The Joseph Robert Shaw Foundation

Helping Children Recover from Brain Injury

Thoughts on COVID-19

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If I’m honest, I have to admit that I have had a hard time writing this blog post. It has been a week and a half since the last time I saw Joey, and I suspect I will not see him in person again for a long time. I miss him, and wish it was easier to work on his AAC communication on-line. 

In the last few weeks the world turned upside down. For us adults, who have some perspective, this is scary and an unsettling, strange time. For kids – it is hard to know exactly how they are taking it. At first, my own children were thrilled with the lack of schedule. The first week was full of art projects and creativity. Then the news came that in-person schools would close for the remainder of the year, and my youngest crumbled. 

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Sibling Love

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Right before the whole world shut down for the COVID-19, my daughter and Joey’s older brother were home from school so they both participated in my session with Joey. My daughter was thrilled to get to see Joey again and read the high frequency words along with him. I think Joey’s older brother may have been happier to have not joined our group of kindergarteners, but he was a huge help regardless.

I like to think I know Joey pretty well, although I often worry that sometimes I give him too much credit. It’s that sad special education teacher voice in the back of my head that whispers, you saw it once, but have you seen it 8 out of 10 times? How do you know it’s mastered? That voice forces me to be overly cautious sometimes, although even then I like to think I am responsive to Joey.

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Measuring Joey’s Progress

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As Joey begins accessing more academic content, we are constantly attempting to assess how we can best measure his knowledge. Taking all of the potential drawbacks of the AAC device into account, how do we make sure we are measuring the pure academic skills instead of simply measuring his academic skills in relation to the AAC device?

This is a tricky line that many families and educators whose children use AAC devices walk daily. It is a decision point that we make when we ask someone who uses an AAC what they want to do next, and we watch to see if they seem confident with their answer to our question, or if they seem frustrated because they hit an incorrect icon. It takes understanding and professional judgment on the part of the communication partner.  [Read more…]

Learning to Read on an AAC Device

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Joey and I have been working on reading predictable pattern books that are typically introduced at this time of year in kindergarten. Joey is doing well with these books, and shows an understanding of using the words and pictures to recognize unfamiliar words. It’s exciting to watch him grow in these abilities, but there are certainly challenges that arise from making sure Joey has appropriate access to leveled reading materials. 

One challenge is simply selecting the right books for him. I like to use a computer program from Pioneer Valley that lets you put the child’s name into the book. It gives the child at least one firm, known word, and who doesn’t like reading a book about themselves? Yet, when I first began with these books, I realized Joey didn’t have his name on his device. He could say the phrase “My name is Joey”, but couldn’t just say “Joey.” I had to cross out Joey and write “I” over each word. (Joey was quickly added and he can now read his own name, and is working on saying it!).  [Read more…]

Where does inclusion fall in Joey’s journey?

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As we prepare Joey for kindergarten, we are looking into the large question of what does an appropriate school program look like for Joey?

So far, Joey appears to be around grade level. He knows his letters and numbers, can answer questions about a story, and asks his own questions in his own way. He understands early phonics skills, and tends to learn new information quickly.

Of course, all of this knowledge he demonstrates through his eye gaze device, or from being given an answer field of two to three choices and asked to choose one, either with his eyes or his hand.

What educational setting will set Joey up for the most long-term success? [Read more…]

Saturday Serenade

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Test post for Saturday Serenades https://www.musichealsglennjan.com/saturday-serenades

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