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September 1994

 

This daily correspondence between schools she attended and us gives you a glimpse of our daily life. Most parents of typical children do not communicate on daily basis with the teachers. This gives a reader an insight to how important daily communication is for a child with autism.

Kat has attended school since she was 3 years old. These are school notes that were result of correspondence with her parents and her teachers. We have made comments at a later date reflecting back on the impact of these events. Kats School Notes Index

 

Date

Notes

Comments

1994-09-09

 

Sept 9, 1994

1. Will the assistant pick Kat at the bus ?

2. Will the assistant be with Kat throughout her stay at school . (sole responsibility is Kat)

3. Would she be able to work with Kat at our house

4. Our goal for this year:

1st Goal

Kat learns to sit in a classroom quietly, and learns to follow classroom routine .

2nd Goal

The skills she is learning at home are reinforced at school to help generalization

* Are we focused on our goal

* can schedule be extended?

Back to School Notes Index

1994-09-11

 

9/11 Mrs. L. & Mrs. Br.

Good luck on first day. Our home # is 444 - 5555 , Tom's work # 555 - 3333 . Tom will be home Mon , tue & Wed , & I will be back Thurs . & Fri .

Please let me know if Kat needs any supplies of her own.

We will send books with her on the bus so that she is busy . We are concerned about behaviors on the bus so could you please question the driver each day (especially hair eating or trash paper eating ) We will ask the driver to keep an eye on her.

Thank you

Danuta

P.S.: Over the weekend Kat was learning "Who is your teacher?" "Mrs. L. and Mrs. Br."

" What school doyougoto? " "E.T. Hamilton "

Could you tell us who is sitting next to her in class so we could work on their names next.

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1994-09-12

 

9/12 1994

Bus ride went fine - uneventful . Kat got off the bus & went w/ me very willingly. I reintroduced myself to her & off we went ! During the "Pledge " & while veryone was singing - she was singing!- the children were a little unnerved but I told her to sing a little softer & we all were fine. ( She was singing " silly words .") One thing I did notice was that she kept picking her nose . She did this about 5 mins & of course I had her stop each time I caught her doing it. Igave her kleenex. She took out all of her books & for the most part was quiet . A few " silly talk " outburst now & then .

I'm sending home 2 " Book Club " orders for Kat . I'm sure you remember them from Bridget . Mrs. Br. started a pre-test for Dictionary -Spelling . Kat put her hands over her ears when Mrs. Br. started talking .

She then had loud silly talk . It's very hard for her to sit still & be quiet , especially while they were taking a test this morning . She looks at her books & talks out loud .

* We then had a fire drill! Everything went OK - she only wanted to pick up& throw rocks . I was very firm - NO! Then it's off to Health. She was fine . quieter here than in Mrs. Br.'s room . Here I had her put hte books down & look at & listen to Mrs. P. She fidgeted in her seat some but pretty much was OK . After 4-5 mins she got upset _ took the books off the top of the desk & began to look at them again. (<------ she called out) Time was 10 : 10 .

Should I have taken them away again ? What if she yells out loud again & disturbs the class ? Is it OK for her to just sit & read , or should she have to pay attention just like the other students ? These are some questions I have . Please let me know what you expect.

All in all, the 1st day went well . See you tomorrow .

E.

9/12 We are working at reducing the "silly talk" and "silly singing" at home aswell. At this point I would suggest we allow her to look at books but require no outbursts or "silly talk" . The moment she does show signs of this tell her "no" and take books away. When she settles return the books to her. Right now let's concentrate on reducing outbursts and disruptive behavior. Let me know if you feel this is the appropriate way to go.

Could you also let us know step by step what her morning routine is. She knows the pledge to the flag. What song do they sing? Today was health. Will she hgave a different special every day ? What children sit near her? (so we can teach her their names)

Thanks,

Tom

P.S. It would be good if we could monitor the number of outburst once in a while to determine if we are making any head way. OK

Back to School Notes Index

1994-09-13

 

9/13 The specials do change each day . Unfortunately Health is the only special this class has in the AM. Maybe we could work on her going to a different speical each day , but it would be with a different class each day . Maybe in the future ? Today we all did the pledge, stood up & then started singing " Star Spangled Banner ". She wanted to sit down , made an unhappy/sad face , reached for my face & generally did not want to stand up ! Neverthless - I told her she has to remain standing like the other children until the song is over .

* Please send in a picture of Kat that Mrs. Br. can cut up & hang up.

1 9:10, 1 9:11, 1 9:11 <------ 3 outbursts of " don't touch me " & silly singing . Took books away & she said - no more silly talk . I'll list the time of these outbursts in the margin.

Routine - sit at desk , stand for pledge & song , sit while teacher goes over announcements , HW , todays work, etc . 9 : 05 - 9 : 15 .

9:15 All children sit quietly . Teacher explains dictionary word - WHIMPER. children copy it down . Two reading workbooks are then opened & teacher circulates & checks each student for completed HW .

9:17 * It's very hard for her to just sit still quietly while this is going on !

After checking workbooks, they now go over it orally .

9:20 (She sits nexts to G., A., & B .)

9:25 While she looks at her books , she smiles & chuckles & may sing softly outloud . Although the chuckles & songs aren't loud, the children at her group hear her & look up from their work . I tell her no , & she smiles & then stops . She has been rubbing her eyes alot & yawning all morning.

9:27 Children now open their reading books . Teacher begins discussing the story they will read today .

9:28 All children are looking & listening to the teacher . Kat is bored .

9:30 She puts all her books away , & fidgets in her seat . She now looks at Mrs. Br. I got up to talk w/ Mrs. Br. & she got up from her seat . One of the children turned around & said "Kat , you have to sit down ."

9:37 I went up to get her a reading book like the other students but we didn't have an extra. So we borrowed one from a student who was absent. She flipped through it .

Mrs. Br. still teaching & explaining reading work . ( its now 9:35 ) . Now completed papers are being handed out . Kat takes out some of her own books& looks at them .

Children are now working quietly & independently at their seats . The morning routine is basically the same each day , except when they are not reading a story . They will continue to work until 10:10 . They have, reading work, dictionary work, answer questions , work book etc . until reading is over . It's very quiet in the room, as all the children are independently doing their work . At 9:50, she fidgeted so much that I took her out for a walk. We stopped by the O . T . room & we went in . We let her " play " with the " lobster " , the "therapy putty " which she put on her lap. She liked that ! We spent about 15 mins in here with Mrs. Bx. & then we went back to Mrs. Br.'s class . We joined them for Teacher P . E . We all went outside to play on the playground. She played on almost every piece of equipment. She was a little ansty today.

See you tomorrow

E.

9/13 Thankyou for the detailed notes. It really gives us a good picture of what is going on and what we should look to work on. We will work on teaching her the routine at home:

1. Come off bus and say " Good morning Mrs. L."

2. Walk with Mrs. L. to class room.

3. Enter classroom . Does she have place for book bag ? or does she keep it with her?

4. Sit quietly at desk.

5. Say " Good morning to G. "

" " " " " B. "

" " " " " A. "

6. Stand for pledge of allegiance and say it.

7. Stand and sing "Star Spangled Banner"

8. Sit quietly for announcements, H.W. , todays work , etc...

9. Sit quietly for dictionary word.

10. Write down dictionary word.

Let me know if this is an accurate pictureoftheroutine she will be following . For the time students are working independently , perhaps we can send in workpapers from home.

Questions /comments

1. Is the OT Room available during this time ? Maybe we should use this as a reward for good behavior ?

2. B. who sits with Kat? There are 2 B.'s one is new and one is not . <---- B. is new .

3. Have you spoken to the child study team/District about working with Kat at our house during school hours ?

 

Back to School Notes Index

1994-09-14

 

9/14

I answered some of your comments on the previous page . I'm not sure about the OT availability ? I'll check on it. If the room is avail . I'll definitely use it as a reward.

9:05 After Star Spangled Banner, she had a loud outburst saying something about "all of the animals ".

* Don't forget about the photo of Kat.

We stop in front of a pretty bulletin board each day & it has apples & crayons on it . I'll ask her about specific things : ie - what color is the apple ? How does the apple taste , etc . Can you count the crayons ? What color are they ? etc. She answers in complete sentences - the apple is red & crayons are for drawing . However , she gets very anxious when I stop to look at it and sometimes we won't stop at all . Is this appropriate behavior for her ?

9:15 She got up from her desk & went over to the table - I called her back & she grabbed my arm - looked at me & then sat down . A minute later she did the same thing . I got up & held her hand - she started twirling , saying loud silly talk & I put her in her seat. She continued w/ this silly talk so I took the stack of books off her desk . She loudly said - NO MORE SILLY TALK . & reached for the books. I gave them to her, somewhat reluctantly as she continued to " babble " but in a whisper . It's at these times that the children's attention is directed to her & not Mrs. Br.

The children went up to the front of the room , sat on the floor & did the vocab / reading words, words w/ "by " endings. Kat sat on a bean bag chair & kept calling out nonsense words & finding it difficult to sit still . I tried to have her look at Mrs. Br. but it was hard for her to concentrate on sitting still & being quiet . She calmed down & sat & listened & watched the children & Mrs. Br. She got up & I took her hand , had her look at me by saying her name , & asked her if she wanted to go back to her desk & look at her books . Her answer was YES ! Instead of makingher sit at her desk, I asked her if she would like to go for a walk. Can you guess what she said ? Off we went stopping at Bulletin boards , talking about them w/out a problem ! And then to the OT room . She had fun ! We came back to our room & went back to her desk . The children were at their desks doing their work. The room was very quiet .

My question to you is - at these quiet times, when the other children are working , what quiet activities can I do with Kat ? Does she like to be read to ? Can she color ? Any activity that we can do quietly together would be better I think , than first having her sit & look at books . Providing there is something we can do .

As far as me coming to your house to work with Kat during school hours , my understanding is that I am only to be with Kat during the first part of the day , because I am assigned to another classroom for the remainder of the school day . I think you should contact the Child Study Team about your concerns regarding this & see what they can do , OK? All in all , today went very well. Some of the girls in the class ( Co. & Chr. ) walked outside to T.P.E. with Kat & she said "Hi" to them . She enjoyed herself on the swings & the rest of the equipment.

E.

Back to School Notes Index

1994-09-15

 

9/15 Thus far Kat seems to be very excited about going to school. On Wednesday her sister left the house at 8 : 15 . At this time Kat put her backpack on and seemed anxious to go outside and wait for the bus. She seems very happy when she goes on the bus.

Whenever something is new(or a new situation) Kat's response is to get out of the situation. She can accomplish that by using her self talk . She will usually cover her ear and talk to herself. It will take time for her to understand the routine. What might help:

1. Printed schedule that you can point to her what activities are coming up next

2. Index card with a printed message "Quiet" . "No silly talk" or other. I thought those might be easier to use in the classroom environment. And you can show her the card. If you write us the types of messages you would like to use we can let you know if Kat can read them.

3. Physical prompts ( or visual)

- put your finger on her mouth

-cup her face and turn to look at you while you put your finger on your mouth

- if walking and self talk put your hands on her shoulders & stop her and hold her in place once she quiets let her go

4. Take a book away as soon as she even whispers. Once quiet give it back . Give her one book at a time .

5. Getting out ,walks to library!, swings or OT room can be used as rewards. The best time to use them is when she is good and if you can anticipate children taking a test (when they have to realy concentrate ) for example , do it before she antsy or does something well.

6. If she disrupts a class , I would recommend that you take her out of the room and hold her in place in the hallway until she calms down (so that it's not a reward) and when she is fully calm bring her back in . to do the same activity.

For quiet activity we will try and come up with some. Kat will have to get used to them firstathome and we will work on those at home.

One we are working on is her copying a part of a story.

For now the books, if you could read her fairy tales or Disney stories she likes those.

I can come to school and we can try to have her do worksheets together outside of the class. Maybe when the children are taking a test . (Please call that morning or note the day before).

We appreciate all you are trying to do with her . Your detailed notes are invaluable in developing strategies to to help Kat out.

We will call child study team to see if we can find a way to work together with Kat. Weare sending Kat's picture, index cards and sample of schedule that you can create and point to, tohelp Kat out. Thank you .

Danuta & Tom

PS I'm sending a sample of the type of worksheet we are working on , you could try it but it's so new she may tantrum . Maybe try it in another location before you try it in the classroom. I pointed to her each word in the book. She does not know all the letters yet. I highlighted ones she knows. Show her the guide (<---- point to the letter onthesheet.) to prompt her. She may ask for help with letters she does not know . Write that one for her but give her pencil back to continue. I got her to write the whole paragraph last night she cried at first but liked it when I read back to her what she wrote

 

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1994-09-16

 

9/16 Thank you! for your deatiled notes also! I wrote out some "messages" on 3x5 cards but when Kat reads them, she reads them out loud & I do mean "out loud ! " However, she did become very quiet when she read the cues. The children took a spelling test so we left the room to take a walk.

It's very difficult for me to do a "worksheet " in the room as this will disrupt & disturb the other children who are working quietly . Since the children are now working quietly at their desks, I will try to read a story to her . We sat in the back of the class & read Sleeping Beauty &part of Cinderella . Sleeping Beauty went OK - but she kept calling out words during Cinderella . Then it was time to go home .

Have a nice night .

E.

P . S . Please keep all the cards & schedule in this bag-"in case " ! Thanks !

PPS The bus was a little late so as a treat we went to the OT room. She sat on the therapy ball & bounced up & down , played w/ the putty & felt the " vibrator " on her hands & back . That she liked alot !

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1994-09-19

 

9/19 Hi, Kat went to Washington,DC for a wedding this whole weekend and we got back late sunday night that's why I kept her at home . I don't have a number for the bus company . I talked to J.R. about giving you opportunity to come to our house so that you can see how we deal with Kat and her behavior modification so help her control her behaviors .

I thought about some of the things you are trying to reward Kat with but I think we need to stop the trips to the OT room and any other rewards. I am affraid Kat is learning that all she has to do is talk a little louder and she will get what she wants: freeplay . This may be reinforcing the behavior we do not want . We need to create a stimulation where going to the classroom and sitting quietly is the reward . I suggest that when Kat is talking loudly she is removed from the classroom and has to stand outside or "work harder outside. If it would help initially I can go to school while she is in the class and wait outside to help you deal with the situation . Her books or any other reinforcers need to stay inside. Please let me know if this could be a possibility until J.R. gets back to us .

Danuta

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1994-09-20

 

9/20

We started off this AM w/ alot of silly talk ,humming & singing . I think right now at this time what seems to work best w/ Kat & myself is my finger on her lips & my saying - No more silly talk. Although , she did continue her humming , I took away the book . She sat for a few seconds , started to talk & get up. I told her we're going outside . She then said , NO more silly talk . All this , while Mrs. Br. was orally checking the reading skills book . This is very distracting to the students at her group . She said she had to go to the bathroom so we went . Afterward, she began to notice the posters on the wall in the room . She'll look up & around & exclaim on what she sees . Again this distracts the other students who are listening & working . When I say "no silly talk " she'll continue talking & when I now say " let's go outside ," she says loudly - no more silly talk . She said " go for a walk " & we did . Rest of the morning we looked at the dictionary & then I put her on the computer. This was really the only thing we could do , as the children were doing seatwork & the room was quiet . Do you have any suggestions as to what we can do when the class is doing their seatwork? How about a quiet game, using legos , working on the computer , etc . Please let me know.

Thanks,

E.

P . S . She was very verbal today! !

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1994-09-21

 

9/21 Kat did talk a lot more after the wedding on Monday. Yesterday she worked with me for 3hours and had to quiet her only about 7 times. The handwriting worksheet would be great for seatwork time. When can I come over to show you how to work with Kat ?

Danuta

9/21

We are meeting w/ J.R. tomorrow to discuss Kat's progress , so I'll let you know after that when to come in & go over her HW worksheets . She was much quieter today !

She was very good while the class did a group lesson ( on the floor , gathered aroundthe easel ) on suffix's . She sat quietly on her beanbag , listened , looked at the interesting things on the walls , and generally behaved beautifully . She seemed tired though . She kept yawning all morning .

We did some handwriting because the children started their seatwork at 9:40 . I got some paper for her & we started . I modeled , she copied . I had to help guide her on some of the letters ( a , t , h ) & did so from behind , just like the OT showed us to use in my own class . We were going along fine until the last " h " when she started to whimper loudly & get upset . Had we been in a room by ourselves , I would have continued for a bit , as I saw you do , because as you explained , just because she doesn't want to do anymore, doesn't mean you stop !

However , when she got upset & loudly exclaimed , all 23 heads turned our way & all work stopped. Now , 2 things happened . I did stop , I praised her and said now you can look at a book , & Mrs. Br. said " Please continue working ." Things went back to normal . The HW session lasted 5 minutes . After that the silly talk started & she started banging on her desk . 3 repeated attempts of " No more banging & No more silly talk " took up up to 9 : 50 . She repeated quite loudly what I had said & I had her look at me when I said it . It was as if she was testing me to see how far she could go . She seems to ignore my " NO more silly talk" by repeating it , waiting a few seconds & then continuing whatever behavior she started. at 10 : 00 we left the room for out walk . At this time she had sat quietly w/ her book for about 3 minutes .

Have a good day !

E.

P . S . After our " walk " we met Mrs. Br.'s class on the playground & they all ran up to her & said " hi . " When we left they all said "Bye Kat". She had fun on the swings & equipment .

Back to School Notes Index

1994-09-22

 

9/22

Hi,

The writing worksheets are great idea. Kat should know all capital letters with few exceptions " S " "J " & "B". You may want to practice those. Let me know how you make out with J.R.

Danuta

PS We have been working on the imfamous " silly talk " at home in one of the drills using a watch . Kat sits and can see the therapist in front of her holding the watch . We are trying to increase the amount of time . She does better when she sees that watch in front of her .

9/22

Today the class had computers & were doing a specific task on touch typing . The school doesn't really have "good " games , so if she has a favorite computer game , maybe you could make a copy & send it in for her to use . This way , she can go to the computer lab w/ the class . Or even use it as a reward for good beahvior in the classroom . Let me know .

J. , myself & El. (& Kat too) met and we went over a few concerns . We discussed the fact that you want to come here & show me some drills , (OK) specials , her behavior , working outside of El.'s class , i . e . ,in another room , etc. J. will probably be in touch in a few days .

While J., myself & Kat were in the room , I did some more HW w/ Kat & he could see her . She was extremely " Babbly " for lack of a better word . I kept repeating , NO SILLY TALK & covering her lips with my finger (s) but she kept at it even while writing . Is this appropriate ? Let me know . If you want me to work on something specific , such as letters ( S, J, & B ) each day, or something else , please let me know & I'll try to do it w/ her - somewhere ! Although itmay be too distracting for her & the other students - we'll give it a shot ,& stay in the room .

Again today she very verbal ! We even had to leave class 1time & be in the hall for aminute or 2 because she wouldn't stop her silly talk . At one point she became very loud , wouldn't stop & that's when we left . I spoke w/ her in the hall , had her look at me &did the best I could to explain in simple terms , why she was in the hall . I told her she must be quiet in the classroom & No silly talk . We then went back in . She was OK for 5 - 10 mins & then it was time to leave .

Have a nice night !

E.

PS She did do another HW paper today & even when some " B " 's on her own w/ out my prompt . When the children came back she was doing her HW & they crowded around to see what she was doing . I asked her to write " B " for B. . She did , I praised . I said write a " B " for Gabe . She did , I & the children praised her!

P . P . S . Who's Ms. F. (Miss Finch)? She comes in each AM & says loudly - MISS FINCH ! !

 

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1994-09-23

 

9/23 Kat may like touch typing , did you try it with her? What type of computers do you have access to , we can try to get some games for it that Kat likes .

Where does Kat sit isshe close to a door so you can get her out quick if she starts self talking. Please consider me or Tom going to school initially and waiting outside of classroom and as soon as self talk would occur we could take her to a location where we can do drills . We will talk to S. on Monday to see if has any other ideas .

Ps . Ms. F. (Ms. Finch) is a bird ( ostrich ? ) on a Sesame Street movie and also the name of one of the therapists at home . She was thrilled when she initially realized that they both had the same name .

9/23

We have IBM computers in school so if you have that type of computer any games would be great .

Unfortunately , Kat sits at the opposite side of the room from the door . When she has these outbursts , we have to walk all the way across the room to get out . She had an outburst this morn ; at 9 : 20 after spending 10 mins . in the bathroom , she couldn't settle down & after her saying NO MORE SILLY TALK quite loudly . We stood up & I said let's go outside . All the way out she kept repeating No More Silly Talk (NMST!) loudly . We stood out in the hall & she got upset & babbled Silly Talk nonsense words & phrases . She was visibly upset about something & I took her hands & clamed her down . I spoke to her & she again said "NMST". After 30 seconds or so I praised her for good behavior , rewarded her w/ a drink , & we went back to class & everything was OK .

When the children finished their test , there was alot of noise & confusion going on & she put her fingers in her ears . They were switching to another subject & they were talking & moving around. It was at this time that she started silly talk softly again .

While the children were doing their quiet seat work I put her on the computer for Touch Typing ------> (as you suggested). We lasted 5 mins ! There aren't any graphics & there isn't any audio w/ it . She wouldn't type in the letters . I prompted her a few times but she seemed disinterested, and started silly talk & wouldn't stop. She got agitated; I asked her if she wanted to read a book & she said YES ! & practically jumped out of the chair . She kept on w/ the silly talk & when I said were going out of the room she loudly exclaimed - "NMST" & calmed down by herself . All this while the children were having silent reading . She looked over at me w/ a sad face . I said to her , Kat , you've been a good girl , would you like a hug ? She came over & we hugged & I praised her & she sat back down .

It's very hard for her to sit quietly for an hour &a half. and it's during this time that the children are doing their reading work & need to concentrate.

Would it be alright if she plays w/ some of the puzzles in the room , or uses some "hands on " educational games while the children are working ? Write & let me know .

By the way, Mrs. Br. said a student is moving & we can change Kat's seat . How do you think she'll react to the change ? It's near the door . Now , she comes in & knows right where her desk is . Write & let me know .

Have a nice weekend .

E.

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1994-09-26

 

9/26 I think moving is a great idea . She may be disoriented at first but if you tell her that this is her seat she will get it . The handwriting is a great idea . The IBM computer , I need to know is it 286, 386 or 486 ,does it have windows application on it . she can do some legos & some puzzles she likes books ( especially Fairy Tales) library would be a treat . If you are taking her out of the class room for a treat you need to wait until she is realy good and take her out . Outside the door , you can tell her she is out because she was so quiet. Is Kat's textbook available ?

Danuta

PS . I found this note but I did not know which book you meant ?

9/26 -

Well , we moved & it went fine . She now sits w/ T., Al2,. & Er. . Don't worry , we all mix them up!

Our IBM computers do not have " windows " & the comp. in my room is a 286 & the ones in Mrs. Br.'s room are 486 . Hope this helps . Any disks sent in we will probably be able to use . When I get them , I'll let you know .

So far this AM , Kat was very quiet ( 9 : 20 ) . The book she borrowed is " The Snow Queen ".

She was super all AM so I praised her & we went out for a walk & then went to "Health " w/ the class . Health is 30 mins . There were alot of things going on ; teacher teaching , A/C fan blowing loudly , children talking&moving around , that she started silly talk & put her fingers in her ears . She stopped silly talk but kept fingers in her ears . Teacher had children read aloud about fire safety & then had class discussion . She continued her talk softly & stopped when I handed her a Berenstain Bears book . She looked through it , handed it to me said help me & when I started to read she loudly exclaimed NO!

After about 10 mins of her squirming around in her seat , & silly talk , she had had enough & we left . Again , it is hard for her to sit at her desk & be quiet while all this is going on around her . I don't know if she was aware ofwhat was being discussed .

Good day overall behavior wise .

E.

 

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1994-09-27

 

9/27 From 9:10 - 9 : 20 The children went over their reading seatwork from yesterday , & Kat was very verbal ------> (also was singing softly). I had to remove her books twice & by the 3rd time was ready to go outside , when she quieted down . I love her hair down ; she looks so pretty ! However, she eats strands of her hair . What do you do about that ? I discouraged her from doing it . The children took a reading test so we (9:30) went out for a walk .

I took her down to my room where I tried another computer game ( NOluck yet!) and then we did some HW . She had loud silly talk the whole time . Do you let her do this ? Do you stop work - what should I do ? Our class has 8 students & if she has these loud outbursts it's OK . Nobody seems to mind .

Have a good day .

Ellen

 

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1994-09-28

 

9/28 We spoke with S. ( our consultant with Bancroft ) on Monday . He gave us some ideas on strategies we could apply at school but suggested we first implement them at home and then generalize to school. When we come back from vacation we plan on going into school to help implement some of these strategies.

(Eating hair): This is why we don't ussually let her wear her hair down. If we tell her " no eating hair " she'll ussually stop temporarily.

(Loud silly talk when she is working) : We continue working with her until she settles herself. Then we reward her with free time . "Go play" If we stop working with her then it is rewarding the bad behavior and she will use the bad beahvior as an escape mechanism.

At this point could we try shorter intervals in the class say 10 min. and if she is good reward her with taking her out to do something she likes. ( library, playground , computer , O.T. Room, etc...)

If she is too disruptive and you need to take her out is there a place you could then take her to work on handwriting (or some thing else shes not crazy about).

It is important that we reward her good behaviors. Also it is important that we not reward bad behaviors .

9/28

We were all so pleased to see your responses regarding shorter intervals in the classroom .

After sitting quietly for 10 - 15 mins we did go out for a walk & she was very good when she came back . (Interesting note - she goes to the bathroom here every morning. Usually it was during the Pledge. I started asking her if she has to go before we get to the room & she always answers yes ! ) after our walk, we came back & sat at the back round table which has " study carrels " so a student can work but not see or be seen by another student . It was here that we made our rainbow pictures . First she colored but I thought that was too easy ,so I had her paste the colors on. She chose the colors while I ripped them. Also she was singing Kumbaya My Lord ,&I'd like to teach the world to sing .

I chuckled to myself while I thought about what a pretty voice she had . I had her sing & talk softly . She was also talking about a queen .

This took us to 10:00 & at which time she became bored . I praised her & El. had her choose a prize from the treasure chest . She choose pink sunglasses .

It seems that her behavior & silly talk escalate after an hour of being in the classroom . After 10:00 , there isn't much we can accomplish without her having "outbursts " or needing some relief time outside the room .

I framed her rainbow picture for you to hang up. I'll look through my files & see if there are any other "neat" arts & craft " type activities for her to do if its OK with you .

E.

PS - We went out for TPE & Co. asked her if she wanted to get in line in front of her . She took Kat hand & put her in line . On the way out Co. held her hand & together they all ran to the playground together . They went on the swings , the tires , the equipment , they were all running around & having fun ; about 6 of them in her group. It was amazing ! , wonderful !& exciting ! to see this happen ! A whole mob of them went running across the playground & Kat yelled "I love this"!! What a day ! !

* - I told her to write her name on the rainbow paste picture & she did so all by herself . I then had her write "RAINBOW " on the crayon picture ,which I dictated.

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1994-09-29

 

9/29 Everything you are doing sounds exciting could I come over tomorrow and observe ?

Kat seems very happy lately , she loves going to school . The behaviors have increased at home a little . But we go through cycles with her. There are a lot of new things happening to her . She has a lot to deal with all at once . Usually during a time like that self stimulation goes up. Your notes are invaluable in helping us visualize her time at school. Could you check with Mrs. Br. how often can I come to observe? I will see you tomorrow morning unless it is not a good time . Thanks

Danuta

Art projects are neet but the self talk may increase during those activities .

Danuta

9/29

I don't know if tomorrow ( Friday ) will be good; but any day when you come back from vacation will be great! Just let us know beforehand . How do you want to work it if I am ever out sick ? They always get a sub for me, but usually its different people -(even if I request ) it's usually who's available . We should talk about this .

The class had computers this morning & Kat adamantlyrefused . NO ! She said ! So they went to the computer room & we had free time . As you can see , we worked on HW . No outbursts , just silly talk while she works .

See you soon !

E.

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1994-09-30

 

9/30

The substitute is probably a good topic for the IEP meeting . I was looking for appropriate software for the computer. At home we have playroom &manhole but we have Mackintosh computers . I'm looking still for those two & IBM.

Danuta

PS Kat has not started small letters or s at home. But all other letters in capitals will create less hassle for you

9/30 El.'s class had 2 tests this AM so after morning announcements we spent the time in my room . I found some workbooksto use w/ Kat & we worked on some pages today . Take a look at them & let me know if they are OK & if you want me to do these type of things with her .

Interesting note , I was in the office on the phone when Kat's bus came & one of the secretaries brought her in . She came in the office , right up to me ,&looked at me when I said " Hi , " & said w/ a big smile on her face , Hi Mrs. L. ! I was thrilled !

Have a Super Vacation & we'll see you & Kat when you come back .

E.

* She was very verbal during the worksheets !

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