sounds and pics

Right now in speech therapy we're working on getting Rachel to follow a daily routine, i.e. chores and basic self-care. I'm seriously considering writing out routines for a couple of processes Rachel struggles with since the morning routine seems to be working out pretty well so far. However, one of the side-effects of this is that Sarah, who already pretty much follows a routine, got even more into the morning routine than she had been before. So, now I get to deal with her desperate need for structure when she can't find the hairbrush in the morning. Thank goodness she's at the point where I can offer her an alternate brush (and thank goodness we aren't in an environment/situation where sharing brushes would bring on lice... I still don't like it though).

And yes, I admit it's very nice that Sarah has been wanting to get her chores done. :)

We started Rachel on sounds today with the sound "m". She does well overall until she has to hold the sound for any length of time. Then, she tends to substitute by placing her lower lip on her upper teeth. Not sure if it's because of weakness in her lips or the vibration getting to her or both. I'll be consulting my sensory integration stuff this week for ideas.

Sarah's big thing this week is "what if" questions. I'm really glad she's at this point because once she gets to the point where she can consistently predict (or at least make an educated guess) about consequences so much more will open up in the way of possibilities in her education and in life.

I've decided to look over the developmental model for Son-Rise and see if I can't incorporate that with Floortime since the two are so similar. I mention Floortime because one of the women in a group I used to belong to mentioned that Floortime has a more integrated approach to its therapy (i.e. you use the approach in the real world as well as the playroom). So, between herbal formulas/supplements for the family and research for Rachel and Sarah, it looks like I'm going shopping.

Oh, and I hope to review that music therapy program I ordered later on in the week.

And finally, I have the name of a doctor who will respect a parent's wishes regarding vaccinations. A real-live medical doctor. I'm still in a mild state of shock. We might be able to do the equine therapy after all. If time permits. :P

Here are the pics I promised of Rachel's drawing progress.

Okay, so here's a drawing from when Rachel started school in 2007. It was her third year doing a preschool/kindergarten program and she showed very little interest in anything academic. I was just glad she was starting to draw people instead of things or abstract shapes.

This second drawing is from when Rachel started the second half of the school year. As you can see, a sense of proportion is starting to creep in. Because she used pencil for this, you can't tell, but around this time she also started experimenting with multiple colors (never more than four) in her drawings instead of the monochrome I was used to seeing from her.

And this is one she did recently. I'm so amazed and proud of my girl. :) She's come a long way. Both of them have.