Bringing the Work to the Home

Casa Colina Children's Services' work sessions inspired me to go shopping and bring it into the home. Here is where the title of my blog, Proactive Parenting comes from. By bringing the early intervention into the home, I am able to increase his progress and reinforce what the therapists are teaching in the classroom. Any educator will tell you that if parents reinforce their work in the home, the success rate increases.

I found a plastic bin and began collecting things around the house I could use and created a "work" bin. I went shopping at a local teacher's educational store and found many of the same tools the therapists were using during John's work sessions. I was creating this for both of my kids. Each one would get some time each day to do "work". These toys and educational activities would only be available to John and Katie when we had one-on-one work time.

Katie just turned 4 and has been in preschool two days a week since January. She is a very advanced child, who began reading at age 3, has a photo graphic memory, and began talking at 10 months old. She is very polite, a mature talker, and always demands attention wherever she is. She is a little performer, reciting books she has memorized, movie lines she loves, and dances in circles. She has a hard time waiting for the buzzer to go off when it's John's work time so her work time can begin. She loves for me to create 'new work' for her each time we sit down.

John loves work time at home and is always trying to find where I have put the bin. He is always excited when I announce work time. He also reacts the same way he does in the classroom --- he is ready to clean up and is "all done" pretty quickly after an activity starts. He also yawns about 10 minutes into a session.

My bin includes:

• Colored plastic teddy bears; 6 colors
• Colored rubber vehicles; 6 colors, 6 vehicles
• Colored rubber animals; 6 colors, 6 animals, 2 sizes
• 6 colored bowls for sorting objects
• Colored plastic frogs with holes for stringing together; 6 colors, 3 sizes
• 3 wooden puzzles; alphabet, numbers, animals
• 4 books - shapes, first words, colors, animals
• Bubbles
• Flash Cards - Nouns, Action Verbs, Adjectives, Things at School, Things in a Child's Day
• Wooden Blocks
• Plastic Shapes - geometric patterns
• Mr. Potato Head
• Play Dough

What is great about these things is that I am able to structure the "work" to the level of the child, using these toys for a variety of levels. Both Katie and John can benefit from the "work" I create using the same tools. For example, John may be string frogs to work on fine motor skills, but Katie is stringing them in a pattern I create for her.

I set the timer for each child so there is a specified length for our work. The added structure helps all of us organize our brains. Remember, although we call it work time, it is play therapy. It's just playing with our kids, using a little bit of structure in how you play. Each child is going to be different in their goals and how much structure they need, but the idea is the same.

Sample Activities:

• Place 6 colored bowls on the table or floor in front of John
• Hold up 2 colored bears
• Ask him to pick the RED one and place it in the RED bowl
• If he chooses wrong one, don't let him grab it, remind him of instruction
  
• Hand John 4 bears
• Ask him to put them in the matching bowl
• Hand John 4 bears
• Ask him to hand me ONE bear (understanding the concept of one or two)
• make sure you wait to see if he is really handing you one bear or if he is handing them to you one at a time -- it's a different concept and he needs to distinguish the difference
• Show John a vehicle (for example Purple Airplane, Red Boat, Yellow Car, Green Train, Orange Fire Truck, or Blue School Bus)
  
• Ask him what it is
• Ask him what sound it makes or what it does; have him demonstrate
  
• Ask him what color it is
• Ask him to place it in the matching bowl
• Have him count how many vehicles are in each color before he puts it away
• Have him pick out one of each color or two of each color and hand to you
• Take out a Wooden Puzzle of Farm Animals
• Show John the puzzle and ask him to take out the Cow and hand to you
• when he does, make the animal sound
• After all the pieces are out, show John 2 animals, ask for him to find the one that oinks and put it in the puzzle
• Show John 2 more, ask him to take the Horse
  
• When he puts it in the puzzle, ask him to make the horse sound
• Have him say "Horse"
• Use bubbles or other reward to encourage child to finish a task.
  
• "If you finish the puzzle, we'll play with bubbles"
  

These are sample activities that teach concepts through play. Some children naturally learn these concepts through normal playing and interaction, as my daughter, Katie did in her early development. Early Intervention therapy is using play, with certain structure, to help develop these skills in at risk toddlers. I am not a therapist. I have not conducted research or done test groups. I'm a mother.

I've watched John in only 6 weeks increase his attention, language, and behavior. He knew his shapes, colors and animals prior to starting the class. He knew how to count to 20 and backwards from 10. But, he was impulsive, which made him unable to correctly match colors and shapes with consistency or on demand. Now, my family, as well as his therapists, are able to say he really does know these things. We are seeing him correctly answer with consistency, as well as consciously slow himself down to 'think' about the answer.

We have a long way to go, but I am convinced that early intervention is the best solution for 'at risk' toddlers. It is the best thing that has happened to us. When people hear about John's diagnosis, I often get "oh, I'm sorry". In response, I say "NO, it really is the best thing that they could have told us".

I encourage anyone who has that gut reaction that something isn't right to get help now. The earlier the intervention can happen the better. Children are sponges. Their brains are still developing. If you can get in and correct the delayed development, your child will be better off for it. Your life can get better. Your life will get better. The worst thing a parent can do is ignore that there is a problem. You can do something. Be proactive and embrace what you can do.