Up, Down, on Track
Well, it's been a heck of a week or so. Had a meeting with Zoë's teachers and special assistant and the head of the early intervention program, and it was both informative and kinda scary. Zoë's behavior has still been an issue, it seems. We discussed strategies for helping Zoë to cope, improve her behavior, etc. We've already put a few of them into action, as well.
And, interestingly, it's helping. We've starting using picture stories for bedtime and for meals, and we've seen marked improvement in both areas. She's much more pleasant and compliant when she's not hungry (she's never, ever been a good eater, and it's always been an issue). Today she even came and sat with us at the table even though she wasn't hungry and didn't eat, and she's been going to bed on her own, carrying the bedtime picture schedule with her.
The use of the pictures seems to help a lot with her speech, and she's been talking a lot more lately, including phrases we didn't even know that she knew. For example, during a bubble-blowing session the other day, she was delighted to see that the bubbles were going "up in the sky" and she kept saying, "Look! Look! Up in the sky!"
She had an extremely good speech therapy session this week, the best that her therapist has ever had with her. Zoë has also had very, very good days at pre-school, and she's been sitting down for snack time and complying very well with instructions. She has her moments of bad behavior, of course, but overall, she's been doing extremely well.
We went out to a rather big store yesterday and she wasn't in a stroller, but she was pretty well-behaved. She was very annoyed that she had to stand in line to pay for the new toy she got (a building toy that lets you make a sort of truck creature, which she has decided is a "baby truck"). She actually marched right past everyone and put it down on the counter to pay for it and had to be pulled back to wait.
Today she seems very tired and somewhat crabby, and has spent most of the day in a big chair with a blanket, watching movies. She did come over to the table to play with playdough for a while once she saw that we have new playdough toys that are mechanical (the kind you put the dough in and press through to make shapes come out).
She also seems to have decided that she wants Asian noodles for dinner. She picked it out of the cupboard herself, so that's what she'll have, since we're having seafood salad and I know full well she won't eat that. She even gets to help prepare it herself, which is always good for getting her to eat.
So, all in all, things are going well with Zoë. This is a huge relief, given the behavior problems we've been dealing with lately.
Good day!
Zoë had a really good day at preschool. She did some cutting and threading (something she missed out on yesterday), she had a nice play, she actively participated with the singing with motions, and she was just generally really cooperative and happy to be there.
There was a bit of a battle of wills over sitting down throughout the entire snack time (this is always an issue with her), but she did sit once she understood she was going to have to.
All in all, they were very impressed with her behavior and alertness today, and so am I!
And when she got home, she sat down to play with the new batch of play dough I cooked up (see recipe in previous entry), and played very nicely for some time. She even showed me where to find her little rolling pin (she had hidden it away in a cupboard).
The BEST Play Dough Recipe
This is a really good play dough with a really nice, firm texture. It lasts for a couple of weeks if stored in an airtight container (I like a big ziplock bag). My kids just love this stuff (and so do I).
Best Play Dough Ever
2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 cups water
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup cream of tartar
Food coloring (totally optional)
1) Put water and salt in a saucepan, mix thoroughly until salt is dissolved. Add oil. If you're using food coloring, this is a good time to add that, generally several drops. You may find you need to use more coloring as the mixture is cooking (and you can knead in more later, though that's not as effective as putting it in from the start).
2) In a bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix well. Slowly add this mixture to the water mixture in the saucepan, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
3) Cook and stir over low/medium heat until play dough is completely formed and no longer sticky. Cooked dough will look very like thick mashed potatoes.
4) Allow to cool somewhat. Turn dough onto a board and knead until smooth and cooled. Store in an air tight container or zip lock bag.
5) If you find that the dough is too sticky, knead a little more flour into it, and then microwave it to cook it further. You'll have to experiment as to how long to microwave, but I find that cooking for about 1.5 minutes, turning it over in the bowl, and cooking for another 1.5 minutes is generally quite helpful.
Cranky girl, no school
Zoë put on quite a show this morning. I think she's just tired, but whatever it was she was refusing to eat breakfast and she absolutely made it completely clear that she did NOT want to go to school. So, she didn't.
We did still have to take Miranda to her playgroup, but we came home afterward and just watched television until it was time to go get her again. Zoë didn't want to get in the car and made me wrestle her into her seat, but once settled she was okay. We got takeaway for lunch and she finally had a decent meal, and she seems in somewhat better spirits now.
She still looks very tired, though. I think perhaps she didn't sleep well...
Good day at Early Intervention
Zoë did very well today at her Early Intervention group. She didn't want to participate in the singing, and she definitely didn't want to sit at the table for all of snack time, but I managed to persuade her that she had to, and she was okay. She complained about it, but she didn't have a tantrum. Last year, trying to force compliance would have resulted in a huge meltdown.
They're also working on getting her to sit for the entire snack time at pre-school, as well, and we're working on it at home.
It looks like some of the behavior issues that have so driven me nuts and interfered with Zoë's ability to learn are starting to finally abate. *fingers crossed8
School
Zoë has gone to preschool three times this week, as this is her new schedule. She's got a special teaching assistant there who is experienced working with special needs kids, and the teachers are pretty good in that area, as well.
They're using picture cards with her to help her understand what's going on and what's expected of her, and they're also currently working on getting her to sit down for the entire snack time instead of running around all the time (this has long been a problem with her; if she's not personally interested in eating, she's off like a shot or she comes and goes, and it's annoying as well as being bad manners).
Apparently, today she had a pretty good day, although she was crying when I got there. Teacher said Zoë was pretty good all day, right up until the end. I suspect she was just overwroght. It's been a big week.
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