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Let Me Introduce Myself, I'm Gosha and I'm 3 Years Old...
GOSHA 3 YEARS OLD
ADAIN LO LEARNING PROGRAM
HOME VISIT
It was a pleasure to visit the home of Gosha’s grandmother and to see the tremendous improvement in his ability to connect to other people, his interest in his environment and the strengthening of his skills in every way. During the home visit, Gosha’s mother, Dasha, was able to join us. She has a new teaching position at a college nearby. His grandmother, Natasha, works for the Russian Museum. She graciously served lunch to the observer and Tatyana and provided insight into Gosha’s progress.
The grandmother notes that Gosha’s ability to pay attention to visual and auditory stimuli may be due to the fact that Gosha was re-diagnosed in the summer and placed on new medications which seem to have caused an “awakening.” The observer notes that he is now a more social person who relates to the family and to other people.
Gosha and his family spent their summer at a Dacha in the country, where grandmother says change was immediately noticeable and Gosha’s improvement was rapid. According to his grandmother, Gosha is artistic and enjoys nature and being outside. He enjoys art picture books and this summer started to enjoy being read to by his mother and grandmother
Gosha is physically at the same level as other children his age. His toileting and eating and sleeping habits are now under his control. This is great progress in only five months. He has good mobility and trunk control; he crouches, rotates his body 360 degrees and attempts to jump up and down. He sits in a position shaped like a “W.” It is better that he sit with his legs crossed ore to one side to prevent his hips from spreading apart.
The observer notes that Gosha’s developmental improvement in the classroom setting is dramatic. Gosha is able to comply with requests, and plan some play activities by himself. In the classroom, Gosha greets teachers with a smile, moves in a smooth organized way to find containers, plays hide and seek, and listens to a song. He voluntarily crossed the classroom to find toys when his mother went out for a few minutes. While he plays happily in her absence, he does not make eye contact easily.
At school, Gosha helps pick up toys voluntarily, imitating teachers and children. He holds a doll, covering up the doll and walking around the room. He sits with his mother while she reads a story and joins circle time on the floor; he plays with miniature people and food in cartons, giving them to his mother and taking them back. In the classroom, Group socialization and communication skills need to be the focus of teachers.
At home, when his grandmother asked Gosha to come to her, he pouted, showing annoyance. He walked away, unhappily, when told to give his special wooden stick to her. A few minutes later, Gosha comes back, smiles, comes when called, and sits to eat. Gosha obeys commands easily; his emotions and reactions are appropriate when he shakes his head or comes to his grandmother for hugs and kisses. Gosha touches, strokes and smiles when his mother arrives; he does exercises and sings with his mother, stroking and hugging her. He points to his mother’s facial features and then parts of his face and body; he babbles some words that the observer recognizes as a word in his mother’s song. He does not use clear speech to names the parts of the body or sing words to the songs.
The family must spend their energy and time eliciting language and strengthening Gosha’s language skills. Pre-speech training means Gosha must have many experiences drawing, copying, scribbling on large pieces of paper or even old magazines and newspapers, wherever there is print and pictures. His family needs to read large print picture books to him, so he can point and give the pictures names. According to mother’s report, he likes toys of all colors and shapes, so it is best to have lots of play objects in sight when he is drawing. Help Gosha to talk about toys while he draws.
Gosha’s family can improve his speech by focusing on two specific communication strategies: (1) repeat all the short sounds and words he makes, and make the phrases longer by adding information. Make sentences out of all sounds and words; (2) repeat all words and sounds that Gosha makes over and over, singing and clapping. Gosha will benefit most quickly from games that involve gesturing, clapping and singing.
When family members talk to Gosha, look very happy and focus all eyes directly at Gosha. Say everything two (2) times when giving him directions; repeat everything! For example, the family says: “do you want to hear the story? Do you want to hear the story?” Play pointing and singing games two (2) times every time. Gosha’s delayed language skills need to be the family’s first priority in the months ahead.
The problem of keeping Gosha busy in productive ways still is a problem that must be solved. He still lacks the ability to consistently plan meaningful actions when playing or doing activities. For example, when left alone, Gosha sits and repeats non-purposeful actions; he may twirl or just stare. The observer notes that when he plays alone with a long stick in bedroom, he becomes self-absorbed.
Gosha needs to be redirected quickly and verbally to a different activity when he does this type of self-stimulation. He is now old enough to help in the kitchen or do other work in the house like pushing a broom, or washing a table. He will enjoy being helped to be more social and feel he will feel more useful. He must be reminded of how to play.
The observer compliments the teachers and family for giving Gosha so many experiences and allowing him to progress so far in a short time. Thank you for the opportunity to visit the family at home and in the classroom
Susan Turben
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