April ~ Day Thirty

Well, here we are. The very last post for April. I have enjoyed my daily ramblings, although I'm not sure I will be able to keep it up for May! :)

Speaking of May..... Nick has a big birthday at the end of the month. He is turning 18. It doesn't seem so long ago that he was the size of the wee boy in the photograph below. Time has zipped by quickly.

We ended off our month with an adventure. A friend invited us to go for a spin in his Foxbat and we jumped at the opportunity. Nick was happy to wait for us all to have a turn. That iPad sure comes in handy!

We are off on another adventure in three sleeps time. This one involves a much larger plane and Nick will be traveling with us. Thank you, RDI, for giving us a better quality of life.

April ~ Day Twenty Nine

I have enjoyed writing a blog post every day for the last month. It has been so helpful to look back and take stock of the planned engagements that I have shared here. Woohoo, I have a list that I can refer to! I am going to make sure that we keep up our practice with each activity and also keep adding little challenges. Self care also pops up on the list, as it should! Have you done anything special for you today?


1.  Washing dishes

2.   Laundry

3.   Brushing teeth

4.   Carrying heavy objects

5.   Self care (me)

6.   Cutting fruit

7.    Self care (me)

8.    Fine motor exercise using tweezers

9.    Sorting clothes

10.  Closing doors

11.  Self care (me)

12.  Walking together

13.  Packing a weekend case

14.  Unpacking foodstuff

15.  Self care (me)

16.  Declarative comments

17.  Setting limits!

18.  Making fruit and vegetable juice

19.  Bathtime

20.  Collecting the ingredients for cooking

21.  Self care (me)

22.  Emptying the dishwasher

23.  Board game

24.  A different board game

25.  Self care.  A poem.

26.  My thoughts

27.  Emptying the dishwasher (non-verbal)

28.  Sharing a blog post written by Lisa Palasti

29.  Today's post

30.  My final post for April 2017

Self care ~ today

April ~ Day Twenty Seven

Have you ever gone non-verbal? To clarify, I am talking about communication without speech/the spoken word. Being non-verbal means relying on other avenues of communication.... facial expressions, eye gaze, body language, position of body, shrugs, noises, gestures.

With this in mind I wrote up a new framework for an activity we did the other day. My goal for this activity was to focus on non-verbal communication, joint attention and co-regulatory patterns.


Activity:

Unstacking the dishwasher (again!)


Roles:

I pass a plate to Nick.
Nick puts it on the counter
x3

We swap roles
Nick passes me an item
I put it on the counter
x3

We swap roles
I pass Nick a cup
He puts it in the cupboard
x3

We carry on in this manner until the dishwasher has been emptied.

Note:  Nick's edge+1 will be the continuous changing of roles.


Limits:

No distractions... doors closed to keep out the dogs! Aim to have an empty dishwasher. Do not use speech.


Communication:

No speech. Use facial expressions, noises, body language, gestures. When changing roles, move my body to a new place to communicate the new role. Slow down and wait for Nick to pick up on my non-verbal cues. Relax and go with the flow.


What happened:

If only I had filmed this! We coordinated our movements beautifully. After handing Nick the three items, I stopped in my tracks and then deliberately moved my body so that I was standing away from the dishwasher and closer to the bench. He immediately picked up on this cue and took on his new role. We continually referenced each other for information and adjusted what we were doing as we went along. Our engagement was a wonderful example of what can be achieved without speech. The joint attention was WOW and I am so thrilled that our simple activity turned into a successful little dance between the two of us.

Flowers are more interesting than pots and pans!

April ~ Day Twenty Six

RDI is bigger than what I share. I write about the journey with my son, who just happens to be on the more severe end of the spectrum. My stories are a simple description of what helps us to continually make progress. Your child may be more advanced or perhaps not yet at Nick's stage of development. It doesn't matter. The RDI program addresses where your child is at. Maybe my blog posts do not fit your situation. That also doesn't matter. We each have our own personal stories.

This journey also includes me. I share my role as Nick's mother and how RDI has helped me to become a better parent to him. I have no problem in admitting that I needed help on how to guide him effectively. I thank RDI every day for giving me the tools to insure a better quality of life for both us.

Thank YOU for reading my posts. I hope that my words help you in some way.

April ~ Day Twenty Five

Some days we just hang out

This boy and me

Sharing the same space

The same air

Held together by invisible string

A glance to check in with the other

A movement to indicate.... what I don't know

A book appears

I read

He listens

I point to a word

He reads it out loud

Mutual enjoyment brings light

From dark

Loudly I exclaim

Delighted he laughs

A sweet book

A lovely moment captured in time

Mother and son together

I wait

He turns the page

Always ready to take on a role

I look in wonder

At the child I helped create

The man who is a constant in my day

It's not easy

I must admit

Why me, I ask

Why not you, they say

All I can do is...

Nurture

Cherish

Guide

Love

No matter how hard

April ~ Day Twenty Four

I found another board game that looked like it had more potential than Junior Scrabble. Rather than write up a new framework, I decided to use the same one as yesterday's post...  Junior Scrabble.

My goal for this engagement is to connect with Nick and share the enjoyment and experience of playing a game together.


Our board game of choice:

Catch me if you can.


Roles:

I take a turn / Nick takes a turn.


Activity limits.... and rough plan:

This game calls for four counters each. The objective of the game is to (throw) push the dice, read the number and then move the correct counter. This is too much for Nick, therefore we will only have one counter each and the first person to get their counter 'home' is the winner.

Having one counter each makes the game/activity shorter and more manageable for Nick.

No distractions. Game to continue until first person is home.


Communication:

Lots of declarative comments. Scaffold by helping Nick to count the spaces he needs to move.... keep it simple, 'one, two, three...'. Pause a lot to give Nick the opportunity to attempt the counting. Use noises (for example; a little cough) if he forgets that's it my turn. Be expressive about each move, emphasizing my enjoyment of the game!


What happened:

I placed the game on the table and made a comment along the lines of... 'I found this game that looks like fun'.  Nick walked past the table on the way to his fav sofa. He looked at the game, looked at me and then moved away. No big deal, I thought, I will just carry on with what I am doing.... (making a cup of tea).

A short while later, Nick went to the table and took the game out of its box. Woohoo, of course I was dancing with delight that he made the first move. We played the game for a few moves each before Nick decided he had had enough. I helped scaffold his last few moves to ensure that we ended the game on a positive note.

April ~ Day Twenty Three

It's been a while since we have played any type of board game, so I pulled out the old Junior Scrabble.

My goal for this engagement was to connect with Nick and share the enjoyment and experience of playing a game together.


Our game of choice:

Junior Scrabble


Roles:

I take a turn / Nick takes a turn


Activity limits..... and rough plan:

Only work with two boards, each containing four words.

The words are quite easy, therefore I will choose a letter and place it in an unexpected place. For example, in the middle or end of a word. Nick to make his own plan about what letter he chooses.


Communication:

Lots of experience sharing declarative comments. Pause and wait. Self-talk so that Nick hears my thoughts.


What happened:

Hmmmmm........

Nick joined me in the game and he immediately understood his role. Was he wildly ecstatic to be there? No. Although we were connected and had a nice co-regularly pattern thing going on, Nick was in task mode. The game wasn't fun and he was going through the motions. To be honest, I thought it was too easy for him. I ended the activity earlier than planned.


Next time:

Try out some other board games.... some with a bit more oomph / fun.

April ~ Day Nineteen

Sometimes I feel as if I am the only person in the world who still has to help their teenager bath/shower. Am I? Is there anyone else out there?

For more years than I care to count, I have been trying to teach Nick to wash himself. Dyspraxia and low muscle tone means that this is a difficult task for him. But.... we continue to persevere.

Yep, you guessed it. Today's RDI engagement is all about bathing! The best way for me to approach this is to bring in a familiar pattern and then add little variations. #edge+1

Using a facecloth and soap, I will take a turn to wash a body part (that sounds like something out of a horror movie!) and then Nick will take the same turn. We will carry on in this manner until I feel that Nick is ready to swap roles.

Obviously, I am not going to share any photos of bath time, therefore here are some pretty flowers for you.

April ~ Day Eighteen

We have this super cool machine called Oscar. We feed him chopped up fruit and vegetables and he produces a lovely glass of healthy juice (minus the pulp). He has already made an appearance or two on this blog and because of his popularity I thought I would give him another shout out!

Nick often helps me make the juice. He has some experience with the preparation of the fruit and vegetables (needs further work) and is very competent at putting everything into Oscar. He has not yet figured out how to take Oscar apart. Time for an RDI framework, methinks!


My objective for this RDI activity is edge+1. I will start our activity using a familiar pattern and then introduce a new challenge.


Activity:

Make fruit and vegetable juice and then take the juice machine apart (for cleaning purposes)


Roles:

Note:  Prepare the ingredients before inviting Nick to join me.

Nick:  Nick to place the ingredients into Oscar.

Me:     I will use Oscar's plunger to push down the fruit and veg.

The Challenge

Me:    I will model how to remove a part and then step back.

Nick:  Nick will remove the part


Limits:


Turn off CD player. There are only five parts of Oscar that need to be removed from the motor, therefore the removal of the five parts will be our goal to reach.


Communication:

Help guide Nick with fruit and vegetable choices that need to be feed into Oscar. For example; chanting 'spinach, spinach, spinach'. Also use chanting when removing each part. For example: 'pull, pull, pull'.

Use declarative language and self talk when modeling how to remove each part.

Give Nick plenty of time to think for himself and plan what to do.


What happened:

Nick was happy to come and help feed the ingredients into Oscar. It was easy for him and I could see that he felt confident with his role. The introduction of the challenge caused him to show a tiny bit of stress (definitely his edge+1). I took my time and Nick watched me as I modeled what to do. My chanting really helped him focus and he took on board what I said.... for example, 'turning, turning'. He showed lovely resilience and it was wonderful to see him take up the challenge of trying something new. This is how we continue to move forward..... set up a familiar pattern so that Nick feels competent and then add in a tiny challenge.


What next:

I will continue to practice this activity with Nick and introduce further little challenges when I think the time is right.

April ~ Day Sixteen

Me:     Hey Nick, I need some help unloading the dishwasher.

Nick:  Turns off the TV and comes to help.

Me:     Ooh, it's dark in here.

Nick:   Turns on the light.

Me:     Oooooh, I'm coming to get you. My arms in the air, Scooby Doo style!

Nick:   Runs down the corridor, looking back at me and laughing.

Me:     I am taking the dogs for a walk.

Nick:  Waves me goodbye. As in.... I do not want to come with you!

Me:     Oh no, I can't find my glasses.

Nick:   Scans the room and finds them for me.

Me:     Right I am going out in the car.

Nick:  Quickly puts on his shoes and is in the car before I can say 'are you coming?'

Me:     Let's read a book.

Nick:   Go's off to find a book and comes back after making his choice.


Declarative comments work a treat.

April ~ Day Fourteen

Once an RDI parent, always an RDI parent!

The one big pain of going away for a few days is the unpacking that is involved upon arrival at our accommodation. Maybe it is just me!

Of course, I planned an RDI engagement around putting all the foodstuffs away.

We had two large boxes to unpack. First up, I set up a pattern where Nick passed me an item and I placed it into the fridge. When he was comfortable with that, I changed our roles. I passed Nick an item and he placed it into the fridge. From there, we took on the roles of doing the same thing at the same time. We both took items out of the box and placed them into the cupboard. The box was full of goodies and Nick started getting a little anxious, therefore I changed our roles again… Nick passed me the items and I placed them in the cupboard.

What I am trying to spotlight here is the importance of setting up a pattern and then adding variation. I am introducing Nick to different roles and encouraging flexibility with change. I am also being very mindful about his edge+1. If I feel that he is becoming anxious, I will go back to a pattern where I know he feels competent. I then end the engagement on that positive note.

Have a fabulous weekend. I am not sure how ours is going to pan out, as it’s a wee bit wet!

April ~ Day Thirteen

We are going away for the weekend, so I thought it would be a fab idea to invite Nick to help pack his own case. I wrote up a framework plan for our engagement. Taking the time to think about the activity and writing down all the information helps keep me focused on the engagement.


Objective:

My main purpose for this activity was to ensure that I addressed Nick's edge+1. Adding an extra little challenge and being mindful not to push him too far.


Activity:

Packing a weekend case.


Roles:

#1   I pass Nick one item and he places it into the case.  We do this for roughly 6 items.

#2   We swap roles. Nick chooses an item and passes it to me. I place it in the case. Etc.


Limits:

No distractions...... shut the bedroom door to keep the dogs out! 3 pairs shorts, 3 t-shirts, 3 underwear, 3 sets of sleepwear.
Small carryon case with zip.


Communication:

Lots of declarative comments. Thinking aloud. Deliberate body language.


What happened:

I mentioned to Nick that we were going away and that I would love some help packing his bag. He happily came with me to his bedroom. I set up the first pattern of passing him one item at a time. Without any guidance, he placed the items into his case. The clothes were packed rather haphazardly, however, this didn't concern me and I just ignored the mess! When I felt he was feeling confident with his role, I paused the action... and then very deliberately moved to where he was standing. I waited for literally a second before he realised that our roles were changing... and he went to the cupboard.

I made declarative comments about what we had packed and what we still needed to pack. Nick was listening and responded accordingly. We finished the packing with ease. I had thought that the change of role and then choosing his own clothes would be his Edge+1. However, Nick was relaxed and showed no inclination to leave.

I needed to put some thought into my next step, and also let Nick know that we were going to attempt something else. I then starting speaking my thoughts aloud so that Nick could listen to my processing. As I gazed around the room, my eye caught the case and the fact that it was still unzipped. Aha, that could be Nick's challenge.... doing up the zip on the case. Nick immediately went to the case to close it. Woohoo for self talk!

Manipulating the zip was a challenge for him, he pulled and pushed and turned the case around. I helped scaffold a couple of times, which prevented him from becoming overwhelmed with the challenge. I was very impressed with his resilience and the fact that he continued to persevere with the tricky zip. Way to go, Nick.

April ~ Day Twelve

Nick doesn't get enough exercise, so whenever possible I take him down to the beachfront, where we can stroll along the promenade and then go for a milkshake/cappuccino.

Of late, when out walking, Nick tends to wander off from me and at times he does go too far. Mind you, he always looks back to check out where I am and he will stop and wait for me if asked (I make the sign for 'stop').

Today I decided to work on co-regulation and I wrote up a RDI framework for walking together.


Objective:

My wish is for Nick to adjust his walking pace to mine, referencing my body language and facial expressions for change of pace. He is always quick to rush, therefore I want him to 'feel' the changes in speed and observe how we are walking together. I also want to add in some variety to our walking pattern for the purpose of Edge+1.


Activity:

Walking at the beachfront.


Roles:

I walk slowly
Nick walks alongside me

I pick up the pace
Nick picks up my pace

I stop
Nick stops


Limits:

We walk from the car to the nearest pier and then back again.


Communication:

Give a brief explanation of our activity. Chanting. Pause the action. Use non-verbal language.


What happened:

As soon as we left the car, Nick started walking alongside me. Our footsteps were not in sync, although we were certainly walking at the same pace. I stopped walking. Nick stopped walking. I started walking, Nick started walking. This carried on until we reached the end of the pier. I tried to introduce a faster pace, however, Nick was quite adamant that he wasn't going to speed up. I sensed that it could be more than his Edge+1 so I respected his decision. His mood changed for the better as we left the pier, so again I attempted to quicken my pace. He adjusted his speed to match mine, although only for a short spurt. I really didn't want to push it, therefore only did two more attempts. The fabulous thing about our engagement is that he was very aware of matching his actions to mine.


What next:

Keep practicing... at home, at the shopping mall, the beachfront.... wherever we are! Continue to throw in little variations to the pattern.

April ~ Day Ten

Nick likes to get up early. As in really early! He bounds down the passage anytime from 4am. He also likes to wake the whole house by slamming the bedroom door. It's not nice.

Today's RDI planned engagement is all about closing the door QUIETLY!


Objective:

Guide Nick on how to close a door slowly, placing particular emphasis on the use of the door handle.


Activity:

Door closing.


Our roles:

I close the door. Pause. Then open the door.
Nick closes the door. I open the door.


Limits:

Use the bedroom door (the one that he slams). No distractions like TV, music or dogs.


Communication:

Use lots of facial expressions. Make the sound "shhhh" when closing the door (a little scaffold for Nick to remind him to be quiet). Use body language to adjust our positions in relation to the door.


What happened:

I invited Nick to join me upstairs and he came willingly. I explained what we were going to do. I then modelled how to close the door quietly, using "shhhh" as guidance. Nick did so well with his turn and he was mindful of how he closed the door. I took my turn and then opened the door. I stepped back to give Nick some space. He knew what his role was and attempted to close the door quietly. By the time we got to our third attempt, Nick decided that he didn't want to be there. I knew that he had reached his edge +1, therefore decided to tell him that there was one more turn and then we were finished.  I had hoped that we would be able to spend a bit more time on this activity and also extend it to closing other doors. However, I know my boy and don't want to push him too far. I would much rather we had short engagements and that he enjoyed sharing the experience with me.


Next time:

I am going to blitz this activity. Wherever we are, if there is a door around, I am going to be guiding Nick on how to close it quietly. I will be very mindful of his edge +1 and really encourage experience sharing.

I don't have any pictures of a door handle!

April ~ Day Nine

Nick has grown out of a lot of his clothes and his cupboards need a good clean out. I thought it a good opportunity to involve Nick in the process of sifting through his clothes. Mind you, typical teen that he is, clothing doesn't mean a lot to him!


I wrote up the following framework for us.


Objectives:

My main aim is to get a lovely co-regulatory pattern going and then swap roles, applying the edge+1 concept to encourage further learning and progress. To be honest, I am more interested in the interaction between us than the chore of cleaning cupboards.


Activity:

Remove the clothing from Nick's cupboard and sort into two piles. One pile for 'keep' and the other pile for 'give away'.


Roles:

I take out an item of clothing, designate the pile it should go on and then give it to Nick.
Nick places the item onto the correct pile.

We swap roles

Nick passes me an item of clothing
I take the item from him and decide which pile to place it on.


Limits:

Use two signs..... 'keep' and 'give away'. One sign to be placed on an ottoman and the other on the floor. Choose one shelf of Nick's cupboard to work with. The first shelf has a minimal amount of clothing (use for our first engagement). The second is jammed packed full of winter items (use this for our second engagement).


Communication:

Give a brief explanation of our roles. Use body language and facial expressions to convey information. Use the words 'keep' and 'give away' to help scaffold the placing of each item.


What happened:

Our first attempt didn't go well. Nick was in chore mode and didn't want to be there. I could have written off the activity, however, I felt that he needed further encouragement and that sometimes limits should be set. To be frank with you, I told Nick to pull himself together and stop whining! To his credit, he listened and began participating. I decided to do most of the work and keep the activity short. I kept my mood light and calm and even managed to get a small smile out of my child. Oh, by the way, he swapped roles quickly and without any stress.

Half an hour later.....

Our second attempt was way different. I casually mentioned to Nick that we were going to do some more sorting in five minutes. Anyhow, I wandered off to check out something and when I came back to find Nick, he had disappeared. I looked all over the house and eventually found him in his bedroom waiting for me! :)  How's that for a change around?

We worked on his second shelf that contained his winter clothes. I passed him an item and called out where it should go. He placed it correctly. I could feel that his mood had changed and that he was happy to be with me. I started throwing the items at him, one at a time. He caught onto this very quickly and his face just glowed with pleasure. I encouraged him to swap roles by moving to where he was standing and he immediately realised what his new role was. To great amusement, he also threw the items to me. He threw them one at a time, waiting for me to place the item on a pile before throwing another one.

Our activity went so well that I decided to add in another little challenge. Using the clothes from the 'keep' pile, I tossed them (one at a time) to Nick. He then threw them onto the correct shelf in the cupboard. We had a good laugh and Nick was really happy being involved. He watched me for my reactions and was very aware if I changed my direction of throw or went slow or fast. This engagement was all about the interaction between us and the clothing was just the prop.  As for the mess in the cupboard.... I will have to make another plan!

April ~ Day Six

Nick has trouble with wrist rotation, therefore it's difficult for him to manipulate cutlery. Preparing food is a good time to practice using various kitchen implements/cutlery.


My objective:

I really want to work on pacing and observe Nick to see if he can regulate his movements with mine.


Activity:    

Cutting a banana.


Our roles:

For this activity, I decided that we would use one banana (cut in half) and two knives. We would work together and cut our own section of the banana simultaneously.


Limits:

Half a banana each. No music. No dogs in the kitchen.


Communication:

Explain the activity and define our roles.
Use chanting to scaffold the cutting. "Cut, cut, cut, cut".
Stop the action and pause. This gives Nick time to regroup and think for himself.
Make little noises if needed. Nick is aware that a small noise means something, therefore checks out me and my body language for further information.


What happened:

As expected, Nick battled to hold the knife correctly and needed assistance with the correct grip. He quickly picked up on our simultaneous pattern, although raced ahead at times. In order to slow him down, I deliberately paused and waited for him to get back in sync with me. He was very aware of coordinating his movements with mine and tried hard to concentrate on the pacing of the activity. The power of the pause is amazing. Try it!


What next:

Use another banana and bring in an apple. I want Nick to *feel* the difference between cutting a soft fruit and a hard fruit.

April ~ Day Three

A friend asked me a perfectly simple question. "Do you have to brush Nick's teeth?"

Yes, I do. We have tried many times to teach Nick to brush his own teeth, however, his severe dyspraxia and low tone makes it very difficult for him. He also chews his toothbrush so badly that I need to replace it every couple of weeks.

Mind you, that simple question was a bit of a 'aha' moment and has given me the motivation to try again.

I recently bought an electric toothbrush and introduced it to Nick a few days ago. The noise and vibration is not stressful for him, although he does clamp his lips together tightly which makes it difficult to reach each tooth!

Anyhow, I wrote up a RDI framework to help guide Nick in the process of learning how to use the electric toothbrush.

My objective was Edge+1 and I also wanted to encourage observation and the awareness of taking turns.

Activity:  

Using an electric toothbrush


Roles:      

#1  For this part of the plan I wanted to focus on a simple pattern and take turns
      I turn on the toothbrush. I turn off the toothbrush
      Nick turns on the toothbrush. Nick turns off the toothbrush

#2 This part of the plan is a little harder and quite difficult for Nick to coordinate
      I place the toothbrush on Nick's front teeth. I turn on the toothbrush and keep it on for a few seconds. I turn off the toothbrush.
      Nick places the toothbrush on his teeth and turns it on. Nick waits for a few seconds and then turns off the toothbrush.


Limits:

No screen distractions. Keep the activity short. No more than three turns each for both #1 and #2


Communication:

Describe the scenario. Use declarative comments. Chanting


What happened:

#1  Nick quickly picked up on the concept of taking turns. He did try putting the toothbrush in his mouth, therefore when it was my turn, I made a big deal of deliberately holding the toothbrush closer to my other hand and talking about the bristles and watching them move. I really wanted him to practice turning the toothbrush on and off before moving on. After a few attempts, I decided that he was ready for a little challenge.

#2  I spent quite a bit of time modeling this part of the activity. When it came to his turn, Nick was happy to put the toothbrush on his teeth, however, he found it very difficult to turn the toothbrush on. He had his thumb in the correct place but he couldn't see what he was doing. He didn't realise he could go by feel. He became a little anxious, therefore I decided to help scaffold the situation by helping him to turn on the toothbrush while it was in his mouth. After three turns each, I ended the activity.

What next:  We are going to be practicing this a lot over the next few days. I will carry on as per this framework and then make changes when I feel Nick is feeling confident and has made progress.

April ~ Day Two

Hey ho, it's laundry day!

For this RDI planned engagement my objective was to continue encouraging a working partnership with Nick. The more I expose him to short co-regulatory activities, the more he is comfortable to join me.

Activity:              Transferring dirty laundry from the clothes basket into the wash basket.

Roles:                  I pass Nick an item of clothing
                            Nick places the item into the wash basket

Limits:                 No TV. Keep transferring until clothes basket is empty.

Communication:  Explain each role. Use eye gaze and body language. Declarative comments

What happened:  I described our roles. Nick listened and then deliberately moved away from me, sitting himself down on the ottoman at the bottom of my bed. I paused what I was about to do and had a quick rethink about my plan. Nick was too far away from me, therefore I decided to throw him an item of clothing. Woohoo, he took up the challenge. He caught the item and promptly (using a basketball throw) threw it into the wash basket. We carried on this way until the clothing basket was empty. I adjusted the speed of my throwing and also took care to change the direction of my throw. Nick managed really well with the little changes.

Conclusion:          It is important to be flexible. Plans change.... it's called life!

April ~ Day One

Household chores are great. Cough, cough, splutter!

Seriously, they do provide fabulous opportunities to engage with Nick. Sometimes I fly by the seat of my pants, however, if I really want to focus on the activity, especially when working on Nick's 'edge+1', I always write up a framework sheet. This keeps me focused and I know exactly what I want us to achieve.


The objective for today's framework was for us to practice getting back into the groove of working together. It's been a while since our last RDI engagement. Blush.

Activity:  Washing the dishes

Roles:      I wash an item and place it into the rinsing sink (I have a twin sink)
                Nick takes the item out of the water and places it into the dish rack

Limits:     No music or iPad. We only wash six items

Communication:  Discuss and model each role. Pausing. Declarative comments. Thinking aloud

Conclusion:  Nick understood his role, although on one occasion I did need to pause the action and remind him about our roles. I am glad that I kept the activity short. Nick was making the sign for "finished" after four items, therefore it was helpful to spotlight to him that we only had to do two more items. Will revisit this activity over the next few days, adding little variations and challenges to our original roles.