Social Stories

Social stories

Old social stories;  

When Caroline was younger she screamed all the time!! She was difficult to control at school and at home.   Here are some social stories that we had when she was in school

1) When I come in school with Mommy (Amy Self), I can stop and say "HI!" to the fish.  I will use walking feet in the hallway.  I will walk down the hallway.  I will walk down the hallway to my teacher's room.  I will not scream in the hallway.  I will walk into the classroom, put my backpack in my cubby and go play.

With kids on the spectrum, looking at other kids is difficult.  They are in their own world and they don't like to acknowledge others. 

2) We sit on the carpet and wait our turn.  The teacher sings to each friend.  When it is my turn, I will stand up.  I sill shake hands and say "good morning".  When the teacher says, "How are you?' I will tell her how I am feeling.  I can say "happy", "sleepy', "sad", "silly", "mad" or any other way I feel.  On Monday, the teacher will ask me about my weekend.  When the teacher asks me about my weekend, I will tell her some fun things I did.

                 This took many weeks to get right.  Caroline did not want to touch another person and did not really know how she felt.  We would practice on the way to school.  

3) When it is rest time, I will rest quietly.  I will not take toys from home living.  I will not talk loudly.  I will stay in my area and rest quietly.  I will not kick the wall.  I will lie on te floor quietly.  If a teacher tries to help me, I will not scream.

         Many of Caroline's social stories had "I will not scream" somewhere in them.

Social stories today  These are either posted near where the social story takes place, such as the bathroom or a t.v., or Caroline holds it and takes it with her such as walking down a hall or going to Sunday school.

 

1) When we watch T.V. it is okay to sing along with the songs or to answer questions that the characters ask.  When the t.v. show is over it is not okay to repeat the lines of the show. This is called T.V. talk and it is not okay to do when you are playing with friends, sitting in class, or listening to a story at school.  If your mom says it is okay, you may t.v. talk at home.

 2)  When sitting down in a chair you sit on your bottom, not on your feet.  When you sit on your bottom you are able to sit still and able to listen to your teacher.

3)  T.V. shows  have what is called a laugh track.  This is used on T.V. shows instead of a real audience.  I will not walk around home or school and tell jokes to myself and use a laugh track.  

 

4)  Games are fun.  The Wii and the DSI XL are okay but you can only play games after you study.  School work comes first and if you study a little every day then you don't have to study so much the week or the night before the test.  To play your Wii or DSI you must have homework done and anything else mom says.

5) When taking a shower I will wash all body parts and rinse off the water completely.  When washing my hair I will scrub my scalp to get all of the hair clean and I will rinse my hair until all the shampoo is out.  Taking a quick shower is not a good idea if I don't get my hair rinsed completely.

Rhythm and Rhymes

Eye hand coordination

Here are some of the fun rhymes that the kids do to engage each other and to work on hand eye coordination.

 

Decorating

 I'm trying to decorate for Fall.

My first project is a fall wreath.  I need to add some more leaves around the edge, it seems to have lost some ummph.  I bought the "S" from Hobby Lobby and bought the brown paint from Ace Hardware. It doesn't say what color the brown is on the can so I'm not sure....

My next project is to hang pictures and two shadow boxes.  Hmmm. That sounds like a lot so maybe I'll just cook some holiday treats. ;).

Massage therapy and working every Saturday

I'm a massage therapist....not a masseuse, and the downfalls of my job and me working every Saturday.......

I have to correct people who call me a masseuse.  No, those are people who give "happy endings".  We are Massage therapists and if you can't remember that we know 200 ways to hurt you and 200 muscles that can be hurt. :)

 Things to remember when getting a massage

1) take a shower

2) shave your legs.  One day growth is not bad but when I cut myself on your leg hair, we have a problem.

3) IF YOU ARE PREGNANT....FOR GOD SAKE........TELL THE FRONT DESK PEOPLE OR THE THERAPIST.  some therapists do not do pregnancy massage and it is best to wait until the second trimester.

My parents take care of my kids one Saturday a month.  The other Saturdays they go see their dad.  My mom said she didn't see them enough so she asked if she could have one Saturday.  Sure, no problem.  In the month of September, there are 5 Saturdays.  I called my dad to remind him that they had the kids this Saturday and he says, "OH NO.... I thought I told you."  no, i say.

My dad then tells me he and my mom are going to Tenn to see my nephew's football game.  Ok. 1) I wasn't invited and my other sister was.  I wouldn't go but I'd like to be invited.  2) they could have gone to any other game...

 So, I had to call about 8 people to see if they could take my kids on Saturday.  Most people are busy and some people just can't handle both my kids.  Caroline is a picky eater and Lauren will talk your ear off. I know if you have kids of your own then it is a task to take on two more but help a friend out just one Saturday!!!

I finally got in touch with one of my babysitters and she was glad to do it.  The only thing is since friends couldn't help me out I lost money today.

The kids had a great time.  They went to the park and played hard. They got McDonald's and they got to come back home and play their electronic games and watch youtube.

The Special Needs Wish List

The Special Needs Wish List

 Special needs children are a blessing and a challenge! There are not enough hours in a day to get everything done.  If I could have people at my side to help with anything I needed this is what my world would look like

 

1) Help with all the therapy: Program is what we do.  I would do more if there were more hours in a day.  There is hope. 

 This is Caroline when she was 5 years old.  One of the therapies is sound therapy , or Samonas. Bring a beer and help me out.

 

 

2) Homework help:  If I have to explain why birds migrate and what inherited traits vs. learned traits are one more time I'm going to scream.  Stop the insanity!  Bring a beer and help me out.

 

 

 3) The Challenge of FOOD;   If you can get this child to eat anything but cheese pizza and pasta without an hour long ordeal; I'll nominate you for the Nobel peace prize. Beer and pizza go great together. No beer for the child but me and you can have one.

4) Give me a break: Take my kids out to play so I can clean the house without them messing things up in 10 min.  Cleaning with kids in the house is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos. 

5) Bring a bat:  IEP meetings are no fun.  Fighting the system takes two.  Either help me with words or bring a bat.  I'm good with either one. 

6) Bring ear plugs:  While the kids are practicing piano, will you stay in the house with them?  I just can't take it anymore.  Piano with Shelly Ann is amazing.  She really knows how to work with kids.  The practice time is what I need help with.

If you know someone with a special needs child give them a hand.  Life events can make us stronger AND kill us at the same time.

The Single Mom's Wish List

Single Mom's wish list

 

As the years have gone by and I get movies or gift cards for Christmas and birthdays, I have begun to realize what I really need.  I love the clothes and gift cards but as a single mother of two, here is what I really need.

 

1) Break from cooking:  Come have dinner with me and the kids. Oh, and you can bring dinner.  Could you clean up afterwards also?

 

 

 

2) Babysit: Could you babysit so I can have a much needed respite from the kids? Just stick them to the wall and check on them every now and then.  

 

 

 

  4) Honey-Do;  I have a honey do list a mile long. Take your pic from hanging pictures, yard work, or grocery shopping.

 

 

4) Sleep:  Get my kids up and dressed and on the bus and let me sleep in just one morning. 

 

 

 

 

 

5: Bail me out:  Don't let it get that far. Come to and IEP with me and help me fight the special education system. 

 

 

 

 

 

Not on the same page

The struggle against evil

I still shelter my kids when it comes to T.V. and movies.  We do not watch t.v., in fact, I was only allowing the kids to watch about an hour on Friday nights and a little on Saturday mornings for about 3 years.  About a year ago, I turned off cable completely.  There is no reason to pay that much for cable when I started a self defense class on Fridays and I started working on Saturdays.

My kids only hear bad stuff from school, their dad and his 3rd wife, and the t.v. or movies he lets them watch.  Caroline casually told me while we were eating dinner tonight that her dad's wife says that adults have the choice of saying bad words.  *great*  I told Caroline that we all have a choice and she has a choice to say any word she wants to and then I have the choice to punish her if it is a word that we have discussed and one that she knows is not a good word.  

I have started letting some words in, it's difficult not to.  An innocent movie can slip in a word and the movie as a whole is okay.  I have talked to my kids enough for them to know that there are more intelligent  words to replace the ugly ones with.

I just wish I wasn't being undermined by other adults.