Special Exp. / Wordless Weds: First Day

James started his first day of Kindergarten today. He was so happy!



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and ... Wordless Wednesday

Magic Marker Monday: Waiting

I met with the Full-Inclusion Coordinator at James' new school, so we could go over James' schedule and related information. Because I know she is new to the position and will be swamped with new faces and back-to-school activities, I made a cheat sheet for James, with contact names and information at the top and bullet points of his ... hmmm, how do I put this? behaviours and tips for good coping strategies. I was lucky to have almost an hour with her.

James came with me. And he took almost 150 photos with my new phone's camera to pass the time. I am really becoming a fan of letting the kids use my camera to see what they notice and focus on.

Just see some examples below:

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Daddybration

Last week we celebrated James' Daddy's birthday. I was looking at the pictures and one caught my eye:

James in the past has not been able to successfully blow noisemakers or get enough air into one of the party blowers to straighten it out ... until recently. In this picture, it almost looks to me like he's trying to figure out just where his mouth is and priming it for party noise use. It tickled me to see how excited he got, making them work properly.

Of course, he wasn't the only one getting into the noisemaking act. He had some company:

And oh how he likes being able to keep up with Big Sister. How we loved seeing them showing their love and excitement for their Daddy.

If It's New, He'll Try It

James saw this balance beam in the play area at the County Fair. He had to try it.

"Moooooom, don't hover!"

I wonder how hard it would be for me to try and build one myself?

T-minus 4 days to Kindergarten!!!!

Summer at the River

Here's where we hung out this afternoon: a stretch of beach along a local River.


It's been The River to me since I can remember. It feels good to be sharing it with the kids. I could actually relax because their Nana came with us, so James and his sister both got some personal attention.


James spent some time in the water, testing his balance against the rocky, sandy bottom and the River's gentle, yet persistent, current. He threw rocks, dug in the sand, and tried to scoop real live minnows with a net. He and I had splash wars (he's holding his hands better for this than he did before) and tossed the net back and forth to each other. He picked a flower for me and even started to gather and count the rocks. Before throwing them. I'll bet that's a couple of P/T sessions right there.


Felt soooooo good!

Good heavens, I adore those floaties from the Dollar Store. It gave both kids confidence to play in the water and try to swim on their own. They are bright and easy for me to spot.

Summer Picnics

Our local Farmers' Market sets up twice weekly in the summer. On Sundays, I like to take the kids there, to get us out of the house and see what's fresh. James loves the live music. He loves it so much that I have to keep a close watch on him, as he will almost get in their laps or try getting within an inch of the instruments. While they are being played.

It's also a great excuse to pack a lunch and picnic outdoors.

James still loves his usual menu of PB&J, apple slices, and pretzels (or something crunchy). It can be a challenge to keep him seated and restrain his bite sizes. As soon as something catches his attention, he'll leap to his feet and head toward it, regardless of what's still on his plate or in his mouth. It this James, a 5-year-old boy, or the autism? I have no idea.

I do know that we love the welcoming atmosphere of our Farmers' Market:

School starts next week. Yikes!

Calling for an Assist

I just made a call to the Swain Center, to see about getting another evaluation for James. Right after his initial assessment by the North Bay Regional Center, he started receiving treatment there twice a week with a speech therapist. After age 3, we continued to visit on a weekly basis, when school was out of session, as part of our Respite Care.

The more I see of kids and services, the luckier I feel that he got such good help up front. His therapist kept at him, and didn't let James get away with much. This is tough, because he knows how to use his charm and cute looks. She knew he needed to be pushed and found ways to successfully challenge him. Even when he was tired and cranky from going to therapy instead of napping, she got him to accomplish just a little bit more.

When it came time for his first school IEP, she helped me set better goals for him. Because the school folks were setting him goals he'd already achieved (they had not worked with him at that point), and I am not a speech specialist, this woman's help was invaluable to us. I am hoping to have her input to bring with me for a meeting with James' Kinder Team after school starts.

Perhaps I should have done this earlier, but I hate overscheduling James. He's been progressing so well with social and speech development this summer -- the sessions at the gym's Kids' Club with older kids, participating in the city's Summer Camp program, and hanging out with older cousins at the beach all helped him take advantage of some great modeling to imitate and build upon.

Now, however, I am reliving the last part of his preschool year, and the disappointment with the speech services and goals (or lack thereof). I know Kindergarten will be a whirlwind of activity and excitement. I'd REALLY like him to succeed, so am hoping that by having the Swain Center's input, we'll be off to another good beginning.