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Chapter 6 Continued
Our around-the-clock program flourished.
Every minute of every day, we provided Raun with contact
and bombarded him with stimulation. Our crew, including
Bryn and Thea, engaged him more excitedly and more
assertively. We all sensed a new dimension developing
in our program. Since discovering himself in the mirror,
Raun had become more purposeful in his activities
and involvements, more premeditated in his actions
and reactions. When he picked up a puzzle piece, he
did so with more energy. When he attempted to insert
it into its appropriate slot, he turned the piece
more skillfully than before and demonstrated greater
mastery as he matched the cutout forms to the wooden
receptacles they belonged in. Had Raun opened a new
neurological pathway when he took more ownership of
his arms, hands, fingers, legs, belly, head, tongue,
and lips in the mirror? His enhanced body awareness
affected both his large and small motor skills. As
I watched him and Samahria spin in circles and playfully
bump into each other, I couldn't help but speculate
that Raun had, additionally, found beauty and delight
in strengthening his contact with himself and with
us.
The following depicts Raun's typical
day. When possible, we followed this schedule seven
days a week.
Daily Schedule
8:30 Raun has been
awake in his crib for about half an hour. By this
time, he has usually thrown his toys onto the floor.
Samahria takes him out of the crib and dresses him.
He glides down the stairs on his belly, feet first.
Then, he eats breakfast with his mother at the kitchen
table or in the bathroom, all the time being stimulated
by words, sweet commentaries, or songs played on the
tape recorder.
9:15 The more formal
sessions begin as Raun and Samahria go into bathroom,
which is filled with toys and a vast array of educational
materials. They play games aimed at developing interpersonal
interaction and skills, and Samahria rewards and reinforces
him with smiles, cheers, stroking, and food. The toys
and games include an insertion box with at least thirty
different shapes, four or five wooden insertion puzzle
games with hand knobs (Samahria makes sounds as she
picks up each animal piece and articulates identifying
nouns), a truck with seven connecting pieces, a tool
game toy, musical instruments to bang and blow, insertion
and building cups, clay and Play-Doh, crayons and
chalk, as well as mounted photographs of family members,
animals, and other objects to be displayed for possible
identification. They do exercises to music. Samahria
helps Raun move his arms, feet, and torso to the tempo
of music and also at random. They improvise spontaneously
much of the movement and dance. We've designed body
parts identification games to help him develop gestures,
such as pointing, and to stimulate him to speak. Touching
interludes encompass stroking, massaging, and tickling
as well as exploring hands, fingers, toes, noses,
ears, and the like. Water games are played in both
sink and bathtub. Books constitute a multidimensional
resource, making it possible to turn pages, view pictures,
read words, and explain the actions of vehicles, people,
machines, and animals. "Smell" books (scratch
the patch) and pop-up books add additional surprise
to Raun's adventure and allow us to combine pointing
and speaking with touch and smell.
10:30 Break from
confined work area: go for a walk, play peekaboo,
try to interact with some other toys, give Raun some
food. All involve constant interaction aimed at strengthening
eye contact, responsiveness, and bonding. Later, we
abandon the breaks, finding the time spent in the
room more focused and more effective.
11:00 Back into
the bathroom for more structured interplay and games.
12:00 Finish morning
stimulation sessions. Take another walk or a car ride,
going to the park or the store, or visiting with other
children. (Oftentimes, Raun withdraws and becomes
frenetic in his self-stimulation during such excursions,
persuading us to review the wisdom of including these
adventures in his program. Eventually, we eliminate
them.)
1:00 Nap.
2:00 Awake and down
for lunch.
2:30 Another session
in the bathroom.
3:30 End of bathroom
session. Playing in the park, a bike ride. Also time
for Bryn and Thea to function as playmates/teachers/therapists.
4:00 Special helper
(Maire or Nancy) arrives and begins session in the
bathroom.
5:30 We integrate
other members of the family or teaching group - jumping
on the bed, playing "Simon Says" games,
and providing more physical stimulation.
6:30 Dinner with
entire family along with student teacher or teachers.
Now we work as a team with Raun, using all aspects
of the meal to encourage eye contact and imitation
games, usually with our son as leader and all of us
as his students.
7:00 Additional
session in the family den.
8:00-8:30 Session
ends.
8:30 Raun to sleep.
Chapter
6 Continued »» |
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