Bye for now!

Hey ho, my last RDI/Autism blog post for the year!

2014 has seen some lovely growth in Nick. His increased resilience and flexibility has made for a better quality of life for the whole family. Although we make accommodations for him, our life is no longer ruled by autism. We make spontaneous decisions, change plans at the last minute and get to experience new places. Nick just goes with the flow (we do have the iPad for backup should he need a distraction).

How has Nick become more resilient and flexible?  Number one; he has a great team behind him. Number two; I continue to embrace the RDI way of life. One way of ensuring progress is to focus on the concept, 'edge plus one'. Therefore to finish off for the year, I thought I would share our last 'edge plus one' planned engagement.

~*~ 

I found a very yummy looking recipe for Ginger Biscuits, and considering that Nick is happy to get involved with cooking, I thought we could start by prepping the ingredients. To get him into the swing of the engagement, I chose to focus on weighing the flour. Nick is familiar with the reciprocal pattern; I take a turn/he takes the same turn; so I knew that he would feel comfortable with his role.

For the challenge, I decided that we could weigh the butter. This would be harder for Nick as it involved cutting the butter off the block and then transferring it to the bowl. This part of the activity would include a whole lot of motor planning and sensory stuff that Nick would have to deal with. All a bit tricky for him.

So....

Measure out the flour and take Nick to his *edge*
Measure out the butter = *plus one*

The following clip shows that Nick took on his role of measuring flour easily and he was very aware of taking turns. We both had a lot of fun and it is fabulous that we are coordinating our actions and working really well *together*. Nick is so relaxed and is happy to be part of the whole experience. 

edge

You will see in the clip below that Nick finds the challenge difficult, however, I am really thrilled that he keeps trying.

The power of video footage is huge. I can reflect on the challenge and ask myself:

What did I observe in terms of the challenge?
Did anything surprise me?
Was the challenge too hard?
Am I happy with my style of communication?
How was my scaffolding and how can I adapt it to assist with the challenge?
Did I offer opportunities for Nick to 'think for himself'?
Do I feel that the challenge turned the engagement into 'task mode'? If so, what can I do about it?
Was I too focused on following my plan or did I pause and 'rethink' my plan of action in order to help Nick.
Was the challenge a plus one..... or more?
What did I do well and where could I improve?
What will I do next time?

plus one

Well, that's it folks. I hope I have given you some food for thought! Have a fabulous holiday season. See you next year! 

Team work!

Nick has perked up a bit; therefore I decided to invite him to help me with some cooking. He was so keen to be involved that he was standing at the bench waiting for me to finish getting my act together!

#1  I browned the mince and onions. I also set out all the ingredients and utensils that were needed.

#2  Nick's role was to place the ingredients into the saucepan. I wanted to start off the activity with a nice and easy co-regulatory pattern to ensure that he was feeling comfortable and confident.

#3 The next step of my plan was bring in a challenge for Nick. Something that would address the concept 'edge plus one'. I thought the use of a can opener would be a brilliant challenge. It is a utensil that Nick is familiar with, although not yet competent at using.

Check list to self
No major distractions
Be declarative
Pause
Go with the flow
Scaffold when necessary
Remember that the activity is about the engagement NOT the task!

I have included this first clip because I feel that it is a good example of how I go with the flow. Nick left my side and went to get the lid. From there, we had a lovely time playing around with the lid. This wasn't part of my original plan; however, it doesn't matter to me.....

Now we are back on track. This video clip relates to #2 above. Won't bore you with lots of reflections on this clip... except to say that we are working as a team, which is what it is all about.

Next up comes the challenge......We need to open the tin. Rather than telling Nick what to do, I give him the chance to try and figure it out! Around time code 0:29, I make a comment about opening the tin. He immediately goes to get a knife. I decide to go with the flow (again!) and we have a little bit of experimentation before I remind him about the can opener. We then spend a couple of minutes playing around with the tin and can opener.

To be honest, the last couple of minutes of this clip are a bit too 'busy'. I am chattering away and providing a lot of scaffolding. But, hey, Nick was amazing, so resilient and keen to keep trying. Therefore he handled the challenge quite well. Personally, I feel that Nick's participation is 'huge' and it makes me a very happy mum.

Upon reflection, I have decided that our next planned engagement will revolve around only the tin and can opener. I will give us both very definite roles and also accommodate for Nick's motor planning issues and low muscle tone.  For example; I will hold the handle of the can opener and Nick can be the turner. The challenge for Nick can be in the swapping of roles, he can hold the handle and I will be the turner. Onward and upward!

Nick's hospital experience!

Life has been easy for us of late, so perhaps we were due a shakeup! Mind you, I wasn't expecting Nick to throw us such a huge curve ball.

The order of events went something like this....

Thursday lunchtime: Hot face + cold feet = temperature
Friday lunchtime: Lots of gunk in his throat. Dr. describes him as chesty and gives him antibiotics.
Saturday: Can't get antibiotics into him as they come straight back up. By Saturday night, my uneasiness continues. We decide to take him to the emergency room at our local hospital. After an examination and x-ray we were floored when told that Nick had Pneumonia.

From there, it was a matter of finding a room that could accommodate him and me. By this time he had also been hooked up to an IV and was being pumped full of saline, antibiotics and pain killers. The following three days involved medication, nebulizing and Physio. Food wasn't an issue as he had completely lost his appetite and only managed a few apples and some cereal.

I really take my hat off to Nick. His whole world was turned upside down and he just went with the flow. The Nebulizer did cause a little bit of stress, however, we made a plan and added in some scaffolding when necessary. He was in hospital for three nights and I spent the majority of time with him, including the nights. That dodgy green Lazyboy was my bed!

I think that our saving grace was the fact that Nick was so calm, which in turn kept my feelings on an even keel (or perhaps it was the other way around). There was no rush or drama. We followed the lead of the hospital staff, and they in turn also took guidance from me.

Nick's resilience continues to amaze me.

Onward and upward!

Anyone for lettuce?

It's holiday time and I am loving that we can take life slow (er).

I have been thinking about our days and how we can fill them productively, although also taking into account that there will be a lot of down time. Nick doesn't play or draw or ride bikes, therefore his spare time is spent on the iPad, computer, listening to music and/or flipping through books! It is not possible to be a proactive Super Mum and keep him busy all the time... and that is okay!

I decided that the best thing for me to do would be to work at creating a balance. We could have social time by going out for coffee, walks and/or visiting friends. We could also carry on with our daily activities like shopping for groceries and other general day to day stuff. I could assess each day and incorporate RDI planned engagements where possible. AND, we could also have our chill time!

A friend suggested that I start a vegetable garden with Nick and I thought it was a great idea. Even better I could approach it from an RDI angle. With that in mind, we headed off to the local nursery and purchased some lettuce and flowers. Nick's role was to be in charge of the trolley and also help with the plants.

Life took over and it was a couple of days before we started preparing our trough for the lettuce plants. Again, I set up the activity as an RDI planned engagement. My plan was for us to carry the bag of soil together and then have a regular pattern of using a small spade to take turns moving the soil. I thought Nick would be able to handle that quite easily. My challenge for Nick was for him to think about another way that we could move the soil rather than use the spade (very slow). I wasn't too concerned if he couldn't figure it out, I just wanted to give him the opportunity to think for himself. The video clip below spotlights the process of removing the soil. Unfortunately Nick is facing away from the camera, although you should be able to read his body language. 

I found that Nick was quick to pick up on what was going on and he naturally made his own decision about how to move the soil other than using the spade. When moving the soil I did help to scaffold the activity just a little bit. I say the words, "shake, shake" and I really love that Nick started shaking the bag with me. We were working together so nicely. At one point Nick moves away so I pause the action and then Nick comes back to help again.

This next *very short* clip is another little challenge for Nick. I decide that we don't have enough soil, therefore we need to collect another bag from the garage. I am really thrilled that Nick stayed with me and also help carry the very heavy bag from the garage to the trough.

The following clip shows Nick's next challenge. I spotlight that we need to open the bag and Nick immediately picks up the scissors (this is second nature to him now!). He really battles to operate the scissors and he is unable to cut the bag. I scaffold quite a bit in order to help him out and although he can't manage to cut I am really thrilled with his resilience. What really blew me away was the fact that he decided to make his own plan by putting the scissors down and trying to tear the bag open using his hands.

Throughout our planned engagement I made sure to pause frequently and give Nick time to problem solve. I used declarative language so that Nick could hear my thoughts and make his own plan. We took it slow and there was no pressure to perform. I do admit to talking too fast and being too quick with my movements while Nick is trying to figure out the scissors ~ the beauty of taking video footage means that I can look back and reflect on progress and also bookmark any areas that can be improved upon.

Note to self:  Remember to SLOW down and PAUSE a bit more!

As mentioned above, Nick's resilience shines through and for us this is HUGE!

Since taking the above footage, we have planted our lettuce and have also attempted to water them using a a juice bottle that requires squeezing. This activity provides so many opportunities for planned engagements and introducing further challenges. Who know, maybe Nick will even attempt to taste a lettuce leaf!!

RDI... from my perspective!

The why....


I enjoy talking about RDI and sharing my thoughts and the progress of my relationship with my child. My involvement with my son has moved on from being that of a carer to being an active participant. I can really feel my connection with Nick ~ it is if we have an invisible thread holding us together...we move and dip and sway.. rolling along but always together. I can see how relaxed my boy has become and I feel extremely *chilled* at taking him out into the community. I can hear my son connecting with me. He may not express himself with words but we communicate with ease. Life is slow. Life is calm. Life is good. 


The info.......


It is my understanding that RDI is divided into three categories. #1 Parent goals. #2 Student goals. #3 The Dynamic Curriculum. At present we are weaving and interlinking our way though #1 and #2. We are a long way off #3, however, I have no doubt that we will get there……. slowly but surely, we make progress!

The beauty of RDI is that each developmental stage has been carefully thought out in accordance with a child’s natural development. Each and every objective within each stage is there for a specific purpose. We may not have worked our way though many objectives during the past year, however, our personal growth has been positive and very visible. Nick’s level of competence has improved and he is much more confident at approaching new challenges. His increased flexibility and resilience has made life so much easier for us all. I have learned the importance of *engagement* and I rejoice in the strides that we have made in this area. I am also very aware that with any activity I do with Nick, the activity is only the *prop* for our connection with each other. I know the importance of non verbal communication and I am slowly coming to grips with using declarative language in a more natural way. Using this style of language with Nick works a treat. I enjoy watching him process and *think* about what I have said...... and yes, he always responds! :)


The how.....


When we are assigned an RDI objective, I take some time to think about what we are going to be doing. I choose a few activities that I can use as props. I write up a framework sheet for each activity:- our roles within the activity and the co-regulatory pattern that we will use. I make a point of setting myself some limits as it is very important to me that I don't push Nick too far beyond his level of competence. As Nick's guide, I need to be very aware of  taking him to the edge and just a little bit beyond. It is a fine line....if I take him too far, our interaction becomes more about the activity than our interaction, which defeats the purpose of what I am trying to achieve!

I have two video clips to share....

The first clip is on engagement ~ emotional investment and responsibility. My assignment went something like this. Consultant: I want to now concentrate on Nick's engagement *contract*. All this means is we are going to target Nick's engagement on a higher level. To do this, we start with seeing what he does when you are less engaged in moments of interaction. We want to see his understanding of his responsibility to do *something* to re-engage you . When you pause with engagement, I would like you to wait and have limited eye contact for approximately 30 seconds. What does Nick do? Then you can resume the activity."

We spent around two weeks working on this objective, using different activities to ensure that Nick didn't get *stuck* on the same old, same old! This is one of our final clips and you can see that Nick is very capable of re-engaging! You may wonder why I didn't respond immediately; but I know my Nick so well..... I wanted to wait until he re-engaged with purposeful intent......

My second video clip is also on engagement ~ keep going! This assignment follows on from the one above! Consultant: This next objective is to continue with Nick...being able to re-engage. You stopped engagement and he was still (with you). Now we want to see what happens if you leave the (space)...*lose focus* with instructions for Nick to keep going with the action you left him with.(very simple actions) First start off very simple and only *stop* your focus for 5 seconds. We will be focusing on giving him more opportunities in this area. You are going to be walking away or stopping more then you are used too! We are going to gradually build up time for Nick to *keep going*, understanding the end point but also being engaged, for  30 seconds.


As we work through the activity, I notice that Nick is involved with removing the items, however, he isn't referencing me for information. Therefore, I pause and wait for him to acknowledge the pause. I slowed down the whole process. You can see that Nick was comfortable with me moving away from the activity. He took a few moments to process that his role was to carry on unpacking the bag. I thought he did great. He easily slotted back into our pattern when I returned to the activity. The second time I moved away from the activity, I used the word *finished* without thinking about what I was saying. Whenever Nick hears the word *finished* he thinks we have *finished*!! I realised my mistake when I saw Nick leave the table and walk over to the camera. I didn't want the interaction to finish like this, so I went back to the camera and stood by Nick and made a point of commenting that I needed to turn the camera back on. You can see that he came back to the bag with me, without any fuss.  How's that for resilience? :)

The last paragraph for this blog post........


This is only a tiny peek through the window. A minuscule glimpse into my relationship with my boy. This blog of mine is my own personal journal to chronicle our journey. My beliefs are my own and I am comfortable with my choice of intervention. For further information on RDI and children who are at the other end of the spectrum, you can pop on over to my friend Zoe's blog, Food for Thought ~ adventures in the not Nigella not Jamie kitchen. You may like to take a look at this blog Jacob's Journey.  You could also go and check out Kathy's blog...What is RDI?

~*~

Today's facebook status.....

Me and the Nick have just walked for one hour and twenty minutes. We collected pinecones, threw stones, looked at the birds, waited for the zebras to move out of our way, hummed, blew raspberries, very carefully walked through long grass (phew, no snakes!) and we had the best time. 

~*`

~*~

Joyful January

I am starting out the new year in celebration of my son Nick.

What is there to rejoice about you may ask! Am I glad that I have a child with an intellectual disability? Am I delighted that he has autism/is autistic? Am I thrilled that I don't have the *freedom* of life like that of my friends? Of course I am heart sore that Nick will not get to experience life like his big brother. There is no doubt that I am concerned about his future and what is going to happen to him when I pop my clogs (so to speak!). Yes, I am terribly sad that we are a dysfunctional family and that there are times when Nick is excluded from family activities......

Over the years I have had a few choices;
1. Become an absolute misery and let my situation rule the rest of my life.
2. Become obsessed with autism to the detriment of my family.
3. Bore everyone to tears about the woes of having a child with special needs.
4. Pick myself up off the floor and keep moving.
5. Take on board my son's disability and all that it entails.
6. Become informed and also inform.
7. Accept my son for who he is and embrace his individuality.
8. Provide the right input to insure that he continues to progress.
9. Pull this child of mine into my arms and love him, no matter what.......

I choose to celebrate my son.

I celebrate the amusing stuff.

Nick has become very tactile and he has this need to touch my face and my arms. This is all very well, until he starts pulling on my jowls or flapping the underside of an arm!! On many a shopping trip, Nick will come to me and then pull in Thomas and Allan for a family hug. No doubt we have had some strange looks, although I prefer to remember the smiles! I enjoy how he is the typical boy when it comes to Bottom Burps (love Purple Ronnie!). He takes great delight in highlighting what he is about to do ~ how can you not smile at that!! It gives me joy to watch him initiate a chasing or throwing game with his brother. I love how Nick starts making his *humming* noise and then waits to see who will reciprocate! :-) 

I celebrate his little patterns.

Nick certainly shows signs of OCD! In fact, a few years ago, his need for repetitive patterns really hampered his progress with learning and living. This obsessive need has decreased, or perhaps, I have become accustomed to these odd quirky little patterns that are part of Nick. We have had the *drop to one knee* routine, the *go back and check the door* routine (oh, hang on, I also do that!!!!). This week it is the *close the loo door, run the fingers over the light switch a few times* routine. Last week, it was *have a sip of juice and then hold the container to the ear* routine. My word, we have had some funny ones! :-)

I celebrate his progress.

Nick continues to surprise me in all aspects of his development. A year ago, he was a stubborn mule, refusing to get off the couch and quite adamant that he was NOT going to engage with me! Today, he will sit on that same couch, look at me with a cheeky smile on his face, and then leap to his feet to come and join me! We have a lot of big words in our vocabulary; relationship, resilience, competence, flexibility, objectives, evaluation, personal experience memories, spotlight, reference, mastered, communication (and non verbal), perspectives, engagement, regulate, pacing........ and the list goes on... He is doing great, WE are doing great! :-)

I celebrate his nature.

Nick is a gentle soul. He is not an aggressive child. Sure, on occasion there will be a little bit of self injurious behaviour, however, this is generally under extreme stress or anger! I haven't seen much of this over the past year. He can be cross and shake his head for no. He can stamp his foot. He will wave goodbye when he doesn't want anyone around. He will sign "finished" if he has had enough. If we are doing something that he isn't keen on (long walks!) and he becomes *flat* and unresponsive, I start singing to him! His favourite jingle at the moment is Bananas in Pajamas and I only know three lines! This perks him up and gets him smiling! Nick is an uncomplicated chap and has ambitions of being a couch potato. Sadly for Nick, my ambitions for him are a little higher! :-)

Speaking of which, I need to stop procrastinating and get back on track with our latest objective...... It is all about Perspective! 

I celebrate Nick and I know that 2012 is going to be a very good year for us

~*~