New "school" year for everybody.

Joy Lin started Middle School this week (sort of)  and Gracie started a whole new set of therapies. She still goes to preschool one day and does her equine therapy but she has started a new intensive therapy known as ABA( Applied Behavioral Analysis ). Most of the definitions of ABA I found were a little confusing but I think this one explains it in the simplest way.

"Applied" means practice, rather than research or philosophy. "Behavior analysis" may be read as "learning theory," that is, understanding what leads to (or doesn't lead to) new skills. (This is a simplification: ABA is just as much about maintaining and using skills as about learning.) It may seem odd to use the word "behavior" when talking about learning to talk, play, and live as a complex social animal, but to a behaviorist all these can be taught, so long as there are intact brain functions to learn and practice the skills. That is the essence of the recovery hypothesis--for many children, the excesses and deficits of autism result largely from a learning 'blockage,' which can be overcome by intensive teaching.

Typically developing children learn without our intervention--the world around them provides the right conditions to learn language, play, and social skills. Children with autism learn much, much less easily from the environment. They  have the potential to learn learn, but it takes a very structured environment, one where conditions are optimized for acquiring the same skills that typical children learn "naturally." ABA is all about how to set up the environment to enable our kids to learn.

It is an intense program of one to one therapies with 4 therapists also known as TSS or Therapeutic Support Staff.
These ladies are so great. We have one three hour session during the morning and another in the afternoon. That's ALOT compared to what Gracie has been getting. It's going to be a huge change but I think she can handle it. I really think she is ready for it. She seems to be seeking engagement with people. She is open to new things. And she is starting to think of new ways to get into trouble!!
She had her yearly checkup at CHOP last week and everything was good there. Her cleft repair is just great. The professionals she went to see all said we were on the right track with this line of therapy and didn't think that it would be too much for her. So I feel better about our new course. She has gotten great therapy up to this time but I just think that we should take advantage of her new adventurous disposition  and capitalize on it. She will be eligible for kindergarten next year !!!! But i don't know if we will be ready for that but by the time she does go, I know she will be ready.

First Day of Middle School!

New school year, new hair cut!

I read another mom's letter to their child as part of their school year tradition and I thought it was a great idea so I wrote one for Joy.

Dear Joy Lin!

Tomorrow is a BIG day. Your first day of 5th GRADE!!

It's so hard to believe that you are 10 and a MIDDLE SCHOOLER. We remember the first day of kindergarten, when you smiled and went off on the bus to a new adventure, without a look back! Did you know that I followed you to school that day? I don't remember if I told you. But I just had to make sure you got there ok! You knew what you were doing, you always did!

Now tomorrow you get your own locker. With a locker combination and you get a CHOICE of lunch ! Your running with the big guys now.

I know you aren't in the same class as your BFF this year. That's ok. You will see her and Emma. This is an opportunity to make some new friends to go with your old ones. 

The most important thing for you to do is be yourself!! From the time your feet touch the ground in the USA you have charmed everyone with your laugh and your smile and your willingness to talk to ANYONE. Don't let go of that now that you are getting  older, Be yourself and people will want to be with you!

I think that God puts people in our lives as gifts to us. The children in your class this year, your new teacher, they are all God’s gifts to you.

Just remember to treat everyone as if they are a gift from God and they will see that you are one of His greatest gifts too. We always said God sent you to us for a reason. That reason was that He knew we needed your uniqueness- the thing that makes you YOU. Your Joy. 

So Be Yourself. Be kind. Be brave and enjoy your new friends.

We love you more than anything else in this world.

Moving ALong.

I can't believe that school starts in 11 days. The summer went flying by. Joy Lin will be starting 5th grade on the 27th and it looks like Gracie will be starting a new "school" too. She will be staying at the preschool at Advent but she will also be starting behavioral therapy which will one on one therapy, Monday through Friday. I am so relieved to finally be getting into this program. Gracie is becoming much more open to new things and people and engaging in new activities willingly that I think she will be very receptive to this new therapy.

She said MaMa last week. She has said nite nite several times. She is starting to make an MM sound for more.
She has a long way to go but she has come such a long way! Our journey will take us on a new path soon and we'll have more exciting things to report.