ECSE 340 Final Blog

I have really enjoyed taking this class this semester. I have always loved the thought of continuing on to Speech Therapy which is definitely something I am still going to pursue, but I also really like the idea of early intervention. Our baby and family that we worked with were INCREDIBLE. They were so willing to work on the activities that we introduced to them and were so excited to have us come over each week. This was because she was open about her desires and goals for her baby, and because of the relationship that we developed with the mom right from the start.

I have learned what Early Intervention looks like and how to work with families. I enjoyed thinking of and researching different activities that mom could do with baby to reach her goals. Sometimes it was difficult to find more resources for her, but the resources that I did find ended up being very helpful and beneficial.

Since mom was so willing to work with her baby and was so invested in helping her develop and grow, N was sitting up the ENTIRE last home visit. The week before she had sat up for a few seconds before falling to the side. Each week before that, her core muscles were just too weak to support her so she would just flop to one side or backwards. However, on the last visit she sat up the entire 30 minutes that we were there. It was so cool to see her progress and how far she had come. I also loved seeing the results of so much time spent on researching activities and writing out a lesson plan. Taking the time to help mom know what to do and then seeing results was so rewarding. N was not quite passing a toy from one hand to the next which was our other goal, but we noticed that she was able to grab things much quicker and firmer than she was when we had our first home visit. At our first visit, she would reach for a toy very slowly and barely grasp it. But now she is much stronger and able to hold things much better.

Overall, this class really taught me how to be an early interventionist and how to work with infants and families. It was so much fun and every assignment was extremely helpful to my learning and taught me a lot.

ECSE 340 RB 10

This week in our home visit, we introduced our DAP activity that we made for N. We made her a felt book that had interactive parts to almost all the pages. We decided to make a felt book because our goals this semester were sitting up and passing a toy from one hand to the next. As N uses the book, it will help her practice that motion of turning pages which will then lead to further development in problems solving and passing a toy from one hand to the next.

During our visit, we gave N the book and mom sat her down on the ground with the book in front of her. She leaned forward to play with the ribbon and the book. We could see that leaning forward helped her sit up and balance as she was sitting on her own. We feel that this will really help N to develop the skill of sitting up and help strengthen her core muscles. 

Weekly Quote:

"Somewhere around 9 months, she’ll reward you with a wave — and whether it’s a regal gesture or a funny, bird-like flap, this new attempt to communicate is something to celebrate."


Resource:


https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/wave-clap/

ECSE 340 RB 9

During this weeks session, our home visit went great. We evaluated how Mom was doing with all the activities we have introduced to her. She said they are still doing baby sit ups, and have gotten from doing 5 to 10 sit ups before N gets tired. When we walked into the home, N was propped up on the couch in the corner, sitting up all by herself. She is not quite there yet, but she is getting so close! She was sitting up fine and you could tell her core strength has been increasing. Mom also started feeding her real food, starting with little rice cakes. When mom put them on her high chair tray, she instantly reached out, grabbed one, and started chewing it. 

This week we practiced having N on her tummy and reaching out for two rattles at the same time, one in each had. She did great on her tummy, but did not do it when we sat her up on a lap, which was super interesting. We also evaluated to see if she was sacral sitting or not. When she sits up, she definitely leans back. So we showed mom that she could stand her up against the wall to help her practice keeping her back straight. 

I do have a question though. I was wondering if maybe N is having a hard time sitting up because she is so skinny. She has acid reflux, and has had a hard time gaining weight since she was born. She seems to not have much weight to her in her core and I was wondering if that could be an issue as well?

Weekly Quote:

"She’ll need strong muscles to hold up her head, roll over, sit up, crawl, and eventually walk."

Resource:

Yesterday, we talked to Mom about her wanting to help Nora transition from co-sleeping to sleeping in a crib so I found this resource for her:

http://www.adventuresandpreggers.com/co-sleeping-to-crib/

ECSE 340 RB 8

Our intervention sessions are going really well. This past week, we checked up with Mom to see how our first activities that we presented to her were working. She said that they love doing baby sit ups, and have been doing them often. This week, we observed that N is starting to hold herself up a little more now, which means that her core strength is building. We tried to do the activity where mom laid N on her tummy and put a toy to the side of her, with the goal of her reaching for it and then rolling over. We think she was just tired from the first activity so she wasn't wanting to do it and started getting fussy. We then turned to having mom sit N on the edge of the couch and then just holding her hands. This allows for N to feel that sitting up on her own motion and then also strengthens her core muscles as she is sitting up. 

This week, we are going to evaluate N's sitting and if she is rolling back on her butt. If she is, we are going to have mom sit her up against the wall to help her not tuck her butt/lower back in when she is sitting. 


Weekly Quote:

"Gently encourage a rolling motion over onto his side and then his tummy. As this becomes easier, teach your child to roll from his tummy onto his back."

Resource:

https://www.livestrong.com/article/534502-trunk-strengthening-exercises-for-infants/

ECSE 421 RB 8

This week we got ready for our family project presentations and then gave them in class. I enjoyed giving our presentation and felt like it went really well. We were well prepared with all our information and resources to share. I also really enjoyed all the other presentations that were given. It was really interesting and fun to hear about all the different disabilities that were in each family and the resources that were found for each family by the students. A lot of the disabilities included speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy, which is common. However, some of the groups were very creative with their material and informational resources as well. There was one group that found a website of toys made specifically for children with special needs, each toy intentionally catering to a certain skill. 


Weekly Quote:

"'Why didn’t you ever tell me you couldn’t hear?' He told me he didn’t know he couldn’t. He thought how he was feeling was normal." -Lauren (blogpost)

HWD:
This week I found another blog post from a mother who's son was diagnosed with severe hearing loss in his right ear in 6th grade. I loved reading her experiences with each of the stages of grief. The few that I have read have generally been the same, carrying guilt and shame and then leading to acceptance. One of my friends, who was my old roommates cousin, passed away 2 weeks ago. She was 21 years old. I didn't know her very well, but I have seen the stages of grief going on in my friends life, having to deal with the passing of her dear sweet best friend and cousin. At the beginning of the blogpost that I read this week, the lady who wrote it said that she always thought the grief cycle occurred when you experience a death. However, she quickly realized that it was not, when her son was diagnosed. 

ECSE 421 RB 7

This week we have been working on our Family Project. It has been fun but also a little challenging to find resources to help our family that has a child with down syndrome. I never realized all the different resources that the child and the family would need. There are so many things to consider that you don't think to consider. And then when you do figure out the resources that are needed, it is a struggle to locate and find those resources. Even in big cities, there is a lot you have to do to receive necessary services. However, it has been eye opening as to how to work with a family that has a special needs child.

Weekly Quote:

"No one tells you grieving can be a normal part in raising a child with special needs" -Katie Paulson


HWD:

This week i found a blog post from the above mother, Katie Paulson, about her experience with the grief cycle since she had her son who has panhypopituitarism. She goes through each of the stages of the grief cycle and how they affected her. It was really great to read this and see what the grief cycle is like for parents who have special needs. It is okay to grieve, in fact, it is essential. She went through all the stages and finally reached acceptance and hope. It took a while, but she reached it. She understands that the saddness and anger may still come back, but she still has hope.

ECSE 340 RB 7

Our home visit this week went really well! We came up with two different activities that we had Mom do. One to work on passing toys from one hand to the next, and the other to help N strengthen her core muscles. Mom did a great job and caught on to the activities quickly. As we were practicing during the home visit, we could already tell that N was progressing and that she was catching on as well. As mom did baby sit-ups with N, we could already see N contracting her core muscles and strengthening them. I am excited to see the progress that N makes in the next few weeks.

I do not have any questions or concerns, as it has been so great working with the family and with N. Mom just wants N to progress and wants her to sit up. So everything we do is geared toward that. Mom is not afraid to ask us questions or let us know what is going on with N's growth. I appreciate that she is so open with us, because we are able to really cater to their concerns and their needs.

Resource:

https://www.livestrong.com/article/299657-exercises-to-strengthen-babys-abdominal-muscles/

Weekly Quote:

"Just like adults, specific exercises can help your baby develop abdominal muscles he needs to become strong and mobile. The exercises can also be a fun and bonding activity for the two of you". -Jody Braverman 

This quote comes from the above resource and i like that it mentions helping baby with these exercises can be a bonding and fun activity for mom and baby.