With nervousness & tearful eyes I drove our little Pooh over to the elementary school today where she will start special education preschool. {September 8, 2009}
We went a little early to meet with her new teacher Miss Chris & what a sweet lady she is. She has been working with special needs children for years & has a great education/therapy plan for the children in her class. We look forward to seeing Emily learn new things.
So here we go, with a new chapter in our lives & yes Emily did almost tip over with this book bag on, as she marched around our driveway with it before getting in the car.
Come with me as I pick Emily up from school.
click here
Emily age 3
Emily requires a one to one aide who will help implement her IEP goals.
Duties of the aide:
1. The aide will refocus and redirect Emily to task.
2. When needed, the aide will change a task.
3. The aide will be able to work with Emily in a quiet place in the classroom when needed.
4. The aide will give the child a tangible or intangible object when concentration is needed.
5. The aide will break down assignments when needed.
6. Allow opportunity for movement when Emily becomes restless.
7. Give breaks when needed.
8. Use sign language to help facilitate speech. Also use vocal language to help with her
auditory processing.
What are PECS?
The road we are traveling with Emily is a road of uncertainties and challenges, a road of compassion, love and caring, it's also a road that we will travel together.
We have watched Emily make progress and we have watched her take two steps back. {It's like she forgets what she learned}. We have also watched her learn sign language......and 3 weeks later, you would think she NEVER signed. Emily's speech therapist and I have decided to take a new approach to Emily's communication called PECS. {Picture Exchange Communication System} She is so good at handing us a DVD she wants to watch {and knows which she wants to see}, it made sense that she may find it easy to hand us a picture card of something she wants.
* Update: Within a week of the PECS cards being introduced, Emily was handing us the card for her sippy cup so she could get something to drink. We modified the cards to be actual pictures of things she eats & drinks so she would be familiar with it. Soon after, she was also handing us a card for her snacks, lunch & dinner choices. Mommy & Daddy are smiling ear to ear. Another step forward for our Pooh.
Here's a little info I found about PECS.
The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an augmentative communication system developed to help individuals quickly acquire a functional means of communication. PECS is appropriate for individuals who do not use speech or who may speak with limited effectiveness: those who have articulation or motor planning difficulties, limited communicative partners, lack of initiative in communication, etc.
Advantages:
* Each exchange is clearly intentional and readily understood. When a child hands you a picture or sentence strip, the request or comment is quickly determined. The child is given an effective avenue for swiftly and easily meeting his needs.
* From the start, communication is initiated by the child. Children are not drilled in rote responses to specific phrases or instructions, rather they are encouraged to independently seek out communication partners in naturally occurring settings.
* Communication is meaningful and highly motivating. Reinforcement for communication is natural and strongly rewarding.
* Materials are cheap, easy to prepare, and portable. A PECS symbol can be as simple as a hand-drawn picture, or a snapshot.
* With PECS, the child has an essentially unlimited pool of potential communicative partners. Anyone willing to accept a picture is available, not just those who understand sign language or who are familiar enough with the child to understand him despite his articulation or motor planning difficulties. Children are able to generalize communication to a wide circle of people very quickly.
Emily attended the extended school year for four weeks during the summer & loved it. We are fortunate that our school district provides this program so the children don't go "two-steps back" on some of the progress they made throughout the regular school year.
This year, Emily is attending the Preschool Disabled program for a second year. She is showing more willingness to participate in activities at school and also attempting to say more words. Since Emily showed an interest in the school bus, she has also been riding to & from school this year.
Occupational Therapy Evaluation
DOE - October 16, 2009
Reason for Referral
Emily was referred for an occupational therapy evaluation secondary to receiving services in early intervention for sensory concerns and low muscle tone.
Background Information
Emily has been diagnosed with Chromosome 17q21.31 Microdeletion Syndrome, a rare genetic condition. As per Emily's chart, she has seizures, which she takes medication to control. She received early intervention services for occupational, speech & physical therapy.
Areas of Concern
Fine Motor Skills, Self-Care Skills, Gross Motor Skills
Hand Use/Fine Motor
Emily is right hand dominant. She is able to isolate and point with her index finger and manipulate toy buttons. She will grasp and hold objects placed in her hand and release objects into a designated area. Emily is able to utilize a 3 finger grasp (thumb & first & second fingers) when picking up small objects. She is able to clap her hands and demonstrate bilateral hand use to play with an object. Emily is able to perform translation of objects from one hand to the other hand.
Tool Use
Emily utilizes a fisted hand grasp on writing utensils. She is unable to position scissors correctly in fingers to snip/cut paper.
Visual-Motor Skills
Emily demonstrates the ability to visually attend to objects during interaction. She is able to complete a three shape form board. Emily is able to draw verticle lines. It has not been observed if Emily can draw horizontal lines or circles.
Self-Care/Adaptive
Emily is able to self-feed a small variety of finger foods. It has not been observed if Emily can feed herself with a spoon. {mommy note: she can't} She is unable to pour liquid from a pitcher without spilling. She is unable to drink from a cup without spilling. Emily can place her cup on the table after drinking. It has not been observed if Emily can drink from a straw. {mommy note: she can but doesn't} Emily will place her hand under the faucet to wash her hands and requires assistance to wash her hands. Emily requires assistance to put her coat on and off. She is unable to thread a zipper to zip/unzip her coat. She requires assitance to put on and take off her book bag and hang her book bag on a hook.
Gross Motor Skills
Emily is able to sit and stand unsupported. She is unable to stand on one foot, jump up clearing both feet off of the ground, and hop on one foot. Emily is unable to keep up with her peers when walking down the hall in line. She is unable to run or ride a tricycle. Emily is able to get into and out of a small chair. She is able to get up from and down onto the floor. It is reported that she can be unsteady when changing surfaces/terrains when walking. She is able to navigate around objects and over objects on the floor. She demonstrates difficulty with maintaining her balance when challenged. She tends to trip or fall easily in the school environment. Emily requires assistance to access playground equipment that is appropriate for her size.
Sensory-Motor
Tactile
Emily demonstrates decreased toleration of others in her personal space and the ability to tolerate various textures on her hands.
Vestibular
Emily demonstrates fearfulness or becomes cautious with movement.
Proprioceptive
Emily can appear clumsy or ackward with her movements. She does not demonstrate self-abusive or self-stimulatory behaviors. Emily bumps into objects when walking. She is not a messy eater.
Auditory
Emily does not appear to have auditory sensitivities in the classroom and she has not demonstrated that she is sensitive to sounds.
Miscellaneous
Emily has not been observed to follow 2-3 step directions. She does not display a high level of activity. She is able to maintain her attention to complete tasks, when she is interested in the task presented.
Summary
Emily demonstrates overall classroom difficulties and would benefit from occupational therapy services to address her fine motor skills, visual-motor skills, and self-care/adaptive skills. This therapist observed Emily in the classroom and during speech therapy. She visually attends to toys/objects presented to her. She was observed to require verbal encouragement to attend and participate in classroom activities. She was observed to engage in isolated and/or parallel play.
Emily age 5
This year Emily is enrolled in Kindergarten PDD [pervasive developmental disorder]. There are only 6 children including Emily in the class and each child receives a lot of one on one aide. Emily does attend for a full day.
I was a little worried about her tolerating such a long day but she seems to be handling it just fine. Actually she comes home quite happy & energetic. Every day.
She is still receiving Occupational, Physical and Speech Therapies during school.
You can always keep up-to-date on her school progress over at our Pooh's Corner under News You Can Use.
She still receives Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies through the school.
You can keep up to date on Emily's preschool progress, here.
Emily will be turning five and therefore will age-out of the Preschool Disabled Program. Re-evaluations determine eligibility for School-aged Special Education and Related Services. You will be able to read some of Emily's Educational Assessments at Pooh's Corner under News You can Use.
