' so this will give me an opportunity to focus on this specific topic that I don't see addressed in many areas on the internet. I have facebook too and will post there when I give an update. So feel free to chime in either place...send me a friend request if you would like. (Amy Lapain.)