: Santino worked on varied academic activities following his lunch. He seemed more comfortable and adept at using finger (or stacking) crayons as they permitted him greater control when attempting to write. He enjoyed stacking up the 10 crayons and selecting his color choice when tasked with ordering numbers. He connected numbers in their proper sequence, given several opportunities, achieving 100% accuracy. He then had to identify the object he drew. Santino correctly identified 4 out of 5 of the pictures correctly. He correctly identified the wheels on a car, and scissors, demonstrating good object identification skills. We also worked on position words, and Santino followed my directives, placing the objects I specified in various positions around the room. Santino continues to improve his ability to follow 2-step directives upon initial request. He enjoyed completing a hands-on science activity, correctly labeling 4 parts of a plant when queried. To help him connect to the activity on a personal level, Santino helped me water outdoor plants. It was a fun and productive session that culminated in a tour of classrooms, followed by outdoor play. On our tour of a classroom, Santino was asked to identify a picture. He correctly identified it as an octopus. We counted its legs, using one-to-one number correspondence. I then asked him if he knew how to spell the word 'octopus,' and he spelled the word correctly from memory, independently, and I wrote it on the whiteboard as he spelled it. He also replied with the correct number of legs, counting from one until he reached the correct number, 8. I configured the 'O' in the word octopus into an 8 to help integrate the number with the word in his visual memory and consolidate gains. I am very pleased to see Santino demonstrate these skills, and he was afforded I-pad time to reinforce his efforts and performance gains.

Santino was encouraged to request his food using a complete sentence which is to include a subject, verb, and noun. Today, he required just a visual reminder to add the word 'please' to his request, suggesting that he is becoming more familiar with expectations and delivering the proper responses with more successful outcomes. Santino requested a spoon with which to eat his pureed lunch. He ate independently and demonstrated good eye-hand coordination. Santino polished off his meal requesting Fruit Loops cereal and drinking water, both from a cup and from the outdoor water fountain.

We used Santino's Fruit Loops cereal to attempt some simple addition skills. Santino was prompted to set up a specified number of the cereal pieces and I added one. He was then assisted in counting all the pieces one-by one - touching them to add a tactile component to his learning. Santino required verbal prompts as well as physical ones to help him sustain his attention. We continued to address communication skills and Santino worked on broadening and lengthening his sentences when requesting activities. He is working on formulating his requests using a subject, verb, and noun - in addition to adding the word 'please,' as prompting methods are faded when performance gains are evidenced. Santino enjoyed spending time engaged in outdoor play. He exhibited clear enthusiasm mimicking my actions and following directives on the bridge and other equipment. We concentrated on the word 'octopus' as this struck his fancy and attention when visiting a classroom. He read the word on the board, was afforded hand-over-hand writing it, and learned that it had eight legs, which we counted and verbalized upon request. Santino followed directives correctly during cleanup prior to his dismissal.

Today's session afforded us a good opportunity for Santino to attempt to try a different food item, one with a different consistency and texture. Santino was offered a tiny piece of chocolate cookie that had been brought in for a student's birthday. He brought it to his lips, opened his mouth, and brought it inside his mouth, however he did not take a bite. However, this in itself is considered progress as Santino was averse to tolerating even the sight of new foods in the past. I also encouraged him to eat some applesauce today, and he drank his organic nutritional shake. For his snack, Santino requested his usual preference, Fruit Loops cereal. He also drank water from the fountain upon returning to the classroom after spending some time outdoors. He was in very good spirits today.

Santino practiced writing numbers numbers one through twelve. Santino read about fire safety and labeled a fire engine. He also worked on a fire safety patterns activity. We painted a red fire flame. We practiced writing letters.

We worked on counting to 20, We worked on coloring shapes and counting them. We then made a graph to show how many of each we had.

Santino and I worked on prodigy math skills.

Santino practiced writing the alphabet. We wrote letters from A to Z. He wrote both upper case and lower case letters. We played a cookie counting game and Santino practiced writing his numbers.

Santino completed a reading comprehension activity about Christopher Columbus.

This afternoon, Santino worked on an activity sheet tasking him with counting items pictured in examples and then circling the correct number from a choice of 4 options. Santino was afforded 3 different opportunities or trials. He achieved 4 out of 6 (4/6) correct the first trial, 5 out of 6 the second trial, and six out of six (6/6) the third trial averaging out to 83%. Santino's performance improved when he was encouraged via supportive guidance to slow down and when one-to one number correspondence was established via physical prompting methods. He was also motivated by his 'First/Then' chart. Santino required hand-over=hand prompts to effectively circle the answers and position his grip properly on the pencil and actively move it to establish muscle coordination and memory. We also worked on a position and direction and trace, sequence, and connect numbers activity. Again, Santino's performance was facilitated by offering him guided practice using hand-over-hand guided prompts.