It is early in the morning and I am getting the kids ready for school. I am sitting on my bed and reaching across to the set of drawers that contain Declan’s clothes. They are all labeled with Tova’s handwriting in bold magic marker colors: underwear, pants, shirts, sweaters. Declan is able to identify the drawers by looking at the pictures Tova has taped next to the words, but still requires my taking the clothes out each morning. He is standing beside me, as he always does, waiting for the process to begin. He will also need for me to help him put his clothes on, as this process eludes him; he lacks what his doctors and therapists call motor planning. That is, while his brain knows the goal of the task, it cannot quite determine the steps that need to be taken in order to make it happen. The conductor of his body’s orchestra is sound asleep. “Hands up,” I say, and I pull his pajama top over his head. He rubs his bare chest with his hands and waits for me to put on his shirt. I can’t help but to pause and look at him, his tiny shoulders, his little boy belly, just standing there, trusting my every move. He knows no differently. He patiently waits to be manipulated. He doesn’t know that Tova is in the other room, carefully choosing each piece of clothing as if preparing for the Oscars. She will emerge wearing what I can only describe as simply the best combination of clashing colors and patterns that render the outfit and her perfect. He has never paid any attention to the clothes that I put on him. Only, as I go to put a light blue turtle neck on this morning, he stops me and says, “no, not that one.” Stunned, I ask him which shirt he would like to wear. He rummages through the shirt drawer and pulls out a black t-shirt with the batman logo across the front. I slow down as I always do at these moments, to take in what is happening, to give him the room to take the giant step he is taking, to not get in his way. “Okay!” I say, and I help him to put it on. “Why this shirt?” I ask, hoping that I am not pushing my luck. Declan is six, and for the first time, I think, he might actually care about what he is wearing. For many parents, this might not be something new; but for us, it is groundbreaking. To be caring about how he presents to his peers means that he is beginning to develop “theory of mind”; that is, learning to put himself in another’s shoes and to consider their perspective. I look over at him. He is admiring the shirt he has chosen in the mirror. He runs his hand over the batman decal on the front, then spontaneously makes a muscle and a superhero face to match it. Then he answers me. “Because I want to be an awesome guy.”
September 2009
09/30/2009
09/28/2009
What is assistive technology? Why should you be interested?
If you are a teacher or a parent, assistive technology is something you should learn about right away. I believe that most children benefit from having information presented to them through a variety of modalities (i.e. auditory, visual, kinesthetic, tactile). Different kinds of technology can do this. But lets just start with the computer and the variety of software and websites that are out there. Once you begin to look, you will see that the possibilities are endless.
Let me show you an example of one of my favorite teaching tools. Because Declan has an auditory processing disorder, and we know that he learns best with visuals, we are constantly looking for different visually appealing ways to represent the information we are trying to teach him. Comic Life is an application that is available for both Mac and PC, and is incredibly easy to use. Using comics (speech bubbles and thought bubbles) is not new to the special education world. In fact, two incredible educators have been using them for some time. Carol Grey, author of Comic Strip Conversations, and Jed Baker, author of The Social Skills Picture Book, have done some incredible work using comics to teach social skills to children who have trouble reading and understanding social cues. If you have not already seen their work, I highly recommend taking a look!
We use comic strips for teaching so many different things. Among them are social skills, house rules, how to get packed in the morning, and what good readers do. Below is an example:
Rules
This summer I was at the library with Tova and her friend Anna. As they looked for books, they came upon a book that they had both read and loved. They urged me to read it, so I checked it out. I was blown away. This book so beautifully illustrated what life must be like to have sibling who is in some way different. In this case, it was a girl whose older brother had autism. I know as I read this book that both Tova and Anna must have been able to relate to her on some level, and I was grateful that they thought to share it with me. Tova and I ended up reading it together at bedtime. The discussions that came from it were invaluable.
09/26/2009
A Sibling's Point of View
Hi. This is Tova, and I'm Declan's 12-year-old older sister. Of course it hasn't been easy having a little brother with epilepsy. But we've learned to adjust. Actually, Declan having Epilepsy has made him a really interesting unique person, no matter how different he is. He's always laughing and smiling all the time, through almost any circumstance... But I am definitely not saying that he can't be annoying sometimes. Sometimes, when I get mad at him for doing something, my mom or dad pulls me aside and explains that that he can't help it. Of course, this only makes me more frustrated, but sometimes he really can't. But no matter what, I love him to bits and wouldn't want him any other way. :-)
09/25/2009
Welcome
When Declan was 18 months old, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. At three, and then at six, he underwent brain surgery in order to stop the seizures. Now seizure-free, his journey has been a remarkable one. Through my perspective as a mother, teacher, and inclusion consultant to schools, I will share moments when, as we worked to teach our son, he taught us.
The name "Awesome Guy" comes from one of those moments. To read about it, click here.