He starts a new school this year. It is a private school that will incorporate most of the therapies that he normally obtains privately in his daily routine. We are extremely excited about it and I know we are going to see great improvements this coming school year.
Here are some areas that I have seen major improvements and wanted to highlight:
- Haircut Mastered: Last weekend we took the kids to get a haircut. I have to note that for the first time EVER Jonathan did not move an inch. The lady cut his hair and when she used the clippers, he simply said "when you cut my hair behind the ears it tickles my back a little bit", but he didn't move. He was GREAT!!!!!! If you have followed this blog for the past 2 years, you'll know that this has been one of areas that I use to compare his sensory integration issues and recovery. Even with high yeast (his yeast is out of control) he did not move. Big plus here!
- Passed Swimming Test in Public Pool: This past weekend, we took the kids to the pool at his grandmother's community and the lifeguard told us that the kids could not go passed 3 feet by themselves unless they took a swimming test. At first I was worried. Jonathan has been taking swimming lessons since last October, but he repeated Level 2 and he is going to repeat Level 3 because unfortunately he is not very athletic and has trouble with the forms. Vanessa however is turning out to be a pretty athletic kid and she is going quite well in her swimming lessons. However, Jonathan decided on his own to take the test, and Vanessa decided not to do it. Jonathan had to go from one end of the pool in the deep area to the other end and back and then stand in the middle moving his legs without swimming for 30 seconds. I watched nervous that he was going to get tired in the middle of the pool and sink. But he didn't. My heart almost came out of my chest when the lifeguard told us that he passed the test. I was so worried that I didn't even record it. He was so proud of himself that he went to the deep side after that several times. I am very proud of him. This is a great great accomplishment.
- Coping Very Well with Summer Camps: We enrolled him in regular summer camps under the local community center. They have several types of classes. We selected mostly sports camps to help him lose weight and keep him moving. At the beginning of each week, I turn in all the forms. In one of the forms I disclose that the has Austim, but I don't tell the teachers the first day. By the end of the week, Jonathan is acquaintance with all the kids and first with 1 or 2, and with the teachers in his group. He has enjoyed all the camps. His favorite has been the Gym and Dance camp and wanted to be sent back there. They didn't offer any more sessions, but I will keep in mind for next year. Check out the video below. He is the only boy and loved it!!!
- Board Games: He started loving playing board games last year. He is either an electronics kind of kid or board games. He is not a "doll or monster or lego" kind of kid. His grandmother got him playing a couple of years ago and played with him every time she could. But all of a sudden, in the past few months, Jonathan developed a passion for Monopoly. He is learning the rules about money, property, trading, taking risks, etc., so well that he beats us. Sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses. And he takes each time very well. He loves to talk about it. He loves to beat us and laughs at us in a "ha, gotcha!" kind of way. Although it has turned into an obsession and we are unsuccessfully trying to get him to play other games, I do believe that this is a very positive because it shows him rules of life, engages him with a group, teaches him strategy, etc. His math skills are also improving dramatically.
Overall, he is doing great!
