Chris enthusiastically initiated conversation this morning. He was eager to discuss a myriad of topics, however, he was observably tired. Topic initiation and transition strategies were reviewed as shifting was rapid today. Increased attentional shifting and periods of internal distraction were noted today as well. Periods of pausing, phrase revision and use of familiar recall assist strategies such as "Um, what's it called?" were used following the provision of gentle self-awareness reminders. Speaker-speaker overlap was noted with increased frequency once again. Familiar cues and supports were provided, and Chris was observed to recognize subsequent periods of overlap, and demonstrate use of repair strategies.
Alexandra had a great first session. We played and got to know eachother. Some articulation/phonological errors were found. Will proceed with articulation evaluation next week.
Chris was eager to discuss a myriad of topics this morning. He presented with a bit of a melancholy demeanor as he began to share the first topic that was clearly at the forefront of his mind.
This allowed for expansion once again into the concepts of perspective taking, and presupposition.
This also afforded an opportunity to discuss aspects of emotional variability, and the correlation between emotional reaction and hypothetical "scenarios." Review of the familiar "How does your engine run" from the "Alert" literature was subsequently provided. Chris responded favorably, and shared " Oh yeah, Ms. Lynne, I remember the picture you put up in my room about that stuff." Topic transition within the session was supported with cues to allow for the provision of familiar transitional phrases.
Self-awareness steadily increased over the course of the session, as the need for cues to assist with topic transition diminished, as Chris subsequently utilized topic transition phrases to allow for
stronger segue 6 times. Speaker -speaker overlap was noted once again with increased frequency.
Familiar cues and supports were provided. Additionally, review of the dynamics related to conversational reciprocity was shared. Strong session.
The session commenced with a brief moment of salutation with another teacher while she was organizing some materials for Chris as their session came to a close. This allowed for her to briefly share an observation regarding "sustaining attention." This afforded an opportunity to initiate the session with familiar concepts of self-awareness, mindfulness, self-reflection, and self-advocacy. Chris shared that he "remembered that brain jumping away stuff that we talk about." He also acknowledged that sometimes it is "still tough to always focus on that stuff." We reviewed familiar strategies specific to self-awareness and self-advocacy, and the importance of acknowledging instances of distraction and "brain jumping." The importance of sharing that with teachers was highlighted, so as to best support redirection from a very proactive perspective. We reviewed familiar cross pattern movement strategies adapted from the Brain Gym and Reflex integration literature as well. Topic initiation, and transition was characterized by use of familiar starters and transition phrases across most shifts. Speaker -speaker overlap was noted once again with increased frequency. Acknowledgement of such overlap was supported with direct comment, and the provision of cue supports in order to assist with repair of the communication overlap. Strong session today, Morning break overlapped session as well.
Chris was extremely tired this morning. He shared that he had been awake since 3:00 AM.
However, once the session was underway, he was attentive and participatory as usual.
The session focused on linguistic expansion within the framework of narrative, and "story" generation, specific to his newest "plush tube" movie.
Review of story grammar components, and use of cohesive ties and temporal links was provided as a basis for supporting vocabulary choices, and complexity of storyline. Expanded focus on character interaction, perspectives, and action based outcomes provided a baseline for both generating his "storyline," and for application to peer dynamics. Expanded discussion into the familiar topic of "filtering" and choice making within conversational exchanges was also a primary focus this session. Speaker -speaker overlap was strong today, and the provision of familiar prompts and cues allowed for increased instances of awareness and subsequent repair.
Strong session today.
Chris enthusiastically initiated conversation with a strong focus this morning. He was observed to be extremely tired, however, focus was maintained. He was very much wanting to discuss his new ideas to recreate "plush tube" videos. He specifically was wanting to share the details regarding storyline and characters. This afforded an excellent opportunity to highlight familiar strategies that best support topic maintenance. Response to requests for clarification when details within topic reference were not "shared knowledge" were supported with use of "specific questioning" this session. These instances allowed for increased review and expansion of the aspects of presupposition, perspective taking, and acknowledgement of body language, intonational shifting, and facial expression. Speaker -speaker overlap was strong today, and acknowledgment of such required direct comment and the provision of cue supports for subsequent repair. Overall attention was strong this session.
Luke had a great session today. He worked on articulation L and TH sounds in conversation. He wanted to practice the name of different countries so we picked the ones that had L in them. He was motivated by this.
*Evaluation report in progress*
Luke did not want to engage in conversation at the start of the session. Attempted to work on L and TH as well as social/conversational skills. He said he did not want to participate today. Was able to get him to work on a few social communication skills. He also worked on TH at the end of the session. Continues to produce /f/ for th
