Chris arrived this morning seeming a bit unsettled. Raid redirection into highly motivating activities facilitated a fairly rapid change in affect. Subsequent conversational initiation of ideas that he wanted share with the familiar use of sentence starters ('Can I show tell you something?) was noted. Topic shifting was strong this session, and use of familiar scaffolding strategies was facilitative to sustain a reciprocal exchange. Visual linear supports were also provided so as to allow for more successful topic closure and transition. Movement sequences and cross patterning was highlighted this session as well.
Richard arrived to school at 8:45. He was tired and required much more prompting than usual today. He reported "not taking medicine this morning". He was sluggish however cooperative with reinforcement. SLP offered options to "wake his body up", he denied wanting to go outside, run, jumping jacks, deep breaths. When given the option to target /s/ in structured task or do auditory comprehension/language tasks with a book, he chose the book. He did very well answering the questions. This book was about community helpers/fire drill. Richard was very intrigued and was asking appropriate questions. We also targeted possessive nouns during this activity as well. Richard's speech intelligibility was decreased today, however as stated before - he appeared tired which ultimately affects his speech. We also did the date/orientation activity, as usual and he continues to demonstrate understanding. Overall, Richard appeared tired however compliant during therapy. Continue to gently cue and monitor his rate of speech.
Chis arrived for the session as per usual, however, he was a bit out of sorts as he had forgotten his shoes this morning. Mom had indicated that he had been having feelings of frustration and disappointment since last evening and those feelings have carried over into this morning. He had anticipated the release of a movie trailer during last night's Super Bowl presentation, however, this was not the case. These strong feelings of upset were a springboard for conversational expansion this morning, allowing for broad discussion regarding media, social media and the relationship to feelings and thoughts that we may experience. Additional discussion regarding self -supportive strategies during similar instances was shared. Topic shifting subsequently expanded rapidly as Chris was then eager to share new ideas about his "series" as well as the release of additional new movies and new episodes on the various you tube channels that he follows. Attentional shifting increased rapidly, and scaffolding supports and tools such as "thinking together" were facilitative Additional discussion into the aspects of "thinking and attention" and the concept that when ideas jump around quickly, our "brain feels as if it is becoming bouncy ." He happily shared that I "understood" that he was thinking fast, and a "sense of ease" was clearly noted within in his affect. His preference was to continue discussion, even as other activities were presented and encouraged today. This request was respected. Strong session with regard to perspective taking, and self reflection.
Richard was greeted in his room by SLP. He appeared happy and well rested. He started conversation with SLP about the reptile book he received from the school. We covered a short lesson on reptiles and the differences between crocodiles and alligators. This was of much interest to Richard. During this task, Richard was required to monitor his own rate of speech. He required moderate cues to slow down/over articulate (especially when he was excited/wanting to get his point across). He tends to immediately slow down however quickly returns to rapid/muffled speech. Self monitoring appeared slightly reduced today however /s/ and /s/ blend in conversation was improved. Following the reptile lesson/conversational speech task, we completed the date/orientation. Richard did very well with this today, requiring minimal verbal cues. We read a book together about "The Little Dinosaur". This continues to work on auditory comprehension, answering questions appropriately, word finding, vocabulary enrichment, recall, and sequencing. Richard continues to demonstrate improvement in these areas. Overall, Richard continues to improve in all areas of speech/language. It is important to give gentle verbal cues when he begins to speak at a rapid rate & intelligibility decreases. Thank you
Richard was greeted in the lounge. He was happy upon arrival, and quite communicative today! We started the session by choosing two books (for the week). Richard has been enjoying the book activities that targets many of his goals in therapy. We also covered date orientation which Richard continues to demonstrate increased awareness/knowledge in this area. He demonstrates the understanding of weekdays/weekends, months, and days of the week. In addition, we read a book about outer space, which he shows much interest in. He answered questions based on auditory comprehension, word finding, vocabulary, and articulation at the conversational level. His attention is great during reading tasks. While discussing a topic of choice (outer space & reptiles), we targeted /s/, /s/ blends, and overall intelligibility. He required verbal cues approximately 10x with rate of speech and increased verbal cues with /s/ blends rather than /s/. Overall, he did very well. His social skills are improving.
Santino happily initiated transition to the office following social reference within greet. He requested "music" and rapidly attempted to open the closet, clearly in search of a specific activity not within his visual field. Phonemic cue supported the verbalization "open closet door." Subsequent requests via noun label /attribute + noun label continued throughout the session. Noted low vocal volume once again. Strong participation in "mirror" activities with stronger periods of social reference and engagement noted. Request for assistance continues to be noted via use of "help me +action " across opportunities. Use of "where is....? " question forms within sabotage tasks continues to be noted given phonemic cue supports. Strong session once again.
Chris happily entered the office this morning. He expressed that he was "feeling happy" and that he " brought some things" to share today. Hs attention and engagement were strong today, allowing for increased cycles of expanded conversational reciprocity. Expansion into more enhanced topics necessitating broader use of vocabulary, details, and contingent responses was supported through familiar scaffolding strategies. He subsequently commented "Ms. Lynne, we are 'thinking together' a lot today." Additional expansion into aspects of "inferencing" was highlighted today. Strong session.
Santino arrived a few minutes late, and was quite teary eyed. Ingrid shared that he had woken up mid sleep and had not been settled for most of the morning. Even with tears, he reached for my hand to enter the office. He quickly scanned the room looking for items of interest and sat down while requesting an item of choice.He alerted quickly to the direction of the table as 432 Hz music was turned on. Typically, the music is started following a communication exchange. He settled, and while engaging with various items his vocal volume was low. Twice during the early portion of the session he suddenly and unexpectedly teared up. Gentle redirection and support to task at hand facilitated calm and a sense of contentment. He remained happy and participatory for the remainder of the session. As session drew to a close, and familiar preparation
supports were shared ( One more time to .... and it will be time to clean up) Santino, rather emphatically in his sweet way shared "NO!" We subsequently put closure on the session, reiterating that we would see each other on Wednesday. Positive session.
Chris presented with a melancholy demeanor as he arrived this morning. He quickly initiated conversation however, wanting to share some of the "videos" that he had created over the weekend.
Attention and periods of active engagement fluctuated rapidly this session, as Chris would interject a comment regarding "home' and the personal situation he is experiencing. As rapidly as he would shift and comment, he would just as rapidly return to a topic related to videos.
Movement activities facilitated stronger periods of topic focus, and a happier demeanor, however, much support was provided this session. Spoke briefly with mom this morning.
