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Dear Diary,
Today as I was working in the PPCD class (the special ed preschool for kids with multiple disabilities, but you know that, Diary) we focused on identifying verbs. I laid out three cards in front of the group and said "show me run, show me jump, show me sing." The goal was that they would correctly point to the appropriate verb card. As I was going around the group, I came to Joshua. Joshua is 4 and often gets his 'g' sounds and 'k' sounds confused...aka devoicing. Moving along, I put three cards in front of him: a boy jumping, a boy digging and a boy running. I said, "Show me dig." He looked up at me, somewhat confused. I said, "It's alright, show me dig...show me dig." After thinking for a moment, he pointed to his crotch! What?! No, no no, no! For a moment I tried to explain, D-I-G, it's a 'g' not 'k'. Then realized this wasn't going anywhere good. So, I moved on to a new verb and hoped I didn't get arrested.
Sincerely,
the speech lady
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Dear Diary,
Today we worked on non-literal expressions with Henry. After reading the phrase, Henry was to draw a picture of what the phrase sounded like and then a picture of what it actually meant. For example, if the phrase was "The lady talked my ear off", he would draw a pic of a lady without an ear and then a pic of a lady talking a lot. Now, Henry and I have been working on this goal for 5 long months, and he has made considerable progress...so I thought. With high hopes, I gave him two non-literal phrases, telling him to draw what the phrases really meant. When we were finished, he could explain to the group why he drew his picture. Henry drew what seemed like the entire session, working so intently. He would draw, look up at the ceiling, think about it, and go back to drawing. I couldn't wait to see what he had learned! Mind you, Diary, these weren't new phrases; we'd reviewed them weekly. As the session came to a close, I asked Henry to show us his pictures. He held his paper up proudly and our convo went a little something like this:
Me: Ohhhh wow! What was our first phrase?
Henry: I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse.
Me: Yes, great! And what is that on your paper?
Henry: Me sitting at the table.
Me: Yes, great! And what is that on your paper?
Henry: Me sitting at the table.
Me: Good, and what is on your plate?
Henry: A whole horse.
Me: What? Why?
Henry: Because I'm eating a horse. (duh.)
Me: Ok.....well, what is the next phrase?
Henry: I slept like a baby, and this is my picture.
Me: Looks like spikes, what is it?
Henry: I slept like a baby, and this is my picture.
Me: Looks like spikes, what is it?
Henry: A pointy, spicy baby vampire.
Me: (Speechless) Uhh....ok well, non-literal express......(forget it).....Henry, you are so creative!
Looks like we will continue our goal of non-literal expressions next week....and the next...and the next...
Sincerely,
the speech lady
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Dear Diary,
Today I met my first private school student! He is in 1st grade and is having difficulty transitioning between different activities. Oh, and he is obsessed with anything space related: rockets, NASA, planets, you name it. I saw one of those giant space puzzles at TJ Max the other day and bought it as a reinforcement activity. Basically, I'll have him work for a few minutes, then do the puzzle as a reward. He saw the puzzle and was super excited! At the end of the session I knew it was important to explain how and why we are going back to class, because he has trouble knowing what is appropriate in social situations. I said, "Now what are we going to do when we get back to class?" He said, "walk in and sit down." I said, "Should we be loud or quiet?" "Quiet." I explained to him that we were going to walk in quiet as a mouse and sit in the circle with the rest of the group. He nodded in affirmation, then walked quietly back to the classroom, holding my hand. I thought, good, the transition is going well. As he opened the door he couldn't contain himself any longer and shouted, "WE DID A SPACE PUZZLE AND IT WAS AWWWWESOME!" The entire class, including the teacher, turned around in disbelief. Great transition, very appropriate. I stared him down for a minute and then had a good laugh on the way back to my car. Guess he liked it!
Sincerely,
the speech lady
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Dear Diary,
Being an SLP is gross. Today I conducted a reevaluation on a 5 year-old PPCD student in the library (aka my office). As I was in the middle of testing, AACHOOO! He sneezed and I mean he SNEEZED! Two lines of green gunk flew out of his nose like a machine gun. On the table. On my test. On his face. On my pencil. Snot was everywhere! I froze, looking down at the disaster. He was laughing, which made it even worse, considering it was far from comical. I was trying to think quick and act quicker, but was baffled. How can so much come out of something so small? I got up to try to find anything that would provide relief in the situation: tissues, paper towels, a tarp, maybe a raincoat. I was halfway to the front of my office (the library) to ask my secretary (the librarian) for tissues when I turned around to give him strict instructions: DO NOT MOVE. SIT IN YOUR CHAIR AND DO NOT GET UP. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING. Still laughing. (Sidenote: this is the kid that runs from the bus monitor everyday) I got the paper towels and headed back to the snot-covered, goo splatter. I wiped everything down, bathed both of us in hand sanitizer x2, and threw away my pencil. As I sat down to finish testing....AAACHHHHO! I sent him back to class. Sometimes testing can wait.
Sincerely,
the speech lady
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Dear Diary,
Today I worked on answering "why questions" with a sweet boy at the private clinic. The session went well, but more importantly, I learned a lesson in brutal honesty while he learned a lesson in manners.
Me: Why do you sleep?
Boy: Because I'm tired.
Me: Why do you eat?
Boy: Because I'm hungry. Did you know my mom is on a diet.
(Seeing this as a good learning moment I ask:)
Me: Oh really, why is she on a diet?
Boy: Cuz she's fat.
Dangit, I should have seen it coming. Funny how they can't answer questions until it comes to something like that. I proceeded to tell him that isn't a nice thing to say and it could hurt someone's feelings. Hey, at least he is making progress with his 'why questions.' I'll count it as a positive.
Sincerely,
the speech lady
Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteSo when you were telling me about this I thought it was a new blog you were reading.