Mands: 26

An okay day for the little one, who is now upstairs sleeping. When I came in I helped get Tony’s breakfast to him and he wasn’t very interested in the waffle or the hot dogs. We sat in the living room with Morgan and watched ‘Nightmare’ for awhile. Around 9:14 he headed into his room. I grabbed turtle, cup, and his breakfast and headed in after him. First we built some structures with cardboard bricks. We built a giant chair and let one of Tony’s Blue stuffed animals sit in it. Then Tony sat in it. He spent some time sitting down and then getting back up, so I slipped in some motor imitation which he did pretty well with.

Soon Tony manded for painting, so I took the opportunity to do the ‘manding for the missing object(s)’ exercise. Asking “what else do we need?”, or “what’s missing?,” I elicited such correct responses as “shirt,” “brushes,” and “paint.” Tony had to see the paper befor he remembered it was a necessary entity. We painted for awhile, racking up mands as he asked for each color to be opened, wanted help painting the different Wiggles, and so on. While he was busy being artistic I got out the small chalk board and tried more missing mands; first I wrote O-N-Y on the board and told him it almost said Tony, but something was missing. He was uninterested in filling me in, so I clued him in and told him while writing the ‘T’. Then I tried the house. I drew the square house, a door, and two windows. I asked him to look at the house and tell me what else we needed. He answered “woof,” but only after my second attempt.

While he was painting his hands got dirty and he looked at them in a dissatisfied way. I asked him if he wanted a wipe and he said “yes.” As I delivered the wipe I asked him to wipe his hands, which he did, then I asked him to throw the wipe in the trash can, which he also did without hesitation! (These are objectives in our program.) We also tackled the easiest intraverbals during this time. He told me his name when I asked, but would not tell me his age. He manded for several different shows. We had to get Marlaina to help, because the remote control was MIA. We watched some Wiggles and then he manded for “Elmo.” I couldn’t find any Elmo DVD’s, so I decided the Big Bird one would have to suffice, and it did.

Soon Jill arrived and I sat in on Tony’s session. Unfortunately for Marlaina, she did too. She was finally able to sneak out around the halfway point. Tony kept getting distracted and trying to escape the room, and he even succeeded a few times. Jill would go retrieve him and then get him interested in an activity. By the end she was reading a Dora the Explorer book with Tony in his playhouse after building chairs for the boy and girl babies.

Today was my first day with Tony by myself. When I arrived this morning he was watching Wiggles and eating a banana. He actually ate a lot of food this morning a banana, chicken and a waffle. We then decided to go paint and he manded for his paint shirt and the brushes. When he told me he was all done painting, he then manded for sandbox. Before we went outside, he manded for bug spray and to open the door. When we were pulling the cover off of the sandbox, we noticed a green lizard. Tony was very excited to see the lizard and kept saying hi lizard. Later on when we decided to go on a walk behind the house, Tony found another lizard and was just as excited and kept trying to run after the lizard in the grass. Tony then manded for me to lift him. We then played stop and go. This consisted of me holding Tony and running and then stopping when he says stop. This only went on for about 5 minutes because I couldn’t run while holding him anymore…lol. After coming back to the house we watched Elmo, Blue Clues and Nightmare while coloring. I also attempted to do some ABA but only got a few things done today. After awhile Tony manded for bus and we hung out in the bus for about 30 minutes. He brought his dolls and was pretend playing with them in the bus. Today was a long day for Tony but he was really good. See ya Monday!

Mands: 24 (yesterday), 23 (today)

Once again I will be doing a double blog. Yesterday’s and today’s together. Tuesday afternoon Marlaina, Anton, and I discussed the turn things have been taking around here and agreed that it was not the way we wanted to go. Basically I really have been walking on eggshells around Tony so as not to push him over the edge. Tony has been taking the opportunity to avoid as much ABA as possible. I was under the impression that I shouldn’t be pushing him, but Marlaina and Anton want me to be more firm, so I have been.

When the clock struck 9:30 (or pretty close), both yesterday and today, I promptly whisked the boy away for a lovely wagon ride. Actually, it went a lot more smoothly yesterday. Today Tony decided it was time to scream and cry: a conveyance of general unhappiness, and a string of mands “MOM, TURTLE, CUP, HOUSE!” Luckily we had turtle and cup right there in the wagon. After delivering the possible reinforcers I distracted him with a catchy tune called “Birds Are Singing, Tweet, Tweet, Tweet,” written by none other than moi. As we rolled further and further from the house his sobs and unhappiness began to subside. WHEW!!!!

He still manded for Mom and house a few more times throughout the trip, but he was much happier. We rolled by the pond on our way to the far courtyard. We parked the wagon in the shade and Tony manded for ‘up.’ I picked him up and then showed him the backpack I’d stocked with all sorts of ABA goodies. I asked if he wanted to open it, and he did. We got out a few toys and I let him have some play time. Then he manded for ‘chalk,’ I happened to have some, so I handed it over. I knew it wasn’t the specific chalk he wanted because Yesterday we played a really fun game involving sidewalk chalk and the handle of the wagon. It was kind of pine wood derby meets sliding board. After I gave him the chalk I pulled out the small chalkboard I’d packed. He scribbled a little. I asked him If he would give me a piece and he said “no.” So I got busy setting up a future activity. I lined up some picture cards and some objects, being careful to jumble them. By the time I had this all ready to go, he was ready to relenquish one piece of chalk. I took it and wrote three letters of his name, then I asked him what else we needed. He answered correctly. Then I drew a house. I knew he would easily get this one as he has in the past. Yeah Tony! Then we did some stop/ go. Finally we got around to the matching. We did some of this yesterday as well. Yesterday it was mostly hand over hand. Today he did one on his own: the elephant. After I helped him match the ball we played with it for awhile, repeating a game from yesterday. He manded for me to throw it ‘to Tony’ or ‘up in the air,’ and I reinforced each time without hesitation.

Yes, we have been very successful in our ABA ventures as of late! Between yesterday and today we have almost gotten through the entire program! Some of the items still need more introduction, but things are definitely looking up. Rest up little Tony, have a wonderful weekend Monday will be a big day! (hopefully).

Mands: 19

Tony was easily upset today. He had lots of diarrhea and has been up since six, both contributing factors. This morning he became extremely perturbed when his mand for a car ride remained unfulfilled. His screaming and crying was unrelentless, so Marlaina took him to get some hash browns at Chick-Fil-A (too early for french fries). While they were gone I gave our newest addition to the program, Danielle, a crash course in ABA. We still have yet to get through all of the current objectives with Tony, but I can at least explain them in theory. When they got back Marlaina wanted to give Tony some relaxation time, so he watched one of the DVD’s he is interested in this month. I took Danielle out for a short walk to see the boundaries of this subdivision. When we got back we prepared the wagon for a ride, but alas, today was not meant for a wagon ride.

Tony manded for sandbox, so we took him outside and opened the sandbox. After only a couple of minutes he lost interest and manded for a walk, so we granted his wish. Tony ran freely in the grass before manding several times for me (or maybe us) to go. His ‘go’ has lost some of its clarity, so I worked on reforming it echoically. Once we got to the other side of the courtyard Tony returned to the scene of the crime (where he scraped his nose and forhead yesterday) I held his hand as I’d attempted to do yesterday. He did everything in his power to escape my grip short of biting or hitting me. He squirmed, wiggled, cried, and even threw himself onto the hard concrete, but I would not let go. we walked back and forth a few times and then I decided to just pick him up and walk somewhwere else, far away from this place. By the time we got to the patch of grass near the pond and basketball courts he was manding for turtle/ cup and house. We brought him home and even got him to interject an ‘and’ into his mand.

In his room we got some intraverbals done, and during his second trip to the sandbox we tried the receptives with the letters and sounds unsuccessfully (sp?). We have his Wiggles backpack filled with items necessary for a mobile ABA session, so during a walk or wagon ride we will be prepared.

Mands: 19

It is 1:30 and Tony has already gone down for his afternoon nap. Perhaps this may have something to do with the fact that he’s been awake since 4:30 this morning. This morning Danielle was here and we kept track of his mands in the 10:00 – 11:00 hour. After that it was time for speech with Jill. Before Danielle’s arrival I did some cleaning. We didn’t want to overwhelm her with the tornado stricken appearance of the house indicative of early mornings like this one. While I was cleaning Tony hung out with Morgan.

When Danielle arrived we went through a somewhat regular morning routine. We watched some “Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Blue’s Clues,” then we went into the room. He manded for painting once we were in the room and while we were discussing the necessary ingredients for a good painting experience he opened the drawer and retrieved brushes on his own. Smart boy! While he painted we tried some intraverbals. Since he is still not very familiar with these he did not get too many right. Danielle tried a few and I think she’s getting things easily. Then Tony manded for sandbox, so we escorted him outside. While he was playing he very clearly asked “Where’s yellow shovel ?” I told him it was in the yellow bucket and praised him for his good talking. After he’d finished with the sandbox he manded for a walk, so we went!

After I finished negotiating the new gate we were off and running! Tony immediately manded “goooooooo!” I didn’t want to leave him so close to the parking lot, so I told him I could only go if he did too. He responded by manding for me to pick him “up.” Then I prompted him to mand for going again. He did, and we went! One bad thing about this walk was that Tony tripped on an uneven concrete square and scraped his forhead and nose. Poor thing! We went home to use the comforting qualities of his Mom. Within minutes he was okay again.

Today is the day that all of us have dreaded for months. As Whitney mentioned below, today was her last day as Tony’s official lead therapist. She was here in the beginning and we have watched her grow as a therapist just as we have watched Tony grow in his skills. They have both matured and learned a lot together over the past year. Tony is a different child than he was this time last year and I honestly believe that Whitney has been a huge part of that change. Whitney gets things out of Tony that no one else can. I have allowed and trusted her to make decisions about Tony’s program because not only is her clinical knowledge vast but I know that she has always cared about Tony in a way that few employees would have. Whitney has become family to us. She has always been willing to not only treat Tony like a pupil, but also treat him with love and compassion. If I had a younger sister, I would love for her to be like Whit… tall (yes, I am still jealous), blonde, gorgeous, loving, and brilliant. Morgan also adores her as an older sister figure. Whit has truly been a wonderful role model for her.

Needless to say, I am extremely depressed that Whitney is leaving us. However, I know she’ll be back for visits and respite weekends. We are lucky that she’ll only be three hours away because otherwise we’d all be spending tons of money on plane tickets or gasoline. Plus, I’d be fed-ex’ing her Anton’s delicious dinners all the time. I also know how wonderful it is that she is furthering her education in a manner that will allow her to help other children like Tony. I am proud to say that she worked with our son and helped him learn so very much. I am even prouder that she has chosen a life of working with autistic children because I know how much her presence and expertise will benefit everyone she encounters.

We’ll miss you Whit!

Today is a pretty sad day for me since it is my last. Time has literally flown by over the past year for me. I simply can’t believe that Tony is the same little boy I met last September. Today I took him on a walk…all the little things that are routine now seem so extrordinary compared to last year. I can say, “Tony, do you want to go on a walk?” Tony responds with a clear, “Yes” as he runs to find his shoes. When we get to the door Tony hands ME the bug spray and tacts it. When I finish squirting him down he belt out a good “open door!” I know everyone here knows how long we worked on that phrase!

Outside, Tony tells me which direction he wants to go: “that way” of course. We walk around the tree and out to the back where Tony sprints off singing lines from one of his favorite Wiggles songs. When I catch up to him, Tony takes ME by the hand to lead me to a small area of rocks. He plops down a grabs a handful of rocks and carefully lines them up next to him. He starts singing “C” is for cookie and then follows up by pulling them up to his mouth, pretending to eat them, and then going “ArgArgArgh” [the sound of Cookie Monster eating cookies]. I think I’ve asked this before but, aren’t autistic kids supposed to have a hard time initiating pretend play?

With our walk complete, Tony looks at me and says, “House?” “Mom?” “Dad?” I say, “OK, we can go back to the house now.” He takes my hand and we stroll back together singing “The Wheels on the Bus.”

It’s hard for me to even really write about all this. It’s been such a privelege to work with such an awesome kid like Tony and with a family that cares sooo much. I am still going to come back about once a month to see Tony (because I don’t know if I could go without really) and I will keep a close eye on the blog of course. Although I am so sad about leaving, I know that I’m leaving Tony in good hands with an extremely capable team.

So…so long for now (until next month that is).

My name is Danielle and I am going to be one of Tony’s new therapists. I am looking forward to learning more about children with Autism and the approaches to therapy. Hopefully, I will be able to continue with the progress the other therapists have made with Tony.

When I arrived this morning Tony was still asleep. Marlaina informed me that he’d been up all night. That fact was reflected in the state of the house. Right away I began cleaning. While cleaning and listening to a play-by-play of Marlaina’s latest crazy dream I managed to burn five pieces of toast to a crisp. The first batch set off the smoke alarm. OOPS!

When the boy finally came downstairs I was still working on cleaning up his room. Tony enjoyed some television watching and coloring with Sissy. He was very excited when Whitney arrived and he greeted her at least ten times with a high pitched “Hi Whitney!” Pretty soon Morgan, Whitney, Tony and I were off for a car ride to get him some french fries. We went for another car ride in Whitney’s car. This time downtown to get a special lunch from Basil. We are celebrating Whitney’s remaining presence while we still can. We are really going to miss her. This afternoon Sarah from DDSN came over to do Tony’s annual assessment. Tony just finished Speech with Jill and now he is settling down upstairs with turtle, cup, and a show.

Mands:20

Today Tony got two new pools. The first one was defective and will be returning to the store sometime soon. We were having a mellow day, playing with markers, crayons, blocks, chalk, turtle, cup, and two Blue (the dog) stuffed animals. I decided to try to inject an ‘and’ into the turtle/ cup mand. I learned the procedure for just such an occasion in the ABA/ Verbal Behavior seminar I was lucky enough to attend this past weekend! Thank you Jay! It was wonderful; lots of great ideas! When two mands are strung together without an ‘and,’ simply treat the lack of an ‘and’ as an ‘or.’ In this case, give Tony just one: the turtle or the cup. When he receives only one of his desired reinforcers the motivation is there to learn the ‘and,’ all we need to provide is the echoic prompt. It is easier to teach things when they are functional for the learner.

Tony really enjoys when I pretend one of the Blue stuffed animals is smelling him. Until today he has been using a sound effect similar to mine to mand for this action. Of course this was confusing for other people, so today I started to change this mand to a more functional ‘sniff Tony.’ I got a pretty good approximation echoically. Eventually we will lengthen it to ‘Blue sniff Tony!’ Woo-hoo!

You blog readers already know the news about Tony spouting out a very good approximation for “Oh no, are you okay?” on a regular basis, but the latest development is now his similarly close approximation of “where did it go?,” and “Oh, there it is!” Our little future conversationalist is making us so proud!

Marlaina, Morgan, Tony and I went for a car ride this morning. We went to the bank and the grocery store. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun, because we were having so much fun we were late for speech! Upon our arrival we were greeted by Jill and Anton who were both eager to help unload the groceries. Thanks guys.

Tony went into his room with Jill and had what seemed like a very happy speech session. He was ready for some rhythm now, but Spot the dog was not ready for his cage to be turned into a percussion instrument, especially while he was inside. We let Spot escape from this torture. Now Tony wanted to crawl in. Since his tunnell is of similar construction and you can crawl inside it, he was easily talked into this alternative.