Finding Sammie's Voice: Daily Log: Nov 27

Sammie's Daily Log

Overall, today was a _ day.

Sammie was in a _ mood.

Mom and Dad were in a _ mood.

The weather was _.

Wake Up Time: 9am* Wow.
Nap Time: 330-430pm
'Bed' Time: 930pm.
Notes: Sammie slept in later than he has in months. It seemed to set him off for the entire day.

Breakfast: 2 eggos
Snack: apple and crackers
Lunch: PBJ (which he helped me make)
Snack: Cheerios, apple sauce X2
Dinner: Hardly anything except a few nacho chips. Would not try them with cheese at all.
Snack: Hot cereal with Mamelie after swimming
New foods introduced: None
Notes: Hot cereal is made with almost 8 oz of milk, so it seems to be an excellent bed time snack.

Social Time: Bev (EIC) in the am, quiet pm
Mom/Dad Time: Mom in the AM, some playtime with Daddy during Bev's visit, evening with Mom and Dad.
Mamelie Time: After swim, Sammie got about 1 hour downstairs. Internet was down so he and Mamelie played very interactively.
Quiet Time: Mostly a quiet afternoon- Sam seemed tired, and off his routine because of his late wake up time.
Outdoor Time: None.
TV Time: 1 hour in the am.
Interactive IPAD/Computer Time: None
Gross Motor Time: Some running/playing in the house in the am, a good hard swim in the PM
Notes: Sammie loves his gross motor- on indoor days, it is important to engage in it with him by turning things into a game.

Milestones:

Favourite Sound of the Day: A really big variety of sounds were present today. Lots of "Mah", "Bah", and "Dah", "Yah", "Uh". He is rediscovering sounds he hasn't used in a very long time.
Favourite Activity of the Day: Sammie loves swimming without his lifejacket and had a great time with Mamelie.
New words or sounds observed: Possibly saying "Ya" as a response (ie: Yes). Seemed to do this a few times. Also seemed to associate "Dah" with Daddy.
New activities or play observed:

Initiated lots of play with Mamelie, including asking her to join in with some gross motor games. Reacted and engaged in tickling play back and forth. Is more willing to be kissed and hugged, and even actively sought some hugs and kisses. Active greeting at the door when she came home. Lots of direct eye contact and following instructions.
Sammie is getting much braver in the pool and is asserting his independence by choosing his own activities in a more proactive way.

New gestures or signs observed: While Sammie isn't engaging in any new signs or gestures, he is responding very favourably to them. He has caught on to several of our cues, and we are continuing to pair simple commands/words with gestures. Sammie responsive skills are notably better when we do this- and he is listening and following our directions much more frequently.
New behaviours observed: Sammie peed on the floor of the YMCA again- twice. Both times he chose to go on to the floor to do it (as opposed to sitting down on the bench, etc.). The second time, he actually held his penis to control the flow of liquid. I believe that he is actively ready for potty training and I need to do some additional reading on how to potty train non-verbal children.
New friends or social activities observed: Sammie was patient with turn taking at the slide and always seems interested in the older children. He has been making eye contact and smiling at them more frequently, and doesn't shy away from them the way that he used to.
Notes:

A relatively good day for Sammie. While he wasn't at his most receptive or cooperative with Bev, it was a good example of Sammie "at his worst"- or rather, at his least cooperative. This gives Bev a good baseline to compare his behaviour as he begins to become more comfortable with her.
We will be beginning the "Responsive Teaching" program with Bev in two weeks. (http://www.responsiveteaching.org/). This is an 8 module curriculum that will focus on enhancing Sammie's social-emotional skills and, subsequently, his communication skills. I am very confident he will succeed with this program as he is quite strong socially/emotionally and is eager to learn.
The big focus for Mom and Dad will be to:

Shorten our sentences to one or two words as often as possible and find gestures that accompany these. (We will make a list of common gestures we can use).
Be consistent with the words that we use, and repeat them as often as possible to reenforce them.
Continue imitating Sam's play and speech. It's the "Match and Raise" idea- we match his behaviour and then raise by one step. (ie: "buh, buh" BOOTS! Yes, Boots!)
Really keep our eyes open for Sammie's responses and respect them. When Sammie does respond, we need to act immediately (1/10 second rule) to reenforce that we understood him. If he refuses something using a gesture or sign, we should respect it immediately. If he shows interest in doing something, we should do it immediately.