Preschool Update

Below is Ethan's most recent clinic notes from his Easter Seals Summer Preschool. I have underlined some of my favorite notes! AND we have also noticed changes in him at home...for the better!!! He is playing with more of a variety of toys.....not just cars. In fact, we have been up now for an hour, and not one car is out of the car bin yet! He is playing more interactive-type games. He is playing with our Little People toys the most, which is amazing. He is doing "imaginative play" by having these little boy, girl & animal plastic figures do shopping, fly in the sky, eat/sleep....something I have NEVER watched him do before....it's awesome. He is also watching TV. Ethan has never cared much for TV. In fact, usually watching cartoons causes crying spells because he seems to have great empathy for the characters. So, if something bad happens (someone gets stuck, something gets lost, etc.), he cries & cries. He generally won't watch movies either. He LOVES Disney Cars, but refuses to watch the movie. I think it has something to do with the sounds because he will watch older cartoons without any trouble. Now, Easter Seals summer program doesn't use technology in anyway during those 3 hours, so I'm not really sure the correlation.....if any. But, Ethan has been able to watch morning cartoons without crying.....and he is really watching it.....sitting & watching. This is a new thing, and it's so nice to see him enjoying it!!! (PS....the car bin was just dumped & cars are now being driven all over my living room.)

                 June 18-20                                                          June 25-27

Ethan

ST-totally fine with following adult’s lead in play but not as inventive on his own, gets into a set routine very quickly and gets anxious when routine is varied, giving him options helps calm him, working on varying his language in play will help give him a bigger repertoire OT—Ethan absent 6/20/12. DT- didn’t mind adult mixing up play with certain toys (letters/pegs), played matching game at same time with peer but not actually with him—turntaking was structured by adult ABA-working on matching nonidentical verbs in pictures, finishing block structures, working on verbal instructions across distance, probed through matching functions, probed through all labels and instructions with objects

ST--Ethan enjoys cars the most. He responded yes when the therapist asked to join him, but then left the area to play with something else. He did this with every activity. He could be redirected back to the kitchen (or wherever he left) with verbal exchanges. Ethan needed a few prompts to ask for help, or respond to the therapist asking questions aobut joining the play or while in a play scheme. Ethan used full sentences and they were functional and appropriate although a bit scripted. He did not make eye contact with the therapist so it was difficult to know when he was scripting or truly trying to communicate. Ethan responded to I need to see your eyes, now ask me/tell me. Ethan asked for help when a toy was stuck. He talked about what he was doing or narrated his play but it was not necesarily directed toward the therapist. OT—No session this week—therapist vacation DT--Ethan picked his own activities and directed his play. When prompted, he used sentences to communicate his play scenarios with the doll house and shopping. He didn't use headphones in music and asked to pick a song. Ethan has been using headphones for music. He did not use them today but covered his ears with his hands during the first song. He did not cover his hands for the remaining songs and he copied the words and actions of the music. ABA: working on matching nonidentical verbs in pictures in field size of 10, finishing up making block structures, working on verbal instructions—going to locations, needs picture prompts for naming items by functions, finished clothing labels, will start labeling “he/she” in pictures.