Because I Love Him...

(If you are receiving this via email update, click on the title and go directly to my webpage to view the videos at the end of this post, they do not transfer via email)

I'm often asked why I chose to homeschool Sam.  I can always respond accurately that it is because of his medical needs, low immune system and inability to fight infection with typical medications.  Most people are very comfortable with that response.  I can refer to both his home program and his critical care pulmonologist that requested that I homeschool Sam. I have people to back up that claim.

But the reasons that I homeschool Sam go much further than that.  I have friends that are teachers, aides and even some in administration.  I took time to train and become a parent liaison in our school district.  I respect the role of teachers, therapists, school psychologist and those in the special education area.  As in any organization there are great, dedicated people and then there are those that are not as passionate about their vocation.  The good comes with the bad. My personal experience in the school system was pretty good, nothing major went wrong but being a logical person and looking at class size, available resources and Sam's level of need I wondered if we could do more at home.

Jeff and I decided on the day that Sam was born that we would love him, enjoy him and work with him to the best of our abilities.  Funny thing...if you would have brought up homeschooling at that time...I would have said "NO WAY". As time went on and Sam had more and more health issues including a brain injury from oxygen deprivation, I realized that our abilities were going to be tested more than I could have imagined.  While in the ICU with Sam I was told he would probably not walk due to right side weakness, his speech would be limited or he may not talk at all and his cognitive abilities would be substantially reduced. All I could think about...was where did that doctor get his crystal ball??  This was an infant, a child that had not even been worked with...to me a child who's potential was unknown.  Because God knows me best he knew that was what I needed to hear because that was the push I needed to prove them wrong.  I'm stubborn and I often question that which I don't understand and don't even get me started on how I have questioned and tested the medical community in every aspect of Sam's journey.  That same questioning has rocked my faith but over the years as more challenges have presented themselves and I have gotten through I have learned trust, trust in that which I have no control over.  I am not strong enough to make it through the challenges in this life on my own, it is only by the grace of God that I continue on.  Trusting God has become easy but trusting anything on this earth is still a challenge for me.

Due to Sam's issues beyond Down syndrome we sought out help and expertise on how to work with Sam and help him reach his full potential.  NACD (www.nacd.org) has been a driving force and friend in our journey.  I started working with Sam and NACD when he was 18 months old.  Although Sam had been in the state's "Birth to Three" program since he was 6 weeks old...I just didn't feel it was enough.  Everything I researched and read about encouraged me about the brain's plasticity and ability to make new connections but the direct input and the amount was something I felt we needed to improve on. Studies showed that children receiving early intervention were doing better than those that had not but in my mind the percentage was still too low and Sam had more than just a few issues going on.  Sam's therapists were excellent but they only saw him once or twice a week for a short period of time.  Working with NACD allowed me to work with Sam every day and give the input he needed to re-learn how to use the right side of his body, to crawl, to walk, to run, to learn to read, to improve his processing, to work on his vision issues, to strengthen the areas that were weak...to help him grow and develop.

As I worked with Sam and saw things change I began to understand and feel the joy that comes with helping another person develop on a level that I had never experienced before.  I had taken for granted my other children's development and I realized that it isn't until a child can't do something, something fundamental to their development that you can either feel powerless or dig your heels in and work on it.  Sam and I bonded on a whole different level.  It wasn't just about doing program or working the muscles it was about building trust and forming a working, loving relationship. To see Sam crawl, walk and then run (things he was never expected to do) and know the hours of deep pressure, input into his muscles, work on his gait and balance that made that possible is an accomplishment like none other. To watch Sam read and know that I taught him how to read makes my heart smile. To see Sam accomplish a set of instructions and chores and know the steps that we had to go through to get there humbles me. To hear Sam speak, to hear him communicate and know the hours of practice we have put in, the hours of oral motor and endless attempts at conversation we have gone through is...priceless.

I remember when Sam was born, he was on oxygen for the first day or so and I wasn't able to hold him. As I sat in my hospital bed...I wondered...after learning his diagnosis of Down syndrome...would he look at me or would he look right past me? Would I see something in those eyes, a light, an indication of something or would he have a blank stare.  I knew nothing about Down syndrome and that lack of knowledge scared me.  But what I do remember is the moment they brought Sam to me and placed him in my arms. I turned him upright so we could look face to face and as I held him he looked directly into my eyes, directly into my soul. I could see that there was so much inside this little man, so much he wanted to share and tell me and I decided at that moment that he and I could do this. We were going to be okay...no matter what.

I'm glad I didn't have that crystal ball...the future would have overwhelmed me. As Sam and I worked together we learned how to work together, what works and what doesn't. I sometimes think as people read my blog they think that Sam is easy to work with, compliant and a child that looks forward to his program.  Well, you would be very, very wrong (I'm sure Ellen Doman will vouch for me on this).  Sam has fought through much of  his learning but has learned despite it. Often times children with Down syndrome are thought to be gentle, loving, happy but I'm sure most parents of children with Down syndrome and teachers and therapists that work with them will tell you they have a gold medal in being stubborn.  Sam was doubly blessed with a gold medal in being stubborn along with two parents that gave him stubborn as a genetic trait.  Sam has hid program elements, fed them to the dog, ripped them, thrown them away and scattered them on the floor too many times to mention.  Sam has yelled, cried, screamed, spit and thrown books to discourage reading.  Have we had behavioral items on program, yep...too often to mention.

Now don't get me wrong, Sam has the other traits of gentle, happy and loving...when he is doing something he wants to be doing.  Very much like his older brother Ben...Sam is not fond of school.  Ben and Sam liked the social aspect of school, seeing friends, being part of a group but that is pretty much the extent of it...oh yeah...lunch and riding the bus was fun too.  As for academics these two can make any teacher's day a nightmare.  Over the years I have figured out that each of them have very specific learning styles.  With some modification I could adapt Ben's to life in the public school, not without it's challenges, but it was doable.  Sam, so far has been a whole different challenge.

So much of Sam's learning is built on trust. He will try something or work on something because he loves me and he trusts me.  Sam loves to see me get excited when he learns something, acting excited and actually being excited are two very different things for Sam.  He can read acting and he may tolerate it for a while but he really wants to see true excitement.  It is a lot to ask of any teacher everyday.  Which leads me to another reason I homeschool. I have spent years trying to figure out the best ways to work with Sam and if I am honest...I'm still trying.  Some things I have figured out and can now run with, others are still a work in progress but all require a level of patience that even I find hard to maintain.  Sam is one child and I am working with him one on one and we struggle. I often read about and know children with special needs that are doing very well in school.  Many of them appear to have fairly good speech and have learned to adapt to the classroom setting.  In my day to day work with Sam I think he would either choose to withdraw, stim and learn nothing or fight and quickly wear down anyone who is working with him so that his behavior would become the main focus and learning would still not be occurring.  I also know that if Sam were to come across someone who didn't care, wasn't passionate about teaching, chose to see his behavior as the only problem it would be detrimental to his continuing to learn.  I have had my moments with Sam when I have wanted to give up, to give in to let someone else fail at this and be able to say "It's not my fault".  But that's where I come back to my commitment to Sam, maybe the reason God chose me to be Sam's mom. I pray...and we go on.

Sam's physical issues are another reason I homeschool.  Sam has limited mobility and he does need to recline at times to take pressure off his hip, not the best set up for a typical public school classroom.  Sam and I have figured out how to work together at a desk, in a recliner, laying down, inside, outside and in a body brace.  We got this.

But if you want my real answer as to why I homeschool Sam....it is because I love him.  Sometimes when a person is challenged or difficult or stubborn it just takes LOVE to get past all of it. I work hard with Sam because I love him, I believe in his abilities because I love him, I get past his behaviors because I love him, we figure out how to work together because no matter how many mistakes I make...he still loves me too.  Sometimes like the song says...all you need is love.

Here are some videos from our recent attempts at ramping up Sam's home program.  They are not the best of the best, I have always promised to be real on this blog, to show the good, the bad and the ugly...but no matter what...I LOVE THIS LITTLE BOY AND THANKFULLY HE LOVES ME TOO!

Sam Working Independently....One Step At A Time!

Yes, summer has finally reached Wisconsin however Sam's home program and schooling continue year round. While everyone else is celebrating the end of school, Sam and I celebrate moving some of our schooling outside. A change in environment can do wonders!! Sidewalk chalk can make math, a treasure hunt, and reading enjoyable again. Since Sam is with me 24/7 I often dream of Sam working independently on his school work. I dream of doing some housework on my own...quickly and without the constant repetition of each step we are working on. I think it's good to have dreams but with a child who is prone to stimming behavior and struggles with auditory processing...independent study will be a process in the making.

We have found some things Sam can do independently like build 100+ piece puzzles, build really cool structures with his trio block sets, play games on the Ipad, browse Ben's 4 wheeler and Bronco Builder magazines, play with play-doh, and before hip surgery play basketball and ride his bike. (STAY TUNED FOR WHAT I HOPE WILL BE AN EXCITING UPDATE ON SAM'S RETURN TO BIKING).

However, academically Sam usually requires one on one assistance. I think part of it is because he isn't as excited about his academics and he likes doing the easy thing...like not doing it. Even Ipad educational apps require one on one or he tends to just tap away until he gets the right answer...not really investing the time to think about it....unless of course Mom is sitting next to him requiring the thinking process to occur and you can imagine how popular that is.

Soooo I have to work with Sam's strengths to have any success. One of the best investments I have ever made for my homeschooling efforts is a triangular easel magnetic white board. I originally purchased it from one of my favorite stores The Learning Shop but I see it is manufactured by Copernicus Ed. It can be used on the table, floor, outside and in bed. Sam loves magnets and the white board is viewed by Sam more positively than paper or worksheets. I get my various magnets from The Learning Shop, I make some myself and I buy some from Ebay. To work on Sam's reading and comprehension I write sentences that he reads and then chooses the proper magnet indicated. This reading does not meet the resistance reading from a book does. Here is Sam working with me on this exercise.

Soooo...I decided to do a test run and see if he could do this activity independently. I am not a blogger or a parent that only shows the best of the best. I think we all learn from the process and I think it is important to show all aspects. I mean we all have to start somewhere. So here is Sam's first attempt on his own.

Not bad for a first attempt. You can see how things fall apart but I think we can expand on this.

Now another area that I had originally had Sam working on his own was writing with the TVTeacher.com videos. However in closer review I realized that Sam loves the videos but doesn't necessarily follow the instructions, she talks faster than Sam can process and write so I have begun to supervise the writing portions of the video. Here is what it looks like when he successfully listens to my auditory instructions. I do wish however that I could tell you he retains my instructions and can continue to write the letters on his own...but I haven't seen that yet.

Another area we have been working on is reinstating chores. Hmmmm....this was a challenge with the limited mobility due to hip surgery but here are some examples of what we came up with. Sam still loves to fold clothes with the Flip n Fold and he is still the best sock matcher in the greater Milwaukee area.

Sam also is the best of all 3 of my children in sorting and putting silverware away....

....while sitting of course!

I have also found him to be a wonderful glass putter away (yep that's a technical term)....while sitting of course!

My next idea was having him help me prepare the flower box on our deck. Either he's really intense about this or possibly he has found another way to stim. Shovel dirt, watch it drop, and repeat endlessly...or rake dirt one way and then back the other way and also repeat endlessly. Yep if it doesn't seem right it probably isn't and this chore thankfully...is a once a year chore. So I guess that stim won't be repeated for a while. Sorry Sam!

Another fun independent chore...playing ball with Buddy.

And they both look happy after this one!

Each day I'm encouraged by the steps Sam takes toward independence. Some days we seem to be moving ahead with gusto and then some days we just make it through and other days we take a few steps backward. But our progress is slow and steady and he and I work together through the good times and the bad. I never need to look very far for encouragement because if I stop to think for a just a moment about what Sam works through each and every day...the hip pain, the hearing issues, the processing issues, the fine and gross motor issues, the speech struggles and yet he continues on, he smiles, he laughs...he keeps on. What do I have to complain about??

All Play and No Work...I Don't Think So & The Amazing Ipad

If you read my last post you know Sam and I were chilling in Winneconne. With such a peaceful environment and no interruptions I just couldn't resist working on a few things with Sam. The first video shows a typical conversation between Sam and I. He's definitely talking more and getting better at staying on topic but active listening still eludes him.

You'll notice he begins the video with a beautiful 5 word sentence. However, we have worked with Sam on the "I want" sentence for a long time. It is a memorized block of information. As he goes further along you will see his spontaneous conversation drop to 1 to 3 words. He then attempts the word refrigerator which I don't get on the first try and ask him to repeat, he adds a few more syllables and points allowing me to figure out what he is saying. He then speaks something that we would normally think but not verbalize as he walks himself through getting the orange juice out of the refrigerator. This happens quite often with Sam as he replays the steps of what he needs to do out loud.

The bump on the head does not stop him from his mission. I was surprised he did not yell at the refrigerator and hit it for bumping him in the head, (yep, that happens alot). He will yell at and hit a chair, or a curb, or a wall that somehow jumps out in front of him and causes him some type of injury. I can remember when he tripped over Ben's shoe and went after the shoe and the owner with a vengeance. He did yell at the soda to stay, so I guess that made up for it.

Sam is not wearing his hearing aid in this sequence because it was hot and I was cleaning and changing the battery. He hears the siren and immediately decides it's a police car. He then switches the conversation to Daddy and pizza, Daddy at work, Daddy, McDonalds. Please understand Sam has an obsession with fast food restaurants that he likes to visit and have a bottle of water or diet soda, since he can't eat much at them. When you drive by he always tells you what restaurant he sees, usually can connect an appropriate food item and always tells you "Yummy". I am convinced that 90% of Sam's conversations center around food.

In Sam's next sentence he talks about his sister Danielle going to Erin's, no a movie. We then piece together that Danielle and Erin are going to a movie.

After this you will notice how Sam has to be stopped to listen, otherwise he will continue to talk at you. Do you want to even try to guess how often I hear the word "Mom" in a day, or how about in 5 minutes??

I ask Sam where he is which kind of throws him off, so he repeats what I say a common "Sam" reaction. He goes with house and then correctly tells me it's grandma's house so I introduce the word cottage to him. We then have a nice exchange about Aunt Wendy and the pool. He then trys to tell me that it's Wendy's turn to go on the slide but comes out with Yay Yay instead of Wendy, since that name isn't in his everyday vocabulary. Sam changes the conversation to a lifeguard which still keeps him in the pool conversation.

He then becomes distracted by a commercial, a common occurrence. Sam can sing 1-800-588-2300, E m p i r e, he will let you know when a Walmart commercial is on, he commonly sings the beginning songs to shows like ICarly, SpongeBob, 2 1/2 Men.

Sam also lives to knock on doors and have people tell him to "come in". Sam will say everyday that "It's good to be home". This started shortly after I began homeschooling him, I think it was God's way to provide daily encouragement for me. This is all pretty good for a child that was labelled non-verbal early on, made only noises and 1 speech sound and has a hearing impairment. We still have a long way to go but we are definitely making progress.

The next two videos show me working with Sam on various areas. Click on the links provided to view them, they just didn't seem to want to upload to blogger so we improvise. The first one begins with Sam's money identification skills. The white incline board you see is worth it's weight in gold to work with Sam. I bought it from the Learning Store. It is made by http://www.copernicused.com/, it is magnetic and a white board and Sam loves it. The magnets I am using are from my favorite magnet resource besides Ebay, http://www.dowlingmagnets.com/ they have everything magnetic.

Sam struggles a little with the next area which is phonics. Sam often confuses the letters d, b, p, q which as my older son informs me is all the same letter it just depends on which way you flip it. He will also say "was" when reading "saw", and yawns and repositions himself a lot when reading. These were all the same signs we saw with Ben when he was diagnosed Dyslexic or cross dominant. This could be yet another struggle Sam will face but in my life we only take it one day at a time so we are not going to dwell on that right now. Nah, I have enough to worry about already...right God???

The letter magnets are also from Dowling Magnets and the picture magnets are from the Learning Store. Sam then works on his reading and comprehension to match the appropriate magnet with each sentence.

From there we move on to the most amazing teaching tool I have purchased to date....the Ipad. Sam learned how to master the Ipad in about 5 minutes of use. Sam has fought me tooth and nail on math from Day 1. No way, no how, ain't doing it, not even trying until........the Kid Calc app. on the Ipad. Praise the Lord!!! You can decide what math facts to work on. Sam is shown doing addition and subtraction, numbers 1-5. I want to note that Sam was not at the top of his game while doing his math, but I think it is important to show Sam's good times and bad times. I don't try to catch the best of the best on video. I think it is important for people to see what it is really like to work with Sam. On this day he decided he liked the "bong" sound of the wrong answers. I knew what he was doing because I have worked with him on this app. I know he can do these but some times that "bong" sound is just calling his name. I love this app because it has built in intensity. It shows Sam a problem, he sees a manipulative to help him figure out and then he can choose from 4 answers. The problem is then reviewed and it reveals a portion of a picture. Sam continues on because he wants to see what the picture is and the next one and the next one. I have even caught him doing math without being asked...HALLELUJAH!!! Video link: http://s737.photobucket.com/albums/xx17/suelmayer/?action=view&current=2010-07-15091152.mp4

We use the free, yes that's right I said "F R E E" ABA flash cards to work on Sam's receptive language. He hears them and repeats them. There are a lot of flash card packs which include the following topics: zoo, eat, actions, alphabet, fruits & nuts, play, vehicles, vegetables, shapes, wear, instruments, sports, science, function and packs that ask questions about items. These packs show 3 items and then ask, "Find the item you would drive" when the child taps on the motorcycle, children cheer "YEAH, you did it" and it goes on to the next set. These cards are beautifully done, just the image, not a lot of background and words I haven't necessarily already covered with Sam. He's expanding his vocabulary.

Next you see him practicing his letter writing and spelling on iWriteWords. Love this app too! The sounds, the way it shows them how to make the letter and then the built in intensity of dropping the letters down the drain. Cool!

I had difficulty uploading videos to blogger so the two apps I just talked about got cut off. Here is the remainder of Sam working with his Ipad. Link for video: http://s737.photobucket.com/albums/xx17/suelmayer/?action=view&current=Sammy2trimmed.mp4

Sam then chooses Build a Word from Word World. This is a cute app that asks him to spell a word, push it together to form the item and then shake the Ipad for the next one.

Another favorite app is Keynote because I can take the PowerPoint presentations I made on my computer and load them on the Ipad making them fully portable. Can you feel the excitement??? This rocks. I don't have to re-enter everything again. I can also make new presentations on the go. Thank heavens, I got a degree in Marketing and Communications because so much of Sam's education relies on me to be creative, resourceful and innovative. Very much like a focus group, Sam lets me know when I've done a great presentation and when I need to head back to the drawing board and try again. I think he's a tougher critic than most!!

Sam works first on an Experience Book/stories about Sam and then works on the 300 list of the 1000 most commonly used words in the English language. In order to keep his attention we put photos of his family in between the words.

Sam's favorite games are Froggy Jump, DoodleJump, Labyrinth, Skee-ball, StuntCar, Dora, Diego Snow, Animatch and the ever favorite Monkey Divin.

Sam is so quick at Animatch that we had to go with another concentration game called Memory which uses both words and pictures. I love to use Doodle Buddy for quick scripting and written directions. No need to find the magnetic board or pen and worry about erasing. You can write on Doodle Buddy and erase with a shake of the Ipad. I also purchased Utalk teaching English. This app reviews many aspects of the English language and provides Sam with some great practice words, phrases, time and numbers. We tend to chuckle when we come across things like gent's bathroom instead of men's room and cheers. It has a lot of interactive games that Sam enjoys so it works for him. Another neat app to check out is Going Places which shows pictures and social stories for going to the hairdresser, mall, doctor, playground, grocery store and restaurant. It is FREE.

I will try to do another post showing Sam working on some of the other educational apps. and some new ones we are about to try.

Sam also likes to view all the photos we have loaded and he will practice his speech as he talks about them. Cool benefit I never even imagined. He can listen to music and watch movies from Netflix. We have loaded two of his favorite movies on the Ipad so he can view them without a Wifi connection. Sam loves "Like Mike" and "Wild Hogs". I can't even tell you how many DVD's I have purchased of those two that Sam has conveniently lost or wrecked. Now they are both on his Ipad for good. I just haven't shown him the video button but I'm sure he'll figure that out soon. Sam's Ipad has a protective case and because he likes it so much he takes very good care of it. In fact, we are going to be working on a behavioral issue since he seems a little territorial about the Ipad and he needs to share...especially with Mom.

I have my calendar on it, contacts and some of my own favorite games. The Ipad reduces Sam's stimming because he is more actively engaged, it removes the stimming in the car or when he is bored. It is a great incentive and motivator. Unlike some toys or electronics Sam really works on the Ipad apps, he doesn't jump from one to the next. He spends time on each one he goes on to... he is actively learning. The Ipad does not replace my teaching Sam one on one. We still need to generalize, show him, demonstrate in other ways so that his learning is not just keyed into the Ipad. I don't want him to know how to do math on an Ipad but not be able to count money, tell time, or realize that 2 apples plus 2 more apples is a total of 4 apples. On new apps or the math app I had to first sit with him, encourage, assist and let him see how to properly do the app. The cost of the Ipad seemed high to me but it is a computer with full computer capabilities along with wonderful portability. I...okay WE...LOVE THE IPAD!!!!

A Day in the Life...Continued

I'm often asked what a "Day in the Life" looks like for Sam and I. Sam is currently homeschooled due to respiratory and immune system issues. Soooooo....I was not one of those parents that had dreamed and inspired to homeschool my children, to be honest I went into it kicking and screaming. But the good news is that I am happy that I did and I like; even love many things about homeschooling which I will try to show here. I currently have one child in public school, one in private school and one homeschooled with some extra curricular in school activities.

I'm also asked many questions about supplements, the SCD diet and our NACD program. I'll see if I can hit on those too. Now, before I get started please understand that this will be a long post. I've never been a person who is short on words but hopefully I'll answer some questions and give some ideas along the way. Also keep in mind, that this is one day and that doesn't mean that this is what every day looks like. Some parts remain the same, some change due to outside therapies, sometimes I have to go to work and sometimes Sam is not feeling well which means we snuggle and he sleeps a lot.

My day usually begins at about 5:45 a.m. when my husband, Jeff gets up for work. I wake up Ben, our now 15 year old (Happy Birthday, Ben) and he eats breakfast. We do any last minute studying and he gets on the bus at about 6:45. Then it's time to get Danielle up, fed and on the bus by 7:35. Usually Sam is waking up by about this time. Now here is one of my favorite parts of homeschooling at least in regards to Sam. I let Sam wake up on his own, he's really not the kind of guy that likes to get woken up...honestly the attitude is much more cheerful when he decides it is time to get moving. I also think it is important to let him get extra sleep if he has not been feeling well. Sam wakes up and gives me my morning hug and kiss....wouldn't trade that for anything. We turn on and put on his bone conduction hearing aid hat. Sam drinks his first dose of vitamins which includes Brain Link, coconut kefir milk, distilled water and a little splash of orange juice. He will normally watch a little bit of television while I prepare his program stuff, feed the dog and take him outside, clean anything leftover in the kitchen and prepare Sam's breakfast. Sam's meals are usually based on the concept of protein, fruit and vegetable. I try to stay away from processed foods but do use some gluten free products occasionally. Sam is on a version of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet because of his immune/respiratory issues, his build up of yeast from antibiotic use and to help heal his digestive tract. I say a version, because we have added some foods back into Sam's daily diet based on his ability to tolerate them. For breakfast today Sam is having a banana, some raw green beans and carrots, a small bowl of gluten free rice cereal with goat milk and 2 minimally processed nitrate free turkey sticks. We pray before each meal and usually touch on a Bible lesson at this point. When Sam has finished breakfast he has a cup of applesauce with his 2nd set of vitamins which includes, CoQ10, Vitamin C, & D for his immune system, Prevacid for reflux, grapefruit seed extract, garlic & an enzyme for his digestive tract, gingko biloba & 3 Speak supplement capsules. Sam is very good at swallowing his supplements with apple sauce because he has learned his food tastes way better when Mom doesn't have to hide supplements in it.

Sam goes up to his room to get dressed and the TV is turned off. He and I usually touch on the calendar and talk a little about the weather outside. Because of Sam's apraxia, I sometimes script his speech for him. So for example, I say "Sam, how does the weather look today", I will then write on his board "It's cloudy, maybe it will snow", he reads this and I act as if he has said it and respond. "That would be great, we could take a walk in the snow". Always, always trying to help him pull out and use his speech appropriately.

We then start our NACD program. Now I'm going to warn you that our NACD program this round is a bit lengthy and we are in the process of figuring out what will work and not work into our day. Also keep in mind that this program is individualized to Sam's needs as are all NACD programs. When I started NACD with Sam everything was centered around play and he often didn't realize that he was working on his program he just thought we were playing. But Sam's processing has come up and a more scheduled day is necessary to help him meet his new goals. Don't get me wrong we still play a lot but we also have some structured time to help move his skills along. My NACD coach suggested I put my program activities on little sticky notes that I can move from one side of the table to the other as I complete parts of program. I like this because it allows me to quickly look at what needs to be done and to easily put physical aspects in between to break up some of the academic work.

Yep, that's a lotta sticky notes. We usually start with something physical to get us up and moving so I decided to do the deep pressure to Sam's legs and feet and then jump on the little trampoline. We are still working on getting Sam to jump, he will jump into a pool but not really just jump on a floor. Then we move over to the computer, one of Sam's favorite things. We start by working on the 1000 most commonly used words in the English language, inputting about 15 new per week and reviewing the old. To help keep Sam's attention I put pictures of his family in between and we talk about the picture...always working on that speech.

Also on this same PowerPoint presentation are his dot cards to help him identify amounts at a glance and his addition flashcards. We are currently working on inputting so I show him the dot card, tell him the amount and move to the next one. I love using PowerPoint because I never have to worry about misplacing my cards and I can make changes as needed. We tend to go through new words twice and the review words once. But this process is repeated a second time later in the day. After this we run over to the punching bag, roll our big spongy dice, read the number and punch the bag that many times.

Then it is back to the computer to work on some reading. One of our fellow NACD families had scanned in some of the stories from a Level 3 reader and added some great pictures so we read those onscreen. Sam is still not comfortable reading the Level 3 readers from the books, I think the amount of text on a page and the size of the text makes it difficult for him to track and he becomes tired and frustrated. But when the text is onscreen you can enlarge it, show one line at a time and highlight the words as you go. Sometimes with Sam it's not his inability to do something it's figuring out how to make it work for him. After reading we usually move on to Zoodles.com or Webber HearBuilder Following Directions. He loves both of these because he is playing games and doesn't seem to realize the important areas we are working on. After 10 to 15 minutes it is time to get some exercise and play WII tennis, great for hand/eye coordination. I still need to assist Sam hand over hand but each time we play he begins to participate more and more. We are also working on bowling and baseball.

Then it is on to some speech activities. I place sticky notes on 4 items in one room, Sam has to locate them and then we talk about what the item is, who's it is, where it is and what it is used for. If Sam has difficulty answering we use our scripting again to help him along. We move on to some trigeminal stimulation and facial stimulation to wake up those muscles in the face. Then sitting in front of a mirror we practice moving both the left and right side of our mouth with a little, OOOO & EEEEE work. Because of Sam's brain injury the right side of his body is a little weaker than the left
side so we work on toning up both sides. We then move on to some oral motor exercises, he watches me move my tongue up behind my front teeth, then down behind my lower front teeth, putting my tongue into my cheeks, puckering, smiling and a few others and he trys those activities himself. We then work on our functional words and phrases with a lot of emphasis on proper articulation. This can get boring for Sam so sometimes I add my own funny faces to the oral motor part or I ask him to repeat the words into the tape recorder or to Dad on the phone or to his dog Buddy. Buddy will normally reward him with a big old wet kiss. We usually break into something physical again like a WII game, trampoline, punching bag or practicing connecting Buddy's leash and taking him for a walk around the circle.

We then return for a math computer game, one of my current favorites is Reader Rabbit Preschool through 1st Grade. Math is not one of Sam's favorite areas so we are still working on the basics. This computer game has a lot of fun activities that if I tried with Sam on paper or with manipulative's he would fight me but he will work on the different areas in this game. Again this was another area that we had to figure out what was going to work with Sam. Please don't get the idea that everyday is a smooth running operation because it's not but each day we get a little bit better at figuring out how to work together and still make it kinda fun. We also have a math game called Stomp that requires Sam to step or stomp on the button which causes the numbers to fly off and then he has to listen and replace the numbers in the right order. We have not moved to the higher functions of that game yet.

We introduce 20 new receptive language cards to Sam a week. I love printing off the free flash cards from the ESL (English as a second language) websites. Due to Sam's hearing issues he has not always picked up on the words people use around him. He needs to have new words introduced to him with good articulation and a visual or picture. When I went to a deaf and hard of hearing conference they emphasized the need to introduce common items found in a child's everyday environment in a way that they can understand. For some children it is through sign, others may need to read the word and for Sam the picture and written word seems to be the best approach. We are basically working to expand his understanding of his environment and to expand his speech. Sam understands what a table is but now we are working on coffee table, corner table, kitchen table, night stand...more advanced receptive language. Just think about the speech you use everyday, couch, sofa, love seat, chaise, davenport...all talking about the same thing but Sam needs to be introduced to each of them and realize they are different ways of talking about the same thing.

We do a lot of written directions with Sam. Here is an example of a list he reads through himself and then performs each step while we get ready for lunch. When he has completed a step we check it off, which is one of Sam's favorite parts. Sam's comprehension when reading a book is not as good as his comprehension when he is reading and doing his written instructions. I'm hoping that as we continue to work on things like written instructions, read and do, treasure hunt he will begin to improve his book comprehension. It just demonstrates that Sam's comprehension needs to be tested in other ways, ways that make sense and work for him.

An area Sam loves is fun unit studies. I've shown what those have looked like before on my blog when we were studying about animals. The idea behind a fun unit study is to take something your child is interested in and learn everything you can about it. Dive into it, explore it, enjoy it. It has always been interesting to me how we tend to work in so many different areas of learning (math, geography, social studies...) just by learning more about something Sam is already interested in. This is definately another one of the areas I love about homeschooling!!!

An area we work on each day is auditory and sequential processing. I can't stress this activity enough. Why??? Because here are the areas auditory and sequential processing help with:

Academics (students with strong processing skills demonstrate high academic skills)
Emotional maturation
Communication and language
Comprehension
Learning
Self-efficacy
Concentration
Attention span
Creativity
Decision-making
Alertness
Problem solving
Reasoning (correlates high, .8 to .9 with working memory)
Multi-tasking

Sam is currently at a 5 in processing, meaning I can name 5 things with a second in between, I then put 7 picture cards out and he has to choose those 5 things in the order that I gave them. Please find out more and check your own processing for free on NACD's The Project Website, http://www.nacdtheproject.com/. As you test your own processing you can learn how to do visual and auditory sequencing with your child.

As you may have noticed this does not cover all the sticky notes you saw, some of the activities are repeated numerous times and some of the sticky notes are reminders of behavior modifications such as redirecting all sensory play or enforcing time out for non compliance. This is the structure we try to work on. Some days Sam has therapies which alter/move and in some cases eliminate different portions of program, some days we have wonderful compliance and some days not so good compliance. When Sam is ill we slow down or don't do any program. And some days life happens and we don't get much done but by organizing and having a plan we have something to work toward each day. The sticky notes are more for me than Sam...I need a schedule, I'm too easily distracted. I also need to set short term goals to help me work into and maintain our homeschool program. The underlying structure keeps me motivated and organized, Sam's mood, interests and motivation determine the day to day.

By lunchtime the majority of our program that we are going to complete that day is done. Sam will eat a lunch of nitrate free hot dogs or some type of healthy protein, sugar free ketchup, cucumbers, dip and an orange and he will take his last set of vitamins which consists of one more Speak capsule, zinc and Longvida Curcumin. Snacks are usually turkey sticks, fresh vegetables with dip, fruit smoothie, fresh vegetable juice, Organic Coconut Bliss Ice Cream, popcorn, fruit, organic blue chips... The afternoon is spent running errands, reading a book together, house chores (Sam likes to take out the garbage, empty the dishwasher, fold clothes, gather the laundry and he works on cleaning up his toys with a little encouragement), going to the library or some field trip, sometimes we just watch some TV or take a walk. Sam will now be attending a gym class twice a week in the afternoon at the public school. I try to have everything done with Sam by the time Ben returns home so I can focus my attention on working with him and getting Danielle to whatever practice or game she may need to go to.

Soooo, this is a glimpse of a "day in the life" for Sam and I. Although we have structure we also have a lot of flexibility on what we are studying or how, games can change, fun unit studies change and it is that ability to change, to try something different when something doesn't seem to be working that I and Sam most love about homeschooling. We have no set procedure, I was not taught to teach in any particular manner and in that lies the beauty of homeschooling and why Sam and I enjoying homeschooling. I spend time watching and learning from Sam how he learns, what works for him and I don't give up. He and I are in this together, in good times and bad, crabby days and happy days but always, always moving forward.

The Joy of Reading!

Sam learning to read was one of the highlights of our journey. Our NACD program had us start fast flashing pictures, then picture/word cards and finally just words. We started the process when Sam was 2 years old. Sam was non-verbal but he seemed to be attending to my fast flash portion of our program. I often told Sam's evaluator from NACD that if I had to fast flash "butterfly" one more time with intensity I would forever hate that creature. And yet....I will never forget the day...Sam was 3 years old...and I decided to see if Sam knew the cards we had been working on. I laid out 3 word cards in front of him and asked him if he could tell me which one was "butterfly". He picked it up and handed it to me. My mouth dropped open and my mind raced. Okay let's try....truck, television, toilet....(my mind was thinking he identified the word by the first letter). I asked for truck and he handed it to me. I tried 4 cards at a time and he still handed me the right one. That day we went through our whole stack of cards and Sam was able to identify each one. He was reading!!! I called my husband, my mom...anyone I could think of to tell them Sam was reading. We now work on the 1000 most commonly used words in the English language. Sam is working on the 300-400 range. I have learned that it is easier to put Sam's flashcards on PowerPoint with pictures of his family in between to help hold his attention. Sam loves to go through his word cards and as an added benefit for me...I no longer misplace or lose the cards. I have included a video at the end of this blog showing me fast flashing new words to Sam, Sam reviewing his old words and Sam reading from one of his many Experience Books. Experience books are books about Sam...I mean really who wouldn't love to read books about their own family, life and adventures. In my life and journey with Sam, it's all about the intensity, with intensity we have learning and we have progress.

Sam's learning to read gave me that needed boost to help raise my expectations for Sam. What I didn't know at the time was how important his reading would become to us. Sam was diagnosed with Apraxia; Verbal apraxia is a disorder of articulation characterized by difficulty with sequencing and organizing motor or muscle movements specifically for the production of speech. It may also be described as the impaired ability to motor-plan. We have often used Sam's reading ability to work on his speech. He learned to read certain sentences well and then was able to use those same sentences when he wanted to ask for something. His speech did not sound as natural as if he had thought of it and said it himself but he was able to express his wants and needs to us.

An area we struggled with was...should we or shouldn't we introduce sign language and this was before Sam had been diagnosed with a conductive hearing loss in both ears. We attempted sign language early on but noticed that Sam no longer attempted speech, even when asked to use both the sign and word, Sam would only sign. His verbal expression simply stopped. I was disappointed because I had heard wonderful stories about using both sign and speech to help a child express themselves but as I have often learned with Sam...what works for some doesn't necessarily work for him. We stopped using sign and again focused on reading and speech. Sam began to attempt his speech utterances again. NACD had me do a therapeutic video on naming the letters and their sounds. This was one of Sam's favorite videos and a video I won't post here on my blog. In this video it is a close up of my face saying the letters such as "A" "ahhhh". On a larger screen TV, honestly, no one wants to see their face that close up...but Sam would watch my mouth and say everything along with me. This video gave him wonderful practice on forming the letter sounds. We now use sign language again to help cue Sam's speech and to communicate with him in the pool when he doesn't wear his hearing aid or across a room when I don't want to yell something.

After Sam became comfortable reading words that have a picture, ie (horse, house, car...). We then moved on to the words without pictures, ie (of, the, when, we...). As he learned these words we would make up short sentences for him to read. When he became comfortable with sentences we moved on to easy reader books and are now at Level 3 books. Sam did great with Level 1 and 2 books but hit a wall when we got to Level 3. The number of words and size of the text kinda sent him for a loop. So I purchased a magnifier off of Ebay and have used that to make the reading of Level 3 books more pleasant for Sam.

One of the hardest areas to check was his comprehension. Sam is just learning how to hear properly with his hearing aid and he now is working on listening with intention. However, when I would ask questions about what he read he would often get them incorrect. So we have started to use a word bank, allowing Sam to look at possible answers and choose the best one. We also play a Read and Do game, where I write a sentence like, "Get up, run to the front door and knock on it." Sam reads it completely on his own and then I say, "Okay, go do it" and he does. Another way to check Sam's comprehension is to play, Treasure Hunt. I have collected different containers, travel shampoo bottles, travel soap dishes, tooth brush holders and I put a message or clue in each one. Then I hand Sam the first clue, which he reads by himself and he then has to figure out where the next message is. I end the game with a treat, grapes or TV time. The funny thing is Sam has often wanted to pass on the treat and just keep playing. I will try to video tape him playing this game.

I have included a video of Sam reading his sentences and choosing the right magnet to complete the sentence. Another great way to check comprehension. The important part, know your child can do it, raise your expectations and some advice from Sam...MAKE IT FUN!!