TV is NOT the Enemy

Yes, I said it. TV really is not the enemy. But before we get to that--the intro...

New to the Life is Therapy series? Here's a quick blurb to tell you what it's about:

Sometimes we parents can get bogged down in the notion that the teaching of our children must be done by professionals. Parents of children with special needs are particularly vulnerable to this idea since children with special needs often have to learn and develop quite differently than children with typical needs. This series centers around the idea that learning can and does occur most effectively through everyday life experiences at home and out in the community--for children with both typical and special needs.

I know. I know. There are all kinds of studies out there that say that tv viewing is bad for children. I completely agree that plopping your child down in front of the tv (no matter what the program) for loads of unattended time is not good. Watching Baby Einstein videos alone will not make your baby an Einstein.

But TV and video viewing can be a great time for you and your child to interact and learn about things outside your world and even take a different look at everyday things around you. This is true whether your child is 4 or 40. The important part of the equation is you. Join in your child's tv/video viewing. Talk about what you see on the screen. Talk about your values. Talk about how you would have done things differently or the same as the characters. Act out the different character's parts together with your child. TV/video viewing can be a great bonding time.

Jack is a late talker. He is still trying to figure out how to tell the rest of us the many thoughts that are floating around in his head. His DVDs have been a great springboard to communication and a better understanding of the words he has been saying. When a triangle is on the screen and Jack says "Try ay kul", the light bulb goes on and suddenly that word he's been saying makes sense!

Children in the early stages of talking often have difficulty holding conversations because they don't know what they are supposed to say. They have to think about what you said, think of the words they need for a response, and then get their muscles working together just right to form the words that are needed. Playing out the storylines from videos are a great way for children to practice turn-taking speech. One of the hardest elements of conversations has been eliminated--coming up with the words. It's predictable. They know what you are gonna say and they know what they are supposed to say. It's a confidence builder and a great way for a child to learn to practice waiting for the other person to take their turn in conversation.

Instead of bemoaning your child's love of that flashing box, try joining them for a bit and see where it takes you.

Recent Life is Therapy Posts can be found at:
Try Something Old
Know When to Stop
The Grocery Store
For more Life is Therapy Posts, check out the left side bar.

Now it's your turn to participate. This is where we share our ideas and stories with one another. We're all in this together. Let's laugh together, motivate one another, and stimulate each others ideas. If you have a blog, create your own "life is therapy" post and link to the specific post in the Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog just leave a comment with your life is therapy story.

Kaboom! Painting

I've recently become concerned that Jack might be color blind in addition to being legally blind. When you ask him to pick a specific color, he won't do it. If you ask him the color of something, he usually does not respond.

But it could just be that he doesn't know his colors yet. Jack's "itenerant teacher" (she's the case manager/teacher that he gets twice a week through our local education agency) came up with a plan to teach him his colors. The idea is that he will be "immersed" in a certain color for up to two weeks at a time. We won't ignore the other colors. We will just try to plan activities for Jack using the "color of the two weeks". She has a list that shows which colors kids tend to recognize first. If Jack shows true recognition of the "color of the two weeks", we will move on to the next color on the list. If Jack does not know a particular color by the end of a two week period, I think we'll have a clue that somethings up.

The first color is black....

The new program is supposed to start this week at school but I decided to get a jump on things this weekend with a little Kaboom! Painting.

What is Kaboom! Painting? Well, you take a paint brush covered generously with the paint color of your choice (black for us) and you slap it on the paper while saying the ultra fun word "Kaboom!" only you say it more like "KAAAAAA BOOMMMM!"

After you finish your Kaboom! Painting, you will have an item fit for a rorshach test but if your kiddo is a little resistant to art, Kaboom! Painting could be just the thing to get them to see that art can be fun! This worked so well with Jack that I tried to slip a little coloring into the mix. I grabbed a crayon and handed it to him for the next "Kaboom". He looked at it funny but was still willing to do it. But as soon as crayon hit paper, he said, "All done. All done. Trick. All done."

Well, at least, he did make the one mark.

To see other's Magic Marker Monday posts and to link up yourself, click here.

Yes they did!

My fellas gave me chocolates roses (one from each) and this wacky guy for Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!

Yes I did

let Jack eat breakfast sitting on the floor with his tray. Yes, that is his DVD player plugged in so he can watch a movie while he eats.

My former self would shiver at such an idea. But my former self did not know how delighted she would be to hear the words "Watch movie", "Sit on the wood", "Eat cereal", and "No. Over here."She did not know the excitement that would come from watching Jack try to carry his tray nearly spilling cereal all over the place so he could get closer to the movie player.

My former self was totally missing out!

For tips on how to make your next grocery trip accompanied by your child more than a dull chore see this week's Life is Therapy at http://allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com/2010/02/grocery-store-life-is-therapy.html.

It's tempting

It's tempting to think that this sweet face has been through enough for a lifetime and should never ever have to cry BUT

everything he's been through was to save his life and improve his life

AND there are bumps on the road of development that make him cry along the way.

*sigh*

Snow on the Ground!

It really happened!

Sophie's Birthday--Wordless/ful and Special Exposure Wednesday

A few weekends ago, we all braved the cold and wet and headed to a local park for our little friend Sophie's birthday. Brrrrrr....the wind blew and we were ccccccooooold but kids alway manage to have fun in the outdoors.

We took full advantage of all the playground equipment

Plenty of time on the swings,

and climbing.

Sophie's Aunt Kristen even got in on the fun!

That's why call her Grace!

Do they look cold? Birthday girl is in the middle with the pink jacket, brown pants and pink rain boots.

Mmmm....birthday cookie!

Thanks for the invite Sophie and family, we had a lot of fun!

Click for more Wordless Wednesday, Wordful Wednesday, and Special Exposure Wednesday posts.

Don't forget to check out this week's Life is Therapy.

The Grocery Store--Life is Therapy

New to the Life is Therapy series? Here's a quick blurb to tell you what it's about:

Sometimes we parents can get bogged down in the notion that the teaching of our children must be done by professionals. Parents of children with special needs are particularly vulnerable to this idea since children with special needs often have to learn and develop quite differently than children with typical needs. This series centers around the idea that learning can and does occur most effectively through everyday life experiences at home and out in the community--for children with both typical and special needs.

I've been rolling around this idea in my head since I wrote about how much Jack loves Publix. Then Erin's cute post just reminded me how much kids get from tasks like grocery shopping that we consider quite mundane.

It's very hard to remember that the entire world is new and different to our kids. It's much easier for them to encounter things they've never seen before. Also, because they grow and get taller and a bit more independent at each visit, they see new things or old things from different angles and it is all amazing.

As Jack gets older and bigger (over the wieght limit for most shopping carts), he is being allowed a little more freedom to roam. I used our friendly neighborhood Publix where most of the staff know us as a good testing area for deciding when he was ready to first walk beside and not sit in the cart. It took a few times of trying it before he was truly ready since he would often try to break free and run.

Once he did show enough self-control to follow my safety instructions, grocery shopping became a wonderful time to practice orientation and mobility and physical therapy. With Jack's visual impairment, he is still adjusting to his lack of depth perception so he had to learn to guage the distance between him and any objects in his path and adjust himself accordingly. It is very easy for Jack to see something he wants to get to and develop tunnel vision (as in he only focuses on whatever it is and takes off toward it ignoring anything in his path). In the grocery store, there are other people and their baskets as well as display racks and sometimes stocking boxes to be avoided. Going up and down the aisles has been great for enhancing impulse control as well as remembering to focus on the immediate area to check for people and other obstacles to navigate.

The grocery store also supplies numerous oppurtunities for practicing speech therapy by labeling the many things available in the store. I usually allow Jack's level of interest to dictate the amount of labeling we do. One day I was getting a little frustrated because it appeared that Jack was just rooted to one spot moving his head up and down. After a deep breath, I watched for a moment and realized that he was actually looking at the vegetables but appeared to be trying to find a good angle to see them. When I slowed down, we had a delightful time, looking at, touching, smelling, and labeling the various fresh vegetables--speech therapy, sensory therapy, vision therapy, occupational therapy.

Since we frequent the same store often, we have really gotten to know the staff and they've gotten to know us so it is not at all uncommon for a staff member to come up for hugs and conversation. This is a great time to practice appropriate social behavior. Each time, Jack is more enthusiastic about interacting with the staff. He's actually much more interactive with other customers too. The familiarity of the people and the location makes things a lot easier.

So next time, you dread thinking of taking your kid to the store, see if you can slow down a bit during your shopping and enjoy the wonder that your child experiences. It will take longer to get through the store but I think the payoffs are awesome!




Recent Life is Therapy Posts can be found at:
What Happens at Home
Something Old
Know When to Stop



For more Life is Therapy Posts, check out the left side bar.

Now it's your turn to participate. This is where we share our ideas and stories with one another. We're all in this together.

Not All "Art Projects" Work Out

So our post this week, isn't your usual kind of craft but hey it's crafty! *Sorry for the blurriness of the photos. My camera phone is having issues or my hand is wobbly--not sure which.

We had a special event to attend yesterday evening so I decided to "sculpt" Jack's hair with mousse and hair spray.

He knew he looked good.

That evening when it was bath time, I discovered something.

Short hair with hair product goes nuts when it gets wet! We decided to have a little fun with all that messy hair product hair. We had it sticking up in various places then I had a brilliant idea!

A Faux Hawk!

 

Or not....

Well, we tried...maybe more hair product next time?

To see other's Magic Marker Monday posts and to link up yourself, click here.

Don't forget to check out the latest Life is Therapy and come back tomorrow to leave a comment or link up with your Life is Therapy moments.

Impromptu by Request

Don't forget to check out this week's Life is Therapy.

Popcorn is a Sedative

1 am Sunday morning I woke up to the sound--the sound that sets my nerves on fire, makes my heart race, my pupils constrict, and my palms begin to sweat. Jack was crying.

It took him awhile to calm down and then he did NOT go back to sleep. I even made him stay in a dark room and lie down for a couple of hours. I think he really tried but he just couldn't get back to sleep. And that means Mama did not sleep either.

I spent most of the day feeling like this

Jack spent most of the day like this

He happily worked on his symphony and enjoyed his various musical instruments, cars, and books. He was a bundle of energy. I had to find a way to get Jack to relax.

He began to slow down in the warm waters of the tub. He even rested his head on Irish. I thought he might actually fall asleep in there. Suddenly, he hopped out of the tub ready for more activity.

That's when I remembered this

Jack can be so very very sleepy but will not go down without a little snack first.

Yes, I did put him back in the same jammies after the bath. He'd only slept in them and we were not going anywhere. Sue me.

And at last, he began to act a little tired

He gladly accepted the offer of a pillow

And finally

Don't forget to check out this week's Life is Therapy.

Our Budding Maestro--Wordless/ful and Special Exposure Wednesday

He is gifted. He has no models at home. I would love to play a musical instrument but I have rhythm issues. And Dave...well, I think he aspired to play the guitar when he was younger...Jack has a natural gift for music. Percussion instruments were his favorite for the longest time but he has recently branched out to the lap harp, guitar, and keyboard. It's not random banging of the keys either. It's purposeful. He sits there tapping the keys and he'll lean in to listen to the sounds like he's just absorbing it all. It seems that each time he sits at the keyboard he expands his playing a bit. Maybe he's composing his first symphony?

Click for more Wordless Wednesday, Wordful Wednesday, and Special Exposure Wednesday posts.

Don't forget to check out this week's Life is Therapy.

Gotta Know When...

New to the Life is Therapy series? Here's a quick blurb to tell you what it's about:

Sometimes we parents can get bogged down in the notion that the teaching of our children must be done by professionals. Parents of children with special needs are particularly vulnerable to this idea since children with special needs often have to learn and develop quite differently than children with typical needs. This series centers around the idea that learning can and does occur most effectively through everyday life experiences at home and out in the community--for children with both typical and special needs.

Who doesn't get excited when a child surprises you with a new skill? And what kid isn't excited to learn a new skill? Most of the time kids are pretty excited to show off their new skills and we (their parents) are very excited to see them do it and will ask them to do it again repeatedly.

Jack has recently begun jumping with two feet off the ground. He was joyously jumping one evening and I was, of course, excitedly encouraging him. He did this over and over and over again. When suddenly I remembered that I needed to get it on tape so that I would be able to use it on the blog in order to preserve this precious moment for posterity.

When I reviewed the tape, it reminded me of something very important. Sometimes you gotta know when to stop asking for more more more more. Jack WAS having fun jumping and had been having fun jumping. Then I got the camera out and wanted him to perform even MORE so I could show off so all of you could delight in his accomplishments too because I knew that he would enjoy watching himself on video later. But really when the new skill is getting old or your kiddo is just plain old tired, give it a rest. The skill is not going to go away overnight and they'll be much more willing to do a repeat if you don't wear them out. So just remember, if it's not fun anymore and it's just a performance try backing off. You will get to see it again. Just give it a little time.

Jack's still jumping and getting better at it all the time. I'll get more video of it later when he's in a jumping mood!

Recent Life is Therapy Posts can be found at:
Going to the Movies
What Happens at Home
Try Something Old
For more Life is Therapy Posts, check out the left side bar.

Now it's your turn to participate. This is where we share our ideas and stories with one another. We're all in this together. Let's laugh together, motivate one another, and stimulate each others ideas. If you have a blog, create your own "life is therapy" post and link to the specific post in the Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog just leave a comment with your life is therapy story.

GHOST!

It's an oldie but goodie! Jack made this ghost back around Halloween.

He made it a school. It's one of the crafty things his sweet teacher has them do. It's tissue paper that was folded over then a tie was added to make a head and then the bottom was left loose to form a body.

Jack loves this little ghost. When they sent it home from school, I initially hung it in the car next to his uber safe booster seat. He loved having it there and would say, "Ghost, ghost!" as he batted it around.

I guess Jack's real contribution to the ghost was it's face.

He seems to like red.

So, of course, the ghost was one of the first things I put up on the new craft wall I designated for Jack. In this shot, you get a two-fer--Jack colored that bear really well after I added some wiki-stix to help distinguish the border.

To see other's Magic Marker Monday posts and to link up yourself, click here.

Don't forget to check out the latest Life is Therapy.

Open Ended Questions

According to Wikipedia, a closed-ended question "is a form of question which can normally be answered using a simple "yes" or "no", a specific simple piece of information, or a selection from multiple choices."


Dictionary.com defines open-ended as "allowing for a spontaneous, unstructured response".

Open ended questions are a big deal for preschoolers. Give it a try. Ask a little person you know "what is your favorite store?" And then ask why it's their favorite. They may stare at you blankly or give you a completely nonsensical even fantasy-like answer. It takes a lot to think of the question you asked and then to think of what the answer might be. Particularly because preschoolers are still at the stage of wanting to make you happy with the right answer. So not only are they trying to think of the name of a store, trying to figure out whether or not they like it, they are also looking at you and trying to determine what answer will make you happy.

Contrast that with "Do you like Wal-Mart or Publix?" You'll get your answer a whole lot quicker but if you move on to the why question which is open ended you are back at the blank stare or nonsensical answer.

It reminds me of a scene in Elmo Loves You. A little girl says to Grover, "I love you!" Grover says, "Really, what is love?" She says, "Huh?" and kind of looks away. She does eventually answer. It's not that she doesn't know what love is or that she did not mean it. She just doesn't know how to explain it.

So anyway, it's a big deal and guess who surprised his Mama and Daddy by answering two open-ended questions that were on his preschool homework assignment?

Jack! Yes, Jack!

M: Hey Jack, what is your favorite store?

J: Publix!

M: Why is Publix your favorite?

J: Drive cart.

I love love love love love love how much he's communicating these days. If you don't understand his spoken language he will use signs, other spoken words, body language or he'll try to show you some other way what he is trying to say. Good times...

Don't forget to check out this week's Life is Therapy.

Update from the Eye Doctor

Jack had his 6 month check up with Dr. Cogen. The good news is that his optic nerves appear unchanged. His prescription for his glasses have also not changed. Dr. Cogen told us again that he is mostly prescribing the glasses to protect Jack's eyes to preserve the vision he does have.

Dr. Cogen told us that Jack's optic nerve atrophy is "grade 4" and at this stage of atrophy his optic nerves will not swell. He said that there would have to be dramatic changes to the optic nerves for him to be able to see a difference with the naked eye. This kind of takes out one avenue of assessing intracranial pressure (pressure in Jack's head) between MRIs.

Our biggest indicator for pressure changes now will be neurologic signs and symptoms that Jack may exhibit. Fortunately, Jack is more active than ever and he communicates more everyday. This will make it easier to notice neurologic changes.


We'll continue regular follow ups with Dr. Cogen so that he can monitor the optic nerves for any major changes and also to regularly assess for problems that are emergent but may not be readily obvious since the usual symptom would be loss of vision--something that would be hard to assess in Jack.

Don't forget to check out this week's Life is Therapy.

A New Phase--Wordless/ful and Special Exposure Wednesday

There comes a time in a child's life when it's just time.....

for the big boy pants!

Click for more Wordless Wednesday, Wordful Wednesday, and Special Exposure Wednesday posts.

And don't forget to check out this week's Life is Therapy.

Try Something Old

New to the Life is Therapy series? Here's a quick blurb to tell you what it's about:

Sometimes we parents can get bogged down in the notion that the teaching of our children must be done by professionals. Parents of children with special needs are particularly vulnerable to this idea since children with special needs often have to learn and develop quite differently than children with typical needs. This series centers around the idea that learning can and does occur most effectively through everyday life experiences at home and out in the community--for children with both typical and special needs.

Doesn't it feel good to accomplish something when you've worked really hard at it? Does it surprise you when you think about how second nature certain tasks become when they were so hard to learn? Do you get a sense of pride when you sit down and quickly accomplish a task that used to take you a lot of concentrated effort?

Kids are like that too! The difference is that we don't always remember to stop and celebrate all the things they've learned to do. They've learned to do absolutely everything. Think about it--take a step, walk, run, climb, jump, drink from a cup, eat with a spoon, take off a sock, etc. Everything they do on a routine basis took time and effort to learn. And we are constantly exposing them to new things and expecting them to do more and more. Kids are absolutely amazing in their ability to try so many new things at once. After all, everything is new to them.

With all the newness, I think it's a good idea to sometimes just take a step back and do something old and familiar. You'll be amazed at how happy your kiddo will be when you break out an old toy that they have not played with in a while.

And they'll surprise you with all the new things that they know and can do since the last time they played with it.

It's been a while since we got out Jack's "baby keyboard" and played the games that come with it. He sat down right away when he saw it and began insisting on Beethoven. I thought he was confused and told him that this was a game not his Baby Einstein movie. He kept insisting on Beethoven.

We got him started on one of the games and he played happily but kept saying, "Beethoven, Beethoven". You know what? On one of the games, when you hit the right button, a little conductor shows up and the shapes play a familiar tune written by you guessed it....Beethoven!

It's been fun to see how much Jack remembers from playing the games before and now that he talks he points out things that we did not even notice before (like the shapes playing Beethoven).

So I encourage you, don't think that all learning has to take place with new things. Get out something old and familiar. Revel in the accomplishments that have taken place since the last time you and your child played with the item and watch out because they'll probably show you something new too!

Recent Life is Therapy Posts can be found at:
Get Out There
Going to the Movies
What Happens at Home



For more Life is Therapy Posts, check out the left side bar.

Now it's your turn to participate. This is where we share our ideas and stories with one another. We're all in this together. Let's laugh together, motivate one another, and stimulate each others ideas. If you have a blog, create your own "life is therapy" post and link to the specific post in the Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog just leave a comment with your life is therapy story.

Nellie Nurse--Magic Marker Monday

Coloring is quite the chore for Jack.

I hear that some children really just don't like to color anyway and then with Jack's visual impairment you have extra barriers to coloring.

I had hoped that we would one day find that perfect recipe that would turn Jack into that kid that sits at a restaurant table thoroughly enjoying his coloring while we wait on our food. I have since realized that's probably not gonna happen but he still needs practice with coloring.

Coloring is a good fine motor activity however and it is a pre-writing skill so Jack's teachers and therapists and I have tried different things to make coloring more interesting for him.

Here are some of the ideas we've tried:

1. Slick sticks crayons and markers and Window crayons and markers. These crayons and markers require much less effort to make bold bright colors appear so it is easier to see the work you've accomplished.

2. We've found that Jack enjoys doing an activity more when there is a specific purpose for it rather than just doing an activity for its own sake. If Jack knows he's making something for someone, then he is much more into it than coloring for the sake of coloring.

3. There are specialty coloring books available for children with visual impairments. Some books like these were made strictly for the purpose of helping the visually impaired child stay in the lines. Then there are books that add texture to make the drawing themselve interesting. There are also coloring books that are not necessarily made or marketed for visual impairment but have interesting texture as well.

4. We've used Wiki sticks to outline borders and make pictures more visually attractive.

5. We've tried a light box again to attract Jack's visual attention.

6. We've tried putting textured paper under a regular coloring page so Jack could feel it as he colored.

7. Kumon makes coloring books that ease a child into coloring.

8. A sweet friend suggested that we employ Dr. MacDonald's five strategies of Sensitive Responding, Balancing, Matching, Sharing Control, and Being Emotionally Playful  to work with Jack on coloring.

It's still not his favorite activity but he's getting better at it.

Anyone else have any ideas?

To see other's Magic Marker Monday posts and to link up yourself, click here.

What Happens at Home....

New to the Life is Therapy series? Here's a quick blurb to tell you what it's about:

Sometimes we parents can get bogged down in the notion that the teaching of our children must be done by professionals. Parents of children with special needs are particularly vulnerable to this idea since children with special needs often have to learn and develop quite differently than children with typical needs. This series centers around the idea that learning can and does occur most effectively through everyday life experiences at home and out in the community--for children with both typical and special needs.

Several of my Life is Therapy posts so far have focused on the many ways children can learn when they are out and about away from home. But life at home is great therapy too!

This last weekend, I was still too worn out from being sick and trying to work and just make it through life thought that Jack needed a quiet weekend at home to wind down from all the hustle and bustle of the holidays and trying new things. It was a rainy weekend and we barely left the house.

It turned in to a very musical weekend. Jack loves all his musical instruments. However, this weekend, the triangle held some special fascination for him.

So we....
talked about and identified the shape triangle

did a little speech therapy [Jack would say triangle in his way. I would say triangle with an emphasis on the part that wasn't very clear when he said it. I did not say it in a correcting way or ask him to repeat me. He would then repeat me and we did this back and forth as long as he wanted. Each time he was clearer in his pronunciation.]

had a science lesson [Jack experimented with different ways of holding both the triangle and the stick (or whatever it is called) so that it would make the best sound]

worked on fine motor skills [Jack dropped the wand a few times and had to pick it up. Also he had to learn to hold the wand tightly so he would not drop it while playing.]

worked on hand eye coordination [Jack has poor depth perception because of the difference in vision in his eyes so he had to figure out just where the triangle was in relation to the wand that had to strike the triangle]

and of course, playing the triangle is definitely sensory therapy as you feel the vibration from the triangle and hear the sound.

We may have just spent a day at home but a few minutes of playing the triangle provided lots of therapy that will take Jack much farther than our front door. What happens at home doesn't stay at home and it's easy to fit in "therapeutic/educational" boosts into your daily play!


Recent Life is Therapy Posts can be found at:

Learning from Others
Get Out There
Going to the Movies

For more Life is Therapy Posts, check out the left side bar.
So what have you been playing?
Now it's your turn to participate. This is where we share our ideas and stories with one another. We're all in this together. Let's laugh together, motivate one another, and stimulate each others ideas. If you have a blog, create your own "life is therapy" post and link to the specific post in the Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog just leave a comment with your life is therapy story.