Week 7: and we've got some PROGRESS

Today Zach only had an hour of OT. Ms. Kristin was out because it was her son's first birthday - but we will see her tomorrow.

Zach was challenged as usual by Ms. Jerri-Anne....

The room was all set up when we got there with obstacles, that would make Zach use his arms (he has low muscle tone in his arms = really bad strength) and he does not like using them, really thinking back never really did. It was also there to challenge his balance. He played for what seemed like forever on this coarse - giving up over and over because, he had no balance, and he couldn't use just his legs. He was so frustrated because he would stand up, and lose his balance. Ms. Jerri would make him craw and he be frustrated because he has no strength and he would still lose his balance. All in all I think he had fun with it, well for the most part - there weren't too many times where his face went blank or gave a bad look, just plenty of giving up and trying to walk away from it.

From there Zoe and Zach got to sit on the platform swing. This was to also do balance work. I think he did better because Zoe was on it with him. He had a lot of blank looks towards the ground, but was able to stick with it even though he would fall backwards losing his balance from time to time. Ms. Jerry left him in control and when he had too much and started getting off she let this activity end.

On to the most fun Zoe has had at a session with her little brother..........Finger Painting! OH MAN, I had no clue how this was going to work - first step was to get him to put a plastic smock over his shirt - he ran all over the room screaming, and crying, shacking his little head no. It got to the point where I tried to put it on myself and then Zoe to show him it was okay - still nothing, Ms Jerri finally said let's just take his shirt off. We did and he was fine, well, my kid loves to be naked so it was perfect for him. Zoe had her own paper and did her own painting at the same table as Zach. Zach, cooperated because Zoe was doing it - had she not been there I don't think finger painting would have lasted too long. His poor little face if you could only have seen it when Ms. Jerri held his hand and poked his finger into the paint - it broke my heart. He finally got used to it, but then came time for the whole hand - poor Zach all he kept trying to say was "dirty" which for him comes out "deedee" and him trying to pull his hands from Ms. Jerri to sign it so we knew what he was saying, over and over and over and over - do you get the point? It ended up in almost tears and even after he was all cleaned up we had to hide the towels used to clean him because he can't stand "deedee" insert sign here.

The last thing we were going to work on was eye contact....This was miserable! Zachary loves balls so we decided we were going to play ball. In the room there was a plastic blue ball, thing is this ball has little rounded spikes on it. Normally Zach will play with this ball on his own when we are in a room. I'm no expert here, but maybe all the touch of the paint was throwing him off (since the ball had texture to it). He wanted nothing to do with the ball. We tried and he threw it once - with no eye contact. In fact almost the whole session there was NO eye contact. Ms. Jerri tried to throw the ball to him to bump his shoulder, it hit his face -
gently - and we lost him, took about a split second and the tears came, no movement. That was the end of the ball, he was mad - Ms. Jerri gave it to him and told him he could get rid of it - he took it across the room and hid it under something. Yep he really was mad ;-)

To help him feel better we ended on shape sorting. Zachary sat in Ms. Jerri's lap where he was able to concentrate better. He did a good job - after one shape fit into a hole, he would automatically take a different shape to the same hole. You know if one goes there, they all must ;-)

When we left - he very clearly said to Ms. Marla (in the office), with out any prompting, what so ever --- "buh-bye" as clear as day 2 different vowel sounds!!!! My little man has a word - Ms Kristin would have been so proud! I know Mommy was and to think NO PROMPTING - just a little wave from Zach and a clear "buh-bye"

AND there we have it PROGRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"BUH-BYE" :-)