31 for 21 Day 10: Gross Motor Activities

Even though Colin's gross motor skills were at one time slow to develop, it is by the far the area of development that Colin enjoys the most and has really caught up with time.  He is really motivated by physical activity and specifically enjoys playing a variety of sport activities.  During some activities, Colin's interest level far exceeds other ones and he can play for longer periods of times during these games.  However, there are times where Colin will be really excited to start but then quickly loses interest or wants to sit down because of some other factors.  

 

 

One of these factors affecting Colin is that he has difficulties regulating his body temperature during more extreme temperatures.  This was actually something that kept him in the hospital for extra time because he was not able to keep a steady body temperature when he was first born.  We find this to be especially challenging in the summer because he does not handle the heat as well.  He will be interested in starting an activity, but because of the sun and the temperatures on the beach some days, it is very short lived because he starts to overheat really easily.  You can tell this with him because his face gets pretty red but he very rarely sweats.  Although he loves the water, he then cools off too quickly and is often shivering shortly after getting in, even on the hottest days.

 

Colin really loves running, especially when participating in races, but a factor that has resurfaced again is that Colin has anemia.  Colin's hemoglobin count (carries iron in your blood) is very low as well as his iron stores are really low.  Iron is really important because the oxygen is carried this way throughout your body.  Two things that we have noticed with Colin is that he gets dark circles under his eyes when he is anemic and he fatigues much more easily than is normal for him.  He often doesn't last as long during physical activity because he tires out and if this is combined with higher temperatures, he definitely loses stamina very quickly.  We are working on finding answers to this problem through some tests we have had done recently (celiac test was negative and his thyroid levels were normal).  One of these tests is a stool study to see if he is losing blood through his intestines (his reflux may play a role with this).  We are just waiting for the results on that one and to see if we need to have a scope done to look more closely.  

 

 

 

A few years ago we had tried Colin out in the town soccer league which was great, but his interest level for sustained periods of time was very low.  He enjoyed aspects of it but didn't necessarily enjoy having to do specific tasks during the first half hour that was more like a clinic.  This year, we enrolled Colin in the developmental soccer through the Special Olympics of NJ because of the timing with the town soccer.  Unfortunately, we have now lost 2 weeks due to rain but it has been going pretty well.  Colin needs more frequent breaks and often won't participate unless one of us are out there with him.  I think part of this has to do with the fact there is a lot going on at the same time.  

 

He also enjoys WATCHING sports just as much as he enjoys playing.  I think a lot of this can be attributed to the fact that for much of Colin's life, both Chris and I worked in Athletics so he spent a lot of time at sporting events.  Even though my career has changed, Chris works at the local university so we are at his sporting events all of the time. 

 

 

Earlier this summer, Colin had the opportunity to participate in a golf clinic and he really enjoyed it.  We are actually interested in getting him more involved in this in the future.  There may be some opportunities through the Special Olympics next fall so it will be fun to get him involved. 

 

Colin has taken a BIG interest in baseball this summer.  At first, he was hitting the ball off of the tee independently but then my Dad and Chris started pitching to him.  It took some time before he worked out the coordination of all of it but once he did, he's been doing GREAT.  I can't seem to get the good moments on camera, but here's a snippet of him hitting the ball.  We've been losing a lot of balls over the fence lately!

 



 

 

 

Colin is pretty fearless and is willing to try most physical activities.  He loves climbing on structures at the playground and his strength and speed are really getting better very quickly.  It's been a lot of fun to watch!

 

31 for 21 Day 6: Behavior as Communication

On Friday we had a 30 day review meeting at Colin's school to discuss his progress that consisted of a lot of the staff that is working with him.  We also have been in regular communication with his teacher regarding his progress in school.  We are finding that there is a list of challenges that they are working through with him, with the most challenging being his behavior. 

 

In trying to problem solve some of these behaviors, I have been spending a lot of time researching behavior in inclusive classrooms and have come across some helpful information.  I recently came across a great website called Inspire Inclusion by Dr. Julie Causton who has some great information as well as webinars that have been helpful.  Through her site, I signed up for newsletters geared towards teachers and parents which have led me to other resources as well.  One of these newsletters led me to Brooks Publishing Company where I found another webinar called "Supporting Behavior in the Inclusive Class".   The main idea of the webinar was that behavior is communication and it really gets you to look at what may be causing these behaviors.  However, more importantly, it identifies strategies that can be used to try and prevent these behaviors from occurring. 

 

 

A handful of the behaviors that have been a challenge with Colin at school are related to his still progressing social skills.  This is an area of development that does not come easy for him and is something that we spend a lot of time working on.  Because Colin's speech and language is not as developed as his typical peers, he is not able to express wants and needs easily and sometimes appropriately.  For example, it has been reported a few times that Colin has pushed other students on the playground.  We have also been told that he enjoys chasing and being chased on the playground.  We have seen him socially try to initiate play with others by using his hands instead of his words so it is quite possible that Colin is trying to engage with his peers because he wants to play with them by pushing them.  Colin's attempts to initiate play with Kailey have significantly improved but he is also comfortable with her.  With time, and as he improves upon these skills, we hope to see it translate into the school setting. 

 

Colin also displays certain behaviors when it comes to doing more challenging work.  We know that since behavior is a means of communication, he is expressing himself by acting out in certain ways.  If the behaviors worsen, then he is escalating those behaviors to convey what he is thinking or feeling.  In order to find strategies to work on improving these behaviors, we have to get to the root of what is causing them and it also takes some creativity to work through them.  The behaviors are reported to us through a checklist based on the goals written in his IEP.  However, I started thinking that maybe Colin could have a role in reporting his behaviors to us himself.  I created this behavior chart today with the hopes his teachers at school can use it by putting a smiley face to represent how well that period went and then review it with him at the end of the day.  Just like we address whether or not he is the same clothes for potty training when he gets off the bus, we can take the sheet out and have him show us how many smiley faces he has.  He can be rewarded for his progress and we can reinforce the negatives. 

 

We are hoping that we can all work together to figure out what the cause of some of these behaviors are by collecting real data on when, how and with who they occur so that we can find strategies to both prevent them from occurring and to use to correct when they are occurring.  I am grateful for the immense I have gotten from some friends who are more experienced in this than I am...and hoping that we can help Colin to make progress so that he can be successful.

Communication

Chris and I have been really happy with Colin's first few days of school so far but I am trying to keep myself from becoming a crazy parent who writes a million notes and sending emails all of the time.  I know that he only just finished his third day of school but I am having a hard time without knowing more specific information from his day.  In all of the times that we met with the staff he will be working with, we stressed communication as being a key component for us so that we can reinforce everything at home.  We don't want to just reinforce the academic components, but also the social and behavioral aspects as well. 

 

The positives are that he is happy to go to school each day, he has been independent with getting on and off the bus (and according to him, putting on his seatbelt by himself), he's been happy when he comes home, he's been in the same clothes so the potty aspect must be going well, and I am already noticing a change in his communication in terms of telling us more.  These are all great positives and makes me feel confident about his day BUT there are other specifics that swirl around inside my head every day that I am struggling with because I don't know and am not getting an answer from Colin about.  For example, when I asked him today if he was a good listener I got a bunch of different things ranging from "yes" to something about it being "not nice" in connection to the playground, and telling me about rest time. 

 

I am a teacher myself so I understand that it can be challenging in a day to respond to parents immediately and I also understand that I am sure right now, I am not the only parent with questions.   A lot of parents are sending their kids to school for the first time and probably have a lot of the same anxieties that I do.  I am just having a hard time finding the balance between wanting to reach out too much but getting the information we need to help Colin since he is unable to fully communicate it himself. 

As part of Colin's IEP meeting, the staff had requested in June to do a 30 day meeting at the end of September/early October which we were completely open to anyway.  I know that will come on pretty quickly and am trying to be patient to give time because this is a transition for his teachers as well.  Inclusion is new to them in that school so I know they need time to figure things out as well. 

 



I know that I am having some anxieties because I want Colin to be successful and independent but know that he does need help.  I don't want to be a helicopter mom but don't want to pull back too far and then find out that something has been going on when it becomes difficult to correct.  I don't expect a narrative on every part of his day, but also need some assistance with any bit of positives and negatives to address at home. 

 



Sometimes in writing these blog posts it's a reminder to myself to address the things I already know but it also helps me purge some of my anxieties.  Plus, we all know I have a lot of extra time on my hands as I am 7 days late waiting for baby #3.  However, even though I know I need to be a little patient, I also know that I still need to be a proactive parent as well.  Hoping that as everyone gets into a routine we receive a little bit more feedback about his day.