I wanted to give updates on Lina's and Evan's progress at school- lots of learning going on! I have meetings coming up for both to go over assessments and discuss services they will receive over the summer. Let's begin with Polina....
Mike and I have been AMAZED at Lina's progress since she began Kindergarten just a couple months ago. To review- she attends the same public elementary school as Kaylin and Justin and is in a mainstream Kindergarten classroom. She is pulled from class throughout the day for special ed services and therapies, and is with her class for parts of Language Arts and Math as well as specials (Art, Music, Media, Phys Ed, Health), lunch, and recess. I am attending another MER and IEP meeting for Lina since the school did more assessments to update the assessments she was given over the summer, and she has already reached some of her goals in her original IEP!
Her speech is already improving- she's saying some words much more clearly, and adding more beginning and ending sounds. She still signs a lot to fully communicate her wants/ideas, but speech is definitely coming along. Yay! She has also been evaluated to begin using assistive technology to communicate at school- either with an electronic device or a PODD- both containing picture symbols; the electronic device would contain a voice output system to help her make herself more intelligible and participate verbally in her classroom setting. If you are not familiar with a PODD- here is a sample page they used with Polina to evaluate her use with it while playing with blocks.
Typically, a PODD is a thick, spiral bound book containing pages and pages of these symbols to use for different subjects. Lina was able to imitate language modeled and initiate using the PODD to request more blocks, knock them down, put on, look, and done. And this not only helps her verbalize, but also helps her understand directions, questions, and comments with the help of the visual cues- the adult asking questions or giving directions would point to the pictures also while they are speaking. Exciting stuff! :)
More progress: Lina can identify most all the letters of the alphabet with an occasional error, as well as the sounds they make... AND she is starting to sound out three letter words and read sight words! She is learning to write her name, and is working on tracing numbers, letters, and words. Here's her very first autographed self-portrait!
And just FYI- if you are interested, you can purchase this beauty which is up for auction in my friend Jaime's Artists with Special Needs Auction!! The proceeds from Lina's self-portrait will go right to ROOF, and the current bid is $25. :) Check out all her other items too- auction ends April 9th!
Back to Lina's progress- she is working on counting and numbers- for some reason she consistently skips the number 3- she will sign it, but when counting aloud she will go straight to four. I think a lot has to do with her inability to actually say "three" so she just moves on to the next. She is also identifying and sorting colors and shapes, and comparing quantities. It is just amazing how quickly she is picking up on things!
And now, on to Mr. Evan. :) To review- Evan attends a special ed preschool program through the public schools 3 mornings a week, and attends a private Christian preschool with a one-on-one aide 2 mornings a week. Evan has been making slow, steady progress toward most of his IEP goals, but I do have some concerns. I am just not sure how much he is getting out of his special ed preschool class since most all his therapies there are in a group setting. I believe he needs more one-on-one time to really make progress. His next IEP meeting is scheduled for May, so I am hoping to learn a lot more about the progress he's making as well as pushing for some changes. It's been difficult for me to really gauge things since he no longer receives his therapies at home, and I have very little communication with his therapists to know how he's doing day to day or week to week. I get his IEP progress reports home quarterly which helps some, but I'm not always seeing the same progress at home.
My main concern for Evan is his speech since he still has no oral words for the most part. Occasionally he will say a vowel sound repeating words or sounds from his learning videos, but he really does not vocalize for me on request. And honestly, he's not really signing to request either, and I know a lot if not all of this is my own fault for not requiring him to do so. I know what he wants but I don't make him communicate it appropriately- so easy to fall into this pattern with the second, third, or fourth child! Though just today I went in to help at his Christian preschool class, and the teachers swore he said the words, "green" and "square"!! I was floored! He does receive one-on-one speech therapy once a week at the Christian preschool, and his therapist is able to get him to perform most days. The biggest challenge with Evan is getting him to perform on request. He is good for doing things on his own terms, but it's really difficult to tap in and see exactly what he knows since he's not always willing to cooperate. He will point to colors when he wants.... he will point to letters when he wants.... he will do puzzles when he wants.... but he's not always in the mood! I worry that his teachers will not get a clear picture of everything he knows since he doesn't always want to perform. I'm sure a lot has to do with his age and maturity level- he's still in the toddler "go go go" phase and is constantly on the run. He can't be bothered to sit and attend for too long, though he is getting better.
His latest progress report from early March is marked "Making sufficient progress to meet goal" on every goal listed, but honestly I'm not totally convinced that is true. Very interested to hear what they have to say at our meeting in May. Below are his goals listed on his IEP:
Independent Living Skills: feeding himself with a spoon, drinking from an open cup, buttoning large buttons, dressing and undressing himself for toileting (no, we have not even begun potty training but that's another story!) as well as putting on/taking off coat, improving tongue retraction and lip closure while drinking from a straw, moving food side to side in his mouth, biting through meltable foods;
Speech and Language: following one step directions; identifying familiar pictures and objects from a field of at least 2 pictures/objects; understanding inhibitory words such as "wait", "my turn", and "stop" by pausing; increasing vocal repertoire to include at least 3 new vowels and 2 new consonants; increasing sign vocabulary to include an increased number of nouns, action words, descriptors, and social conventions; imitating at least 4 new words; spontaneously labeling at least 4 more people or familiar objects/foods using word approximations or true words; requesting at least 5 new objects, toys, and/or food/drink items; answering simple "what" and "who" questions; requesting help with activities; answering simple yes/no questions.
Academics: identify, match, and categorize objects and pictures based on their function or use (what do we eat, ride on, wear?); in a field of 4 pictures, identifying action words (playing, eating, hiding); identifying emotions in pictures; identify, match, sort, and group items into categories based on attributes (color, size,shape); understanding quantity by handing the appropriate number of objects requested; demonstrating an understanding of quantitative concepts (all, some, none, and many).
Social Interaction Skills: interacting with one or more peers by initiating greeting, taking turns, and maintaining proximity during play; participating in pretend play schemes with peers and adults; following rules for structured activitieswith verbal cues, signs, or gestures from peers and adults.
Fine Motor and Gross Motor Skills: utilizing a functional grasp using a writing tool with faded assistance for positioning; copying block designs of 4 or more pieces; imitating a circle; snapping with scissors; walking safely and independently on various surfaces including tile, cement, carpet, and grass with decreased base of support; walking up 4 steps with alternating feet on each step with support of one rail; walking down 4 steps with two feet per step or alternating feet on each step with support of one rail; decreasing his base of support and improving balance skills by attempting to walk on a line keeping at least one foot on the line for at least 6 feet.
Whew! That's a LOT of stuff for a 3 year old! I do believe Evan is making progress in a lot of these areas, but again, look forward to hearing more details about what he is displaying at school. Hopefully I didn't bore you to death with all this IEP stuff! :)
Mike and I have been AMAZED at Lina's progress since she began Kindergarten just a couple months ago. To review- she attends the same public elementary school as Kaylin and Justin and is in a mainstream Kindergarten classroom. She is pulled from class throughout the day for special ed services and therapies, and is with her class for parts of Language Arts and Math as well as specials (Art, Music, Media, Phys Ed, Health), lunch, and recess. I am attending another MER and IEP meeting for Lina since the school did more assessments to update the assessments she was given over the summer, and she has already reached some of her goals in her original IEP!
Her speech is already improving- she's saying some words much more clearly, and adding more beginning and ending sounds. She still signs a lot to fully communicate her wants/ideas, but speech is definitely coming along. Yay! She has also been evaluated to begin using assistive technology to communicate at school- either with an electronic device or a PODD- both containing picture symbols; the electronic device would contain a voice output system to help her make herself more intelligible and participate verbally in her classroom setting. If you are not familiar with a PODD- here is a sample page they used with Polina to evaluate her use with it while playing with blocks.
More progress: Lina can identify most all the letters of the alphabet with an occasional error, as well as the sounds they make... AND she is starting to sound out three letter words and read sight words! She is learning to write her name, and is working on tracing numbers, letters, and words. Here's her very first autographed self-portrait!
And just FYI- if you are interested, you can purchase this beauty which is up for auction in my friend Jaime's Artists with Special Needs Auction!! The proceeds from Lina's self-portrait will go right to ROOF, and the current bid is $25. :) Check out all her other items too- auction ends April 9th!
Back to Lina's progress- she is working on counting and numbers- for some reason she consistently skips the number 3- she will sign it, but when counting aloud she will go straight to four. I think a lot has to do with her inability to actually say "three" so she just moves on to the next. She is also identifying and sorting colors and shapes, and comparing quantities. It is just amazing how quickly she is picking up on things!
And now, on to Mr. Evan. :) To review- Evan attends a special ed preschool program through the public schools 3 mornings a week, and attends a private Christian preschool with a one-on-one aide 2 mornings a week. Evan has been making slow, steady progress toward most of his IEP goals, but I do have some concerns. I am just not sure how much he is getting out of his special ed preschool class since most all his therapies there are in a group setting. I believe he needs more one-on-one time to really make progress. His next IEP meeting is scheduled for May, so I am hoping to learn a lot more about the progress he's making as well as pushing for some changes. It's been difficult for me to really gauge things since he no longer receives his therapies at home, and I have very little communication with his therapists to know how he's doing day to day or week to week. I get his IEP progress reports home quarterly which helps some, but I'm not always seeing the same progress at home.
My main concern for Evan is his speech since he still has no oral words for the most part. Occasionally he will say a vowel sound repeating words or sounds from his learning videos, but he really does not vocalize for me on request. And honestly, he's not really signing to request either, and I know a lot if not all of this is my own fault for not requiring him to do so. I know what he wants but I don't make him communicate it appropriately- so easy to fall into this pattern with the second, third, or fourth child! Though just today I went in to help at his Christian preschool class, and the teachers swore he said the words, "green" and "square"!! I was floored! He does receive one-on-one speech therapy once a week at the Christian preschool, and his therapist is able to get him to perform most days. The biggest challenge with Evan is getting him to perform on request. He is good for doing things on his own terms, but it's really difficult to tap in and see exactly what he knows since he's not always willing to cooperate. He will point to colors when he wants.... he will point to letters when he wants.... he will do puzzles when he wants.... but he's not always in the mood! I worry that his teachers will not get a clear picture of everything he knows since he doesn't always want to perform. I'm sure a lot has to do with his age and maturity level- he's still in the toddler "go go go" phase and is constantly on the run. He can't be bothered to sit and attend for too long, though he is getting better.
His latest progress report from early March is marked "Making sufficient progress to meet goal" on every goal listed, but honestly I'm not totally convinced that is true. Very interested to hear what they have to say at our meeting in May. Below are his goals listed on his IEP:
Independent Living Skills: feeding himself with a spoon, drinking from an open cup, buttoning large buttons, dressing and undressing himself for toileting (no, we have not even begun potty training but that's another story!) as well as putting on/taking off coat, improving tongue retraction and lip closure while drinking from a straw, moving food side to side in his mouth, biting through meltable foods;
Speech and Language: following one step directions; identifying familiar pictures and objects from a field of at least 2 pictures/objects; understanding inhibitory words such as "wait", "my turn", and "stop" by pausing; increasing vocal repertoire to include at least 3 new vowels and 2 new consonants; increasing sign vocabulary to include an increased number of nouns, action words, descriptors, and social conventions; imitating at least 4 new words; spontaneously labeling at least 4 more people or familiar objects/foods using word approximations or true words; requesting at least 5 new objects, toys, and/or food/drink items; answering simple "what" and "who" questions; requesting help with activities; answering simple yes/no questions.
Academics: identify, match, and categorize objects and pictures based on their function or use (what do we eat, ride on, wear?); in a field of 4 pictures, identifying action words (playing, eating, hiding); identifying emotions in pictures; identify, match, sort, and group items into categories based on attributes (color, size,shape); understanding quantity by handing the appropriate number of objects requested; demonstrating an understanding of quantitative concepts (all, some, none, and many).
Social Interaction Skills: interacting with one or more peers by initiating greeting, taking turns, and maintaining proximity during play; participating in pretend play schemes with peers and adults; following rules for structured activitieswith verbal cues, signs, or gestures from peers and adults.
Fine Motor and Gross Motor Skills: utilizing a functional grasp using a writing tool with faded assistance for positioning; copying block designs of 4 or more pieces; imitating a circle; snapping with scissors; walking safely and independently on various surfaces including tile, cement, carpet, and grass with decreased base of support; walking up 4 steps with alternating feet on each step with support of one rail; walking down 4 steps with two feet per step or alternating feet on each step with support of one rail; decreasing his base of support and improving balance skills by attempting to walk on a line keeping at least one foot on the line for at least 6 feet.
Whew! That's a LOT of stuff for a 3 year old! I do believe Evan is making progress in a lot of these areas, but again, look forward to hearing more details about what he is displaying at school. Hopefully I didn't bore you to death with all this IEP stuff! :)
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