#967 Tuesday 12 August

Kaylia had a school assembly this morning .... the Year Six class put on an item about the soccer World Cup .... and Kaylia had a role!  Although it's not her class, she was holding a flag.

She really  is there!  She's the person attached to the hand behind the fella with the drum.

She's come such a long way.  She clearly enjoys being part of a group. She still needs to be prompted at times but gee .... what progress she has made.

In my shed I'm getting back to my recycling "thing" .... this photo is of the steel welding table I made yesterday.  

Apart from the paint, it's zero cost .... made from steel I've collected.  It's VERY heavy ... great for welding.  The 100mm square tube uprights have 10mm thick walls!

#966 Monday 11 August

In a non-auty child, the way we are rearing Kaylia would produce a very selfish child .... I don't think that is even possible for Kaylia.  She is still so enmeshed inside her own sensory world that the concepts of selfish vs selfless don't appear on the horizon. 

She only has her world .... she must be taught every step of social behaviour .... and the concepts of selfish behaviour only make sense in a person that is completely aware of the

people and world around them.

Later:  Therapy time .... I got mixed up last week .... this is the last week of therapy - not last week.

Right now she's doing an exercise where she has to remember a set of instructions and repeat them to another person.... blue square underneath green circle.  She doubts her ability to do it and then when she is encouraged and actually does it, she gets so excited.

#965 Saturday 9 August

I'm sitting on my rocking chair in the bathroom.  Kaylia is in the bath .... with lots of bubbles.  I'm remembering the old days when a bath meant that we had to carefully watch to make sure she didn't turn on the hot water .... or slip over .... or ..... or ..... it was all stress.  Now she looks after herself and really the only reason I'm here is to assuage my own guilt!  .... and the fact that she says she likes the company.

I've been online a short while ago to pay a bill in Indonesia.  What a different world it is today .... distance doesn't mean much.

#964 Thursday 7 August

This morning I asked Kaylia what she would be doing today .... and she used a full sentence to reply with out any prompting!  Kerrie is very good in working with Kaylia on her language and the results are showing.

Kaylia is a bit stressed today and so she is in the "hose zone"  .... note the outside temperature ... 18.4

#963 Tuesday 5 August

It's Alison's last day of therapy with Kaylia .... she will be having her baby soon.  We will miss her.  We're not sure what we will do about therapy from here on ..... maybe split it with some OT and some speech work.

#962 Monday 4 August

"I-was-trick-Alison!"   Kaylia is very pleased with herself.  It seems strange to be actually teaching her to engage in a form of deceit (in therapy) but the key is in the empathy and flexibility of thought processes that are both needed to do this.  Neither comes naturally to her .... not like a non-auty child.

#961 Sunday 3 August

Sunday afternoon at Bunnings .... there are no noisy children in the play area so Kaylia is having a great time.  Despite her development and improvement, she still can't handle the "wah-wahs".  If they're present, then she'd rather not be!

Then it was off to the office to do a minor maintenance task .......... then ..... ice cream!