fun at school and after school speech part 42

The Tuesday before Christmas Eve, SJ and Bob had a fun day at school. In the afternoon, all of the students participated in a charity activity. The kids sell treats, drinks, toys, etc. or play games. All of the proceeds go to charity. Mrs. Valentine told me that her class alone raised over $500!

SJ joined up with three of his boy classmates. They sold root beer floats and 2 minute knee hockey games. SJ was super excited for this event. Bob and a friend were having short soccer matches in the gym. Bob asked that I buy water bottles for the kids to have after they were done with their matches. I gave each boy $15, so they could buy something. SJ came home with $3. Bob came home with nothing. I asked him what he got with his money. He said he bought a drink and then put the rest in the donation bucket. That was so sweet! I am crying a little thinking about how selfless that was!

After school, they told me all about their afternoon event. They were bubbling with excitement. Well, at least until I told SJ he had speech. "What?" he asked. "I thought you cancelled it," he said. "No, I cancelled next week's and the week after," I told him. "But I don't want to go to speech," he said. "I know, but you are going. You will get two weeks off after that," I reminded him. That bit of good news fell on deaf ears.

He was complaining about speech all the way to therapy. I did my best to plan ignore his behavior. When we got inside the waiting area, SJ transformed from a complaining child to a well behaved little man. I told his therapist that I had not been able to complete any homework. (Too busy with baking and crafts. Not a good excuse, but a truthful one.) She said that was fine and took him back.

When he was done 30 minutes later, he came out with a present from her and I told him his dinner was in the car. She said he did very well. He told her all about school and reminded her that he would not be there for the next two weeks. She assigned him homework. I promised her that we would complete it and the homework from the week before over the break. I guess I better go that now while I am thinking of it.

at home reading tutoring part 8

Last Monday, SJ had his weekly after school reading tutoring.  This was the first of two sessions that he had last week.  He was mentally already on Christmas vacation, so he was extremely resistant to begin the session.  After a few threats of losing his electronics, he finally came down to work with Mrs. Banks.  She said they had a rough start, but he did settle down after a few minutes. 

They began the session with a reader's theater.  They read a play called "Redheaded Robbie's Christmas Story" by Bill Luttrell.  SJ chose his four characters, which were Narrator 1, Narrator 4, Big Eddie and Munching Max.  The story is about a kid who gets tongue tied when he gets nervous.  He gets assigned to write a Christmas story, but he thinks he can't do it.  He visits a few a children for help and then has trouble telling his story to an assembly.  The children he visited then help him get through the story.  It was a very nice little play.  Mrs. Banks said he read very well. 

Next, they worked on a Look and Find activity sheet.  SJ did very well with that activity. 

Then, they moved on to a worksheet where SJ had to fill in past tense verbs, adjectives and plural nouns in the blanks.  He didn't want to write in the answers, so Mrs. Banks scribed for him.  She said he some difficulty with this activity and I wasn't too surprised to hear that.  See the activity sheet below. 

She moved on to a preferred activity next.  They did a Christmas themed crossword puzzle.  He did very well with this activity and enjoyed it very much.  She finished the session with a Christmas Tree Glyph.  Mrs. Banks said he did much better with this glyph than he has done with the previous glyphs.  His choices decided how the page was colored.  The tree's ribbon is red, because we put up our tree after Thanksgiving.  The tree's trunk is dark brown, since we decorate a real tree.  His star is purple, because he likes colored lights that do not blink.  The tree is dark green due to the fact that he is a boy.  The tree was to only to have ornaments if he had pets.  We have no pets, so there are not any ornaments.  There are four presents, because there are four people in our family.  (I am having trouble scanning in color, so you will have to trust me on the colors.)  Considering the very rough start, SJ did a good job.

at home tutoring part 7

Last Wednesday, SJ had a second tutoring session. His specialist had recommended that we go with twice a week tutoring. Mrs. Banks isn't free most weeks to do two sessions with SJ. Fortunately for us, the kid she was scheduled to tutor that night cancelled. (This was unfortunate for SJ. He did not want to have a second session. Oh well!)

She started out the session by reading a play with SJ called "The Baker's Dozen A Saint Nicholas Tale". He didn't really understand the concept of what a baker's dozen is, so Mrs. Banks explained that to him. He chose his characters and they read the play. She said SJ seemed to understand the concept of a baker's dozen much clearer after they completed the play.

Next, they read a story titled, "The First Gingerbread Men". After reading the story, SJ had to answer four questions about the story. This was great for his comprehension troubles. Mrs. Banks said he did okay with this activity.

Then, they moved onto a crossword puzzle that asked questions about gingerbread. SJ LOVES crossword puzzles. There was a word bank that went along with the crossword. SJ did very well with this activity.

She then moved onto an "I Spy" worksheet. SJ had to find the 12 decorations that were hiding in the scene. He flew through that worksheet.

Lastly, they did a glyph with a gingerbread man. Mrs. Banks said that rushed through some of the choices without fully reading them. For example: He saw the 2nd one that said color of gingerbread man's hair. Without reading all of the choices, he chose blue. Blue was for "I have never met a cookie I did not like." That is not true, since SJ does not like any cookies with chocolate in them. (I know that sounds crazy, but that is how he is!)  He should have chosen red, since that response was "I love snicker-doodle cookies". He loves that kind.

When he realized his mistake, he wanted to correct it. Mrs. Banks told him it was too late and he should slow down and read all of the choices. He was a little more careful after that. This is his completed gingerbread man glyph.

Considering how grumpy SJ was to begin the session, he managed to get through it. I am thankful for that!

 

at home reading tutoring part 6

On Monday, SJ had his reading tutoring session. He wasn't as grumpy about it as usual, so I thought that was a positive sign. Mrs. Banks started off the session by reading the play, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. She let SJ choose the characters he wanted to read. He chose the Grinch, Who 2 and Who 4.

She said he did a very nice job with it. (Dr. Seuss has always been a favorite of SJ's.) She said SJ changed his voice for his characters. She said this was quite amusing. I was not surprised to hear that he did that. He has been doing that for years. It may be his thing, but I tended to alter my voice when I used to read the boys books nightly.

Next, she showed him an "I Spy" type picture. He had to find a variety of things in the picture (such as how many mice can you find) and write in things in the picture (such as can you thing of a line or two from a Christmas song? Write it in the bubble above the girl decorating the tree.) Mrs. Banks said he was a little frustrated with this activity, but they got through it.

Last, they worked on an analogy worksheet. SJ was given a word bank and he had to fill in the appropriate word. For example: menorah: candleholder :: dreidel : ___________. SJ had to fill in toy. He didn't understand some of the vocabulary, but with her explanation he was able to finish the worksheet.

When they were done with that worksheet, she told him that their time was up. She said he checked her phone and said, "But it is not 5:15 yet." She reminded him that she got to our house a few minutes early. "Oh, that is right," he remembered. Overall, she said he worked really hard and he had a good session.

 

after school speech part 41

Last Tuesday, SJ had his weekly after school speech session. He gave me as much difficulty going to speech as he did to have Mrs. Banks over for tutoring. Sometimes you just have to get back into your routine. (I guess mine is to listen to constant complaining!)

His therapist spent the entire session finishing the testing. She assigned us homework on Speaking Well. It had ten actions that is something you should not do as the speaker in a conversation. He needed to rewrite (or I would scribe) each statement to say what he should do. She asked that I use these skills while talking about something that happened at school.

He wasn't too happy when we did this assignment. (I did interrupt his Wii game, so it was somewhat understandable.) He did okay with it. I did have to prompt him on a few of the actions. One of the ones he had trouble with was this one. Use a monotone voice; don't show your emotion by the way you speak. I had to give him an example of the monotone voice (robot voice) while describing something that should have made me very excited.

He also had trouble with another action that was very similar. It was to keep your facial expressions blank or neutral; don't show any emotion. I began to pretend cry while I was supposed to upset. I asked SJ how I was feeling. Was I happy or sad? With the example, he knew I was sad.

The remainder of the actions he answered mostly correct. For example: Look beyond your listener to see if anything else interesting is going on. His response was to look at their eyes and mouth. He wasn’t exactly accurate, but fairly close.

After speech, he ate his dinner in the car on our way to pick up food for Bob and my husband. There was a hair cutting place next to Subway. I needed to take SJ for a haircut to correct the one he had given himself a few days earlier.

Flashback to Saturday afternoon: I was cleaning the garbage out of his can when I saw a lot of hair. "What is this hair doing in this can, SJ?" I questioned him. "I needed a haircut, so I cut the front," he replied. "Well, you are not allowed to cut your hair. If you need a haircut, just tell me or Daddy," I told him.

Back to Tuesday, we went into the hair place and there was going to be a 10 minute wait. I told SJ we would get the food from Subway first and then come back. We came back and SJ was called back for the haircut. When she was done, she said she couldn't do much with the front. "Either you or he cut his hair very short in the front," she said. "Oh, that would have been him. That is why I needed you to work your magic," I told her. She did a nice job and we made our way home. Too much activity for a school night!

 

at home reading tutoring part 5

Last Monday, SJ had his after school reading tutoring. He wasn't too happy to get back into his routine after Thanksgiving break. Oh well! He kept telling me to cancel it, but there was NO WAY that was going to happen.

Mrs. Banks started out the session by telling SJ that they were going to read three different stories about foods. Then, he would need to fill in circles that pertained to the foods in the three different stories. The foods were fruitcake, gingerbread and pumpkin pie. SJ wanted to just fill in the chart without reading the stories. Mrs. Banks told him to go ahead, but he may need to change his answers after reading the stories.

He quickly filled out the chart that had 8 food traits. They then read the different stories. Sure enough, SJ had answered many of the selections incorrectly. Mrs. Banks allowed him to change his answers once he had all the correct information.

Next, she showed him a coloring page of an elf. She then presented him with a glyph. The glyph gave him directions depending on how SJ would answer the questions. For example: How do you unwrap presents? If he unwraps them carefully, he needed to color the elf's shoes light green. If he rips the wrapping paper into shreds, he needed to color the shoes dark green. This is the finished elf after SJ answered the remaining 7 questions.  They decided the elf's shirt color, pant color, where the star would be drawn, hat color, eye color and where SJ's favorite toy would be drawn.  He did a great job on the elf glyph.

Even though he was reluctant to have tutoring, Mrs. Banks said he did a very nice job. I am glad that he is working hard for her (even if it is unwillingly).

 

Thanksgiving break, blood work and back to school

The rest of our Thanksgiving break was nice. After all of our guests left, we had a few pretty low key days. My husband and I had the boys help us bring down the Christmas decorations. (And we have a lot of decorations!) We had over twenty 20 gallon buckets. They were full of holiday serving dishes and cups, ornaments, lights, trains, train accessories and general Christmas decor. The boys were a big help! I had taken down all of our Thanksgiving decor two days after Thanksgiving, so I had SJ assist me put those back in the attic.

It took me a few days to get the bulk of the decorations up and put away. The boys spent the remainder of their break either playing outside or in an electronic coma. I didn't care too much though. It was their break and they needed time to relax.

On Monday, I did have to take SJ to get his yearly blood work for his specialist. He wasn't too thrilled when I told him where we were going that day. "No. Not blood work!" he cried. "Yes, blood work," I replied. I told him that he would be fine and he could have whatever he wanted to eat for lunch after. That did not satisfy him, but we still forged ahead.

We got to the hospital around 11:00 a.m. I got SJ registered and we got a beeper to let us know when they would be ready for us. SJ was fine in the waiting room. They had a Playmobile train set and a marble course that was fascinating to him. After a good hour, the beeper went off. As soon as the beeper went off, the waterworks started again.

"I don't want them to take my blood, Mom," sobbed SJ. "You'll be fine. It will be over very soon," I reassured him. The tech was very nice and patient with SJ. She inserted the butterfly needle (that is what SJ says it looks like) and started drawing the blood. SJ cried the entire time and tried to pull out the butterfly at least three times. The tech kept asking him questions to distract him and it did work a little. However, he still continued to cry.

When it was all done (she took 9 vials of blood), she gave him an orange Band-Aid and told him how well he did. I thanked her and we walked to our car. His crying started to slow down, but he was now complaining that his arm was injured. So dramatic! On our way home, our one friend called to see if SJ and Bob would like to come over to play. SJ said he was "too injured" to go, so I took him home and dropped Bob off at his friend's house.

SJ was lying on the couch when I returned home. He said he didn't feel good, so I took him temperature to appease him. Sure enough, he had a fever! I guess he really wasn't feeling good. I felt bad that I thought he was being overly dramatic. I gave him some Motrin and told him to rest on the couch.

He was feeling better the following day. The boys played outside with a neighbor and were complaining about going back to school on Wednesday. "Well, at least it is a short week boys," I told them. That didn't seem to console them. Oh well, all good things must come to an end. I reminded them that they only had 18 days of school until Christmas break. "That is a long time," said SJ. Maybe that is when your 10.

 

23 for Thanksgiving

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving. We had invited 21 people for dinner. On the day of Thanksgiving, we were told that two of our guests would not be able to attend. That brought our headcount to 19 guests and our family of four. We were providing a 20 lb. turkey, two 3 lb. turkey breasts, 10 lbs. of mashed potatoes, 4 cups of gravy and all the drinks. (Hey you need A LOT of food when you are having 23 for dinner!)

Our guests were bringing the rest of the sides. They brought stuffing, corn, coleslaw, yams, green bean casserole, buns, salad, pies, cookies and a pumpkin roll. Everything was delicious! We brined our turkey for the third year in a row and it was the best turkey we ever had! Now, the boys don't like any of these delicious dishes. So what did they eat on Thanksgiving Day? Pancakes! I know, I know. They are unbelievable, but I didn't want to get into a great big screaming fight on a holiday.

After dinner, SJ decided that we were going to participate in a Corn Hole Tournament. He made up the brackets and let everyone know when their team was up to compete. It was very fun (even though my husband and I were out in the first round) and it got everyone to participate. It gets dark around 5:30 at our house, so my husband rigged up a temporary flood light to give the playing area some light. I told SJ to have each game only go to 10 (usually it is 21), so we wouldn't be playing this tournament all night. SJ did a great job of notifying everyone when it was their turn to play. Some of the participants were wearing towards the end, but no one usually says no to SJ.

 

While the tournament was going on, the others who weren't playing watched football in our living room or visited with each other in our family room. When the tournament was over (our two nephews won), the teenage boys played some basketball with our boys. It was very nice of them to spend some time with our young boys.

Our guest stayed fairly late, except for the few that had to work the next day. The boys stayed up too, so I was hoping that they would sleep in. They didn't, but what else in new. It was such a nice evening! I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

 

after school speech part 40

Last Tuesday was SJ's last day of school before Thanksgiving break. He was in a great mood when I picked him and Bob up at the end of the day. However, that mood dipped suddenly when I told him he had speech therapy.

"Why? I am done for the week," he cried. "No, you are not done for the week. It is still a school day, so you still have speech," I told him. "Cancel it, Mom," he pleaded. "No, I am not canceling. We will be there and gone before you know it," I reassured him.

The complaining continued for the entire 30 minute ride. When we arrived, he was still crying and saying that he wasn't getting out of the car. "Yes you are getting out of the car. We are here, so let's go in," I told him. He begrudgingly got out of the car. When I saw his therapist, I told her that he was extremely crabby. She said okay and he would be fine. I knew he would be, but I was hoping his bad mood wouldn't make him too uncooperative for her.

While he was in speech, I ran to the grocery store to get some last minute Thanksgiving items. When I returned, he was in a much better mood. She said he was very cooperative for her.  That was a relief!  She said she almost completed the testing and would give me a copy of it then. She seemed pleased with the results that he was scoring, so that made me very happy. She assigned him two worksheets for us to do for homework.

After speech, we went home to get my husband and Bob. We were meeting my cousin, her fiancé and my parents at a local restaurant. We like going to this place, because it is very family friendly. They also have a pool table and some arcade games to keep the kids busy. We had a very nice dinner and then went back to our house for the evening.

My cousin and her fiancé were in from Indiana State. They were going to be staying with us until Friday. The boys had helped clean the playroom and that is where they would be sleeping. SJ was happy that he didn't have to give up his bed, but I reminded him that he may have to give the bed up when Uncle Greg arrived Thanksgiving night.

The boys love my cousin, but they really love her fiancé. He plays all the video games that they like to play. He also will play outside with them too. Although this day had a rough middle, I am thankful that it began and ended on a happy note.

 

short week at school with a short temper

This is the week before Thanksgiving. SJ and Bob only had school Monday and Tuesday. My husband had talked to SJ about how it was a short week. Since it was a short week, he should not be having any temper tantrums. (Easier said than done!)

At the end of the day on Monday, I heard Mrs. Valentine calling my name. "Oh no," I thought. (It is never good when you hear your kid's teacher calling your name. She handed me a paper and gave me a sympathetic smile. She said, "Sorry." I frowned and said, "That's okay."

I didn't have time to look at the paper, since I was still working. I walked out the students to their buses and made my way up to the office. As I was walking to the office, I looked at the note. It was from his aide and he once again was crying over a writing activity. She documented the time he cried. It was almost 40 minutes.

"Unbelievable," I thought. I see SJ sitting in the office with Bob. He looks at me and he knows he is going to be in trouble. This was a day that I had to watch the neighbor kids, so I didn't have time to argue with him. I told him that I would discuss this behavior with his dad and there would be a consequence.

We drove home and I sent SJ to his room. Bob went to get the neighbor kids off the bus and I discussed SJ's punishment. We took his electronics away from him for the evening. We also told him that crying at school is not something that 5th graders do. He promised that he wouldn't do it again. (I won't hold my breath, because I have heard that promise before!)

Fortunately, Tuesday was a good day for SJ. No note and he got to dress in pajamas for their 5th grade feast. The feast was food that the teachers made and the students brought in food to share. It was a great way for the students to experience a Thanksgiving celebration. They also watched The Little Rascals. SJ enjoyed the movie and the food.

I am hoping when we return to school next week he will be able to keep his promise. At least it is another short week.

 

a houseful of relatives

Two Saturdays ago, my sister's family came in for a visit. Since she was coming, I decided to invite over all of our first cousins' families on my dad's side (I see my cousins on my mom's side all the time!). We hadn't seen these cousins in a long while, so I was excited for their visit.

Since we were expecting company, I had the boys help out with the house preparation. They were in charge of cleaning their rooms (straightening them up and vacuuming them) and cleaning the playroom. I was concerned that my one cousin's two year old would get a very small Lego in his mouth. (I am not prepared to practice my first aid skills already.)

SJ was not too keen on helping. There was a lot of complaining and moaning. After he was done, he did inquire if he would get any extra money in his account. I told him that he would not. That it was already a part of his allowance. That was not the answer he was expecting.

My sister's family and my dad came early in the afternoon. (They came over right after Bob's indoor soccer game.) Then, my mom arrived an hour later. My other sister, who lives locally, came around 4 o'clock. The cousins started arriving around 6. We ate dinner and got a chance to catch up with them.

I brought down some Lincoln Logs for the young kids to play with. SJ and my niece jumped into to join the little kids. Before I knew it, Bob and my nephews Gabriel and Cedar will building too.  It was kind of nice to see my boys rediscovering their old toys even if it was only for a short time.

Everyone left by 9 o'clock. The only ones who remained were Gabriel and Cedar. They were having a sleepover to celebrate Bob's birthday. All the boys played nicely until we told them to go to bed around 11.

I could hear them moving around at 7:30 a.m. I went to get them their favorite donuts (SJ and Gabriel opted for white iced rings, Bob went with powdered cake and Cedar requested glazed.) They played until I had to drive them back to my parents. They were heading back home around lunch time. SJ didn't want to join us, so I left him at home with my husband.

I think SJ enjoyed visiting with the kids and my cousins. Even though he enjoys the company, he also enjoys his alone time.

after school speech part 39

Last Tuesday, SJ had his weekly speech therapy session.  The therapist said he had a good session.  She was doing some testing on him, so I don't have much to report on specific activities.  These tests tend to take several sessions. 

She did tell me that his conversational skills are improving greatly.  She said he was able to continue the conversation for several turns.  This is a vast improvement for him.  He used to only go back and forth once or twice.  He also would frequently steer the conversation away from the central discussion and talk about what he wants to talk about.  I was glad that he is making these improvements.  This will be beneficial in all aspects of his life. 

She went over a facial worksheet where SJ had to identify if these people were listening well.  He was able to identify the three correct choices.  Great job SJ!

She assigned him a Problem Solving worksheet.  I did this with him the other day.  He did very well on this worksheet.  He only needed prompted on one question.  Then, we worked on two Figurative Language homework sheets.  On the main idea and narrative structure questions, he did need prompts with one question.  The last question on the meaning of "sick with worry" stumped him.  I had to explain this to him.  On the second Figurative Language worksheet, he got all the questions correct without me prompting him.  He did have some difficulty with the last question.  He needed to explain what "I can't hear myself think" means.  I needed to explain to him that when it is noisy it is difficult to concentrate. 

The last homework worksheet he had was on Taking Turns.  There were 14 statements and SJ had to determine if it was a clue to tell him when to talk in a conversation.  He had a little bit of trouble with this activity.  I reminded him that when someone asks him a question or pauses between sentences that is a clue that it is his turn to talk. 

Overall, I was happy with how he completed the homework.  I could have used a little less complaining about it, but you can't have everything!

at home reading tutoring session 4

Last Monday, SJ had his weekly reading tutoring session.  Mrs. Banks said that SJ was slow to get motivated.  She said he seemed tired, but after a few minutes she said he began to work for her.  She started off the session with a short story that SJ had to answer questions on.  It was about Thanksgiving.  "Why aren't we doing Halloween anymore?" he asked her.  "Halloween is over.  It is time to move on," she told him.  This is the story.

Derek and the Turkey

by Brenda B. Covert

Derek's family owned the Green Valley Turkey Farm.  The farm was a small one.  Derek had to help raise the turkeys.  They were so big and loud and ugly!  Why couldn't they raise something small and quiet and pretty-like cardinals?

"Because nobody wants to eat a cardinal," Farmer Don said in a no-nonsense kind of voice. 

There was one young turkey in the pen that followed Derek.  If Derek had to sweep out the pen, the bird was behind him.  If he had to fill a pan with feed, the bird was right beside him.  If he was daydreaming, the bird was in front of him looking up in a questioning sort of way.

As Thanksgiving approached...

Then SJ had to answer the following questions.

1.      What could be the best thing about owning a turkey farm?  Making money, lots of food

2.      What would be the worst thing about owning a turkey farm?  Feeding violent turkeys

3.      List three things that Derek might daydream about.  Birds not following him, no going to school and no more rules.

4.      What is special about the turkey that follows Derek?  The turkey likes Derek.

5.      What happens to the young turkey?  The turkey will die at Thanksgiving.

Next, Mrs. Banks asked him if he wanted to something easy or hard.  He choose something easy.  He had to find 10 hidden feathers in a Thanksgiving picture.  She said he did this easily and was ready to move on to something more challenging. 

They worked on another reader's theater.  It was Duck for President.  He was excited, because he knew this story.  He told Mrs. Banks that he knew Duck was from Click, Clack, Moo, which is one of his favorites.  They went through the play and talked about it.  SJ later told me that Duck should just be a duck, since that is much easier than being President.  I agreed!

Lastly, they worked on Persuasive Writing.  Mrs. Banks had SJ write a letter to us, which she scribed.  This is what he wrote:

Dear Parents,

I wish I had a TV in my room.  I am a good boy.  I remember to do my chores.  My chores are cleaning my bedroom, brushing my teeth, taking out the trash and put my dirty clothes in the hamper. 

I do work at school which helps me get good grades on my report card.  I remember to do my homework.  I do not swear at school or home.  I do not get detention because I am good. 

I am old enough to have a TV in my room.  The rule is you must be 10 and I am 10 1/2 years old.  Bob got his TV when he turned 10 in 4th grade.  Bob is rude many times and I am not rude.  We both do our chores and get good grades.

I would play video games on my TV and watch videos.  I would do my chores every day and be good.  I would do my homework first.

Sincerely,

SJ

That was a great persuasive letter.  I may have to really think about getting him a TV (or at least asking Santa for one!)  Although this isn’t technically reading, I am thrilled that she is working on this with him.  This is one of the hardest things for SJ to do. 

trick or treat!

Due to Hurricane Sandy, our trick or treat night was moved to Saturday.  SJ was so excited for this wonderful tradition.  He was dressing up as Super Mario.  Our one neighbor boy was planning on walking around with him.  I asked my husband if he would walk them around, but he said Bob could do it.  Bob is not even 12 yet and he is convinced that he is too old for trick or treating.  (Really, Bob.  I was trick or treating until I was high school.  Now way is he too old!)

When the neighbor came down with his dad, my husband informed him that Bob would be walking them around.  Our neighborhood is fairly small (less than 30 houses).  The dad went home and the boys were off.  It took them less than 25 minutes to do the whole neighborhood. 

We hung out at our house and passed out candy to the other kids.  When trick or treat was over, we went over to our friends' house for another Halloween party.  There were 5 boys and 6 girls there.  The boys were right on their electronics or having a Nerf war while the girls were busy playing together. 

We stayed at our friends' house until after 11.  Around 11 o'clock, SJ was getting pretty tired (I was too, but I was fighting off bronchitis!).  He kept asking us to go, but my husband was having a great time.  I continued to tell SJ we would leave "in a few minutes".  A few minutes lasted almost an hour. 

We said our goodbyes and gathered up all of our treats.  I was so glad that we got to spend more time with our friends.  It was a great way to wrap up our favorite holiday!

a visit to the specialist

Last week, SJ went to see his Autism specialist.  We see him once a year.  I was watching the neighbor kids after school, so my husband graciously took SJ. While he was at his appointment, my husband called home and I had a conference call with them on speaker phone.  The specialist checks SJ’s blood to monitor the metals and nutrients that he is getting. 

His casein (milk) levels were a little too high.  I told him we would try to watch his casein levels closer.  His gluten (wheat) level was way too high.  That is a tough one.  There is wheat in a lot of food, such as bread, pastas and cereals.  I have tried to buy the gluten free products, but SJ hates them.  They are so expensive and he refuses to eat them. 

He also told me that his iron level was low.  He asked me how much red meat he eats.  (That was easy...hardly any!)  I told him he eats some, but not too much.  He asked me if I was buying organic, but I was honest and told him no.  The organic beef is so expensive! 

All of this was normal discussion for one of his appointments.  After this, he got into the tough part of the conversation.  He was very disappointed with SJ's IEP.  He felt it was very flimsy.  I told him that he just has a speech IEP and they are not as detailed.  He didn't seem satisfied with my explanation.  He wanted me to request that the school check SJ's IQ.  He was concerned that SJ is falling behind due to his expressive language deficits and comprehension difficulties.  He suggested that I ask that they administer the WIAT and the Wechsler tests.  He said depending on his scores I might have to his IEP redone to make it more specific.

"What more can the school do?" I questioned.  I mean SJ already has an aide, gets speech and occupational therapy, and gets adaption when necessary.  He said they could provide tutoring. "Oh, I didn't get to tell him that yet, honey," my husband said.  "Doctor, we already arranged to have SJ tutored weekly by a reading teacher," I told him.  "How long are his tutoring sessions?"  he asked.  "Once a week for an hour," I replied.  "Well, that's good, but it would be better for him to be tutored twice a week for 2 thirty minute sessions," the doctor said.  "I don't know if that will be possible, but I can ask," I said.  "What is the difference?" I questioned him.  "Well, the first session is like putting gas in the car.  The second session is pressing down the gas pedal," he said.  "Okay, I will try to get him tutored twice a week," I promised.  He also suggested that his teachers or aide have him use a computer to help with his writing.  I told him that I would pass that suggestion along to them. 

Next, we moved on to what supplements he takes.  Nothing changed there.  He is still to take Magnesium, Zinc, Fish Oil, Omega D3, Calcium, Therabiotic and a multivitamin.  He gave my husband a prescription to get SJ's blood drawn again.  I told him I would take him over the Thanksgiving break.  He told me that SJ was doing better, but reminded me once again to watch the gluten and casein.  I said I would try, but I am not going to make SJ eat things that he hates.  Hopefully, his next blood screening will show our efforts working.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

at home reading tutoring session 3

Last Monday, SJ had another reading tutoring session.  I thought Mrs. Banks may cancel due to the Hurricane, but she was able to make it.  She started out the session by doing another reader's theater.  It was a play about Halloween.  She let SJ pick his characters.  She said he did very well with the reading. 

Next, she had SJ look at a Halloween "I Spy" type picture.  There were questions SJ had to answer from looking at the picture.  Mrs. Banks said he had a little trouble with this, but she said he was able to answer the questions with prompting. 

After that activity, she worked on analogy worksheets with him.  He had to complete the analogies by using a word bank.  For example:  real: dog :: make believe:___________.  SJ filled in "monster".  She said he had more difficulty with this activity.  I am glad she worked on this with him.  This is something that will be on his PSSA testing, so it is important that he have practice with this. 

She also had him try to find hidden things in a visual jumble.  There were a bunch of jack-o-lanterns, but he was to find the non-Halloween items.  She said he did very well with this activity.

Lastly, I had told her that I had been working on his Persuasive writing with him.  His educational assistant had asked me to work on this with him at home.  I did, but I still didn't feel he was grasping how to persuade.  I showed her the Venn diagram that I had done with him.  She built on that visual aide and got him to list reasons why he should have a television in his room. 

I was so thrilled that she was able to get more information out of him than I could.  Persuasive writing seems to be very difficult for him.  I am not sure if it is because it is more of an emotional process and he seems to not always focus in on emotional cues.  Whatever help she can give him in this area is most appreciated. 

She said he worked very hard and only checked them time twice.  I couldn't be more pleased with how hard he is trying.  I am hoping in a few months we will see the difference in his grades. 

school party and Halloween party

Last Friday, SJ's school had their Halloween parties.  I was selected as one of the party parents.  The kids get their costumes on and then parade around the school.  All parents are welcome to view the parade, but only party parents get to go to their child's room.  After the parade was done, the kids returned to Mrs. Valentine's room.  The other party parent and I had set up games and a painting station.  The kids who brought in snacks passed them out.  We explained the game stations: Monster Candy Corn toss, Ghost Bowling, Pumpkin Painting, Bloody Penny Toss, Put a Ring on The Black Cat's Tail and Guess How Many Candy Corns.

The kids milled around the room and chose the activities that they wanted to do.  Some chose to eat some of their snacks and others just socialized.  I love getting to do a party.  It is so nice for to see SJ interact with his peers.  When I am witnessing this, I almost forget that SJ is on the spectrum.  In those moments, he is just another 5^th grader in a Super Mario costume. 

The party lasts for about 45 minutes, but the time flies during the party.  Before I knew it, it was time to get the kids packed up to go home. 

SJ had a great time.  He loved being in his Super Mario costume (and he looked so cute!)  SJ's classmates had some great costumes.  There were peacocks, old ladies (of course those were boys), witches, reapers, clowns and Star Wars characters.  My favorite was a headless scientist who was carrying a man's head in a jar. 

After the party, we went home to get ready for our Halloween party for our friends.  Our friends arrived around 7.  We had dinner and the girls decorated pumpkins.  (I had pumpkins for the boys too, but I guess they are too cool for a craft!)  We got some pictures of the kids.  The kids then split up.  The boys played video games while the girls watched Hocus Pocus.  Since the kids were playing nicely, it gave the adults time to relax.  It was a great night.  We have great friends, so it is always nice when we can get together. 

after school tutoring part 2

On Monday, Mrs. Banks came for SJ's after school tutoring session.  They began their session by working on a Reader's Theater.  There were 14 characters and she let SJ choose which 7 he wanted to read.  She had him flip through the play and she was fine with whatever characters he wanted to choose.  She said she was surprised at some of the characters he chose, because they had quite a bit of dialogue. 

The play was called There's a Werewolf in Town.  It was 6 pages long and it took about half of the session.  She told me he started to get distracted by her IPhone sitting on the table.  She told him he could check the time 4 times and then he was done checking the time.  She told me he looked at her phone 5 minutes into the session, so she reminded him he would only get three more times.  "What?  Are you keeping track?" SJ questioned her.  "Yes sir, I am," she told him matter of factly.  I love it!

After the play was done, they moved on to a comprehension worksheet.  It had a story that was open ended.  This was the story:

Inside the Haunted House

Written by Brenda B. Covert

The old house sat at the end of a dead-end street.  Its paint was chipped off, leaving it a dingy gray color.  Shutters were either missing or were hanging loose and missing slats.  The porch looked brittle.  The trees around the house looked like bony hands lifted up in fright.  The yard itself was an overgrown wasteland of tangled weeds and brush.

Acey and Poe stood at the broken gate and stared at the house.  Fallen leaves swirled at their feet.  A crow cawed as it flew overhead.

Acey's heartbeat quickened.  "Why are we here?"

Poe looked grim.  "We have to go in."

"No, we don't," Acey argued.  "We could leave right now and just tell everybody that we went inside the haunted house."

Poe shot Acey a pitying look.  "Everyone will know it if we run away like babies.  We said we were going inside the haunted house, and we are going inside the haunted house."

The gate groaned loudly as Poe pushed it open and...

Then SJ had to answer 5 questions.  These are the questions and SJ's answers.

1.      Are Acey and Poe boys, girls, one of each, or something not human?  I think they're one of each.

2.      What do you suppose happened that made Acey and Poe have to go into the haunted house?  They were taking a walk.

3.      What will happen if Acey and Poe decide not to go into the house?  They will be lying to everybody about going in the house.

4.      What do you think is inside the haunted house?  I think there are monsters, skeletons, zombies, witches and vampires.

5.      What will happen to Acey and Poe after they go into the house?  They will be scared because haunted houses are scary.

Then Mrs. Banks showed him another paper that was full of blank lines.  At the top, it said to use the ideas he wrote for the thinking sentences to write an ending for the story.  She told me he saw all the blank lines and started whining about how he doesn't like to write.  Next, she pulled out an additional blank sheet and she told him he could use it if he needs more room.  "Why would anyone want to write that much?" he asked her.  "Well, I would want to write that much, SJ," she said.  He did manage to write a few sentences.  This is what he wrote.

The door opened.  They went into the house and they turned on their flashlight.  They saw bats, ghosts, and any creatures that are in there.  Acey and Poe ran out the door to tell their parents.  They told their parents and then the Dad said, "Never go into the haunted house."

Now, that doesn't seem like much writing.  I know, I know.  But for SJ, that was a great job.  Mrs. Banks told me that she will encourage him to expand on his writing.  That is great news in my book.

after school speech part 38

Last Tuesday, SJ had his weekly speech therapy session.  The therapist went over how to listen well.  She had SJ check off things that he should be doing in order to have a good conversation.  He had a choice of 14 items.  He checked off the following: 

· Look puzzled if you don't understand something.

· Face your partner.

· Smile or laugh if your partner says something you both think is funny.

· Look at your partner now and then.

· Fidget with something; move your arms, hands or fingers around.

· Nod your head to show you understand or agree with what your partner says.

· Keep looking right at your partner's eyes.

· Say "no" when you disagree with what your partner says.

She went over a Problem Solving worksheet with him.  They read a story together and then she had him answer some questions.  This was the story:

Dan thinks about dogs all the time.  He keeps begging his parents to let him get a dog.  They keep telling him the same thing.  They say, "Dan, we are hardly every home.  The dog would be alone a lot.  That wouldn't be fair to it.  Besides, our apartment is much too small for a dog." 

Dan knows they are right, but he would still love to get a dog.  He doesn't have any brothers or sisters to play with, and a dog would make a great best friend.  Dan can't wait until he grows up so he can have his own dog in his own place.  Until then, he'll just keep reading about dogs and thinking about what it will be like to have one.

He then had to answer three questions on Main Idea and Details and five questions on Problem Solving.  She told me that he got 86% correct with prompts.  Great job, SJ! 

For his homework, she assigned a worksheet on Taking Turns, as well as a Figurative Language story with questions.  We will be working on those assignments tomorrow night.

at home reading tutoring session 1

Last Monday, SJ started his at home reading tutoring with Mrs. Banks.  I was a little worried about how SJ was going to act during the tutoring session.  My worry was unnecessary.  When she arrived at our house, SJ greeted her and showed her to the basement room.  I told her that it would be most quiet down there.  He gave her a tour of the room and then they started.

She had brought a reader's theater for them to read together.  It was a funny Halloween play.  She let him choose which characters he wanted to read.  I could hear him laughing as he was reading the play with her.  After they finished the play, she asked him questions about the story.  She said he needed some prompting finding the answers in the play, but I am hoping that he will eventually develop the skills to find these answers on his own.

She brought his previous comprehension test from his teacher.  "Hey, this is from my class," I overheard SJ say.  "You'll be surprised at what I will bring," she said.  She went over the questions that he missed and again demonstrated how to go back into the story to find the answers. 

About 40 minutes into their hour session, SJ came running up the stairs.  "What's wrong?" I asked SJ.  "Nothing.  I want to show Mrs. Banks my reading folder," he said.  And then, he ran back down the stairs.  It was so nice to see SJ excited about reading and getting back to his tutoring session.  They finished their session and Mrs. Banks told me he did a very nice job. 

I was glad it went well.  The next day, SJ's reading teacher, Mrs. Dudley, told SJ that Mrs. Banks said he did such a great job at tutoring.  He was so proud.  He told me as soon as I picked him up at the end of the day.  I am always proud of him, but he is trying so hard to do well in school.  His efforts astound me sometimes.  This mama is so proud of her boy!

after school speech part 37

Last Tuesday, SJ had his weekly speech therapy appointment.  His therapist began the appointment going over some listening skills with SJ.  She read him a paragraph asking him to pretend he was listening to a teacher giving a boring speech (I don't know any 5th grader that would be bored by a teacher's speech.  Do you?).  She described how the student was acting.  He was slouching in his chair, looking out the window and tapping his fingers on the table. 

She told him that all of these actions tell the teacher that the student isn't listening to her.  The student doesn't have to say anything out loud.  His actions express his feelings to the teacher.  She then went over some basic rules about listening in a conversation. 

1. Face the person and give them eye contact.  (She had to explain "eye contact" to SJ.  We always say "look at their eyes".)  After she explained the term eye contact, she told him to make occasional eye contact, not to stare at the person and to not focus his eyes on anything else around him.

2. Pay attention to what the person says and the way the person says it.  She told him to ask himself how does the person feel, why is the person talking to me and what is the person thinking?

3. Show that you are paying attention to the person and what he says.  She told him to nod his head to show understanding, use facial expressions to show if you don't understand and keep still and don't fidget.

4. Wait your turn to talk.  She told him to not interrupt people.  She also told him if he is not absolutely sure his partner is finished talking, wait a few seconds.  They will either start talking again or signal to him that it is his turn to talk. 

We have been working on this skill for years, but maybe coming from his therapist it will sink in a little easier.  I will say that SJ is much more willing to ask questions and try to initiate conversations will familiar people.  Hopefully with these additional reminders, he will be able to utilize these skills to talk to his peers. 

She also went over a Problem Solving worksheet with him.  This was the story.

Rick is at the movies with this mom and brother Trey.  He is not having a good time.  In fact, he is having a terrible time.  Rick wanted to see "Spy School".  His brother Trey wanted to see "Fright House".  Their mom decided that it was Trey's turn to choose.  Now Rick is mad.  He has to watch a movie he didn't want to see.

Rick's mom is not happy with him, either.  She has warned him twice to stop complaining.  Now he has decided to just sit and not watch the movie.  He'd rather sip his soda and pout.  He gets even madder when he looks at Trey.  His brother is happily munching his popcorn and acting like nothing is wrong.  Rick hopes this movie goes by quickly so he can go back home. 

SJ then had to answer some questions.  The first three were on the main idea and details.  SJ got the first two correct, but needed a cue for the third question.  The question was how many times has Rick's mom warned him to stop complaining?  After the cue, he answered twice, which was the right answer.

He then had to answer five questions on problem solving.  He got all five answers correct.  The therapist then did the writing prompt with him.  (This was new.  She doesn't usually do the writing prompts.)  The writing prompt was "What do you think the movie Fright House is about?"  This is SJ's response.

Fright House is a horror movie.  It has ghosts, bats, witches, vampires, Frankenstein, Invisible Man and a Mummy.  Some guys who come to the house try to destroy the monsters. 

It wasn't a lengthy response, but that was still a valid response for the prompt.  Great job, SJ!  She assigned him two Figurative Language worksheets for homework.  (I still have to do those with him.  Bad mom!)

goodbyes, daddytime and hellos

Two weeks ago, I flew to San Diego for a family wedding. I went by myself, because I didn't want to pull the boys out of school. I was a little concerned about how SJ was going to be when I was gone. I do so many things for him and I didn't know if my leaving would throw off his schedule. I told all of his teachers that I would be gone just in case he was acting out of character.

I know my husband was going to be capable of handling the boys, but I knew he wouldn't do things exactly like me. (Like SJ's sandwiches, I always make them with a sandwich cutter and I knew my husband wouldn't do that.) I left him a schedule of all of their daily activities, days they were buying or packing and after school schedule.

The night before I left, I thought SJ was going to be upset that I was going. However, he was surprisingly okay with it. "Mommy is leaving tomorrow morning early. Be good for Daddy," I told him. "Okay, Mom. Have fun," he said. So much for being upset. Bob had a surprising reaction as well. He was very upset that I was leaving and had trouble falling to sleep. Sometimes kids are odd. Just when you think you have them figured out they throw you a curve ball.

The boys were both asleep when I was to leave. I gave them a kiss on the forehead and left for the airport. I kept in touch with them daily. That is one of the great things about modern technology. I was able to Facetime with them. (It was not the same as being there, but it makes the distance seem not so distant.) I got to talk to them about their day and I told about all the fun things I was doing in California.

My husband did great as a temporary stay-at-home dad. (Not that I was worried!) The boys got to do lots of fun things with their dad. They went out to eat a few times and saw Hotel Transylvania. He got Bob to his practices and SJ to his speech therapy. And even though he did some things differently than I would, I am glad that they had this time to bond together.

The day that I traveled back was not so much fun for me. My parents aren't great travelers and they were wearing on my nerves a bit. My dad's legs don't work as well as they used to, so I had to endure a lot of complaining when we had our layover flight. His complaining then caused my mom to be on edge, which caused me to be aggravated.

When we arrived at our home airport, I just wanted to get our luggage and get home to my boys and husband. As we went down the escalator, we turned towards the baggage claim. All of a sudden, my boys called out my name and ran over to hug me. I then saw my husband and I was so happy. I was supposed to drive home with my parents, but my husband decided to surprise me. Boy was I surprised! I was elated to see them. The boys really seemed to miss me, which also warmed my heart.

We got our bags and said goodbye to my parents. As we were walking to our car, the boys were chatting away to me about what they did with my husband. I was listening to them and thinking how nice it was to be home. California was great, but nothing feels nicer than to be home!

 

after school speech part 36

I was away last week, so my husband took SJ to his weekly speech appointment.  She worked on his conversational skills.  She gave him a work sheet that had a word bank.  He had to fill in the blanks with the appropriate missing words. 

For example:  It is rude to butt in and __________ someone who is talking.  SJ had to select "interrupt" to complete the sentence.  After she helped him select the correct word, she went over what the word meant.  He did 6 of the sentences with his therapist and he has the remainder to complete for homework.

She also worked on the skill of taking turns when a person is talking to someone.  She told him that partners take EQUAL turns talking and listening.  This is an important thing to point out to SJ.  He tends to want to only talk about what interests him and he assumes everyone is as excited about his favorites as he is.  (Although I will say, he is getting much better at turn taking.)  She also told him that people don't like to be SHUT OUT of a conversation.  They want equal time to talk.

She had him practice taking short turns in a conversation.  She let him pick a topic.  He was allowed to talk for 30 seconds.  Some of the topics were your favorite game, what you like to do on the weekend and plane travel.

She assigned him for homework that we use some of these topics to prompt SJ to ask questions.  If he picked a subject such as plane travel, she suggested that we steer him towards making the questions more personal.  He could ask "Have you ever been on a plane?" instead of "Why do planes fly?" 

We will use the list of topics this week to practice SJ's conversation skills.  I am hoping with practice he will learn the social cues that people give when he his overtaking a conversation.  With his eye contact getting better, he will just have to remember to focus on their actions.  Easier said than done!

after school speech part 35

Last Tuesday, SJ had his weekly speech session.  I told the therapist about his continued problems in reading comprehension.  She said she can't specifically work on that, but there are some things she works on that also touches on comprehension.  I told her that any help that she can give in that area would be so appreciated.

She took SJ back and I ran to get his dinner.  When his session was over, she told me he did very well.  She told me that they did a worksheet on Paraphrasing and Summarizing.  SJ had to read the following story and then answer the questions.

Today Ann was five years old.  She had a birthday party.  Her mom baked a special cake.  She frosted it with pink icing.  She put five candles on the cake. 

Ann's guests came to the party.  They each brought a present for her.  They all played games.  Then Ann sat down at the table.  She said, "Time for cake and ice cream!"

Next Ann opened her presents.  Then she gave each guest a favor.  What a great birthday!

SJ then had to answer questions on the Main Idea and Details.  He got all three questions correct.  Next he had to answer questions on Paraphrasing and Summarizing.  He had a little more difficulty with this section.  For example:  Which sentence means the same as this sentence?  The cake was baked by Ann's mom.  SJ could choose a. Ann's mom frosted the cake.  b. Ann’s mom baked the cake.  or c. Ann baked the cake for her birthday.  He wanted to choose A, but the correct answer was B.

He did a little better on the summarizing questions.  For example:  What did the guests do at the party?  a. They brought presents, played games, and ate cake and ice cream.  b. They decorated the cake and gave favors to Ann.  c. They sang songs, played games, and painted pictures.  He choose A, which was the correct answer. 

The last activity she did with him was to discuss what a conversation is.  She gave him a sheet that explained what conversations are and why people have conversations.  Then, SJ had to decide if different scenarios were true conversations or not.  For example:  You ask a salesperson in a shoe store to get you shoes in your size.  He put a C for conversation.  Your teacher tells you your homework assignment.  He put an X since it was not a conversation. 

Last, she selected a few vocabulary words for SJ to look up in the dictionary for homework.  The words were rumor, gossip, public, private, small talk and party favor.  It was a very busy weekend, so we just got that homework assignment done tonight.  At least we finished it before our appointment.  (Although, we were cutting it close.) 

I am glad she is working on this with him.  I am hoping it will stop him from doing his echolalia (repeating) and get him to really engage with others.  Fingers crossed!