Austin started preschool this week. He did great! It's at our church so he calls it "church school". He goes twice a week for two and a half hours. He has 21 kids in his class, so it's a full bunch! There are three teachers though, so they get lots of attention. He loves it so far, and he loves wearing his Diego backpack every day.
Yesterday, Aidan got mad at Austin for something and bopped him on the head. Austin looked right at Aidan, and in a rather loud and stern voice, let him know that "his teachers said no hitting!" It was so funny cause he was so serious about it.
Anyways, I can't believe both of my boys are in some form of school. Now if I can just get rid of those pesky diapers at nap (sadly, the nap is quickly disappearing and that's another post in and of itself!) and bedtime. He is being so stubborn with potty training! I just want to be done with it!!! Diapers are the last baby hurdle to be jumped in this family, and we are so ready to keep running past "baby life" and never look back!
Cherene :)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Arrrrrgh!
Well, it seems that Aidan is facing many of the same struggles he faced last year in school. His teacher is really great, and stays in constant contact with us, so for that we are thankful. She is trying all sorts of things to help him, and I really can't believe how patient and caring she is being. I know it's her job, but she truly seems to care about Aidan.
He is having trouble focusing, staying on task, working independently. He doodles a lot, bounces and moves a lot, sings a lot, talks way too much!!! He is also very impulsive and now getting in trouble for for bad behavior. He plays in the bathroom (has always struggled with this for some reason, and we have no idea why!). She gives him many more warnings than the other kids because he can't help much of what he is doing, but he continues to be disruptive in class. When he is supposed to be working on a task by himself, he rarely gets anything done, and what he does do is rushed and not his best work. When an adult sits right with him and keeps him on task, he does much better. It's the same at home when he has to do homework. He can't be left alone to do it, and if there are any other distractions in the house, forget about it!!!
I love that boy with all my heart, but my goodness is he stressing us out! His teacher has set up some sort of meeting with herself, the principal, mom & dad, and some other people (I think the meeting had a certain name but I can't remember, not an IEP but something else). In the meeting we will work out some ways to help Aidan improve and be successful. He may also do group social once a week to work on his impulsiveness. She already has some strategies she is putting into place, and then we will meet again in like six weeks to see if he is doing better. If not, we will have to go to the next step (clinical diagnosis and medication maybe?) Aidan does really well with the timer she has in her class, so she is getting a personal one that he can use at his desk. She has moved his seat, but she doesn't want to put him completely by himself and isolate him unless she absolutely has to. She is also going to put some sort of large rubber band around the front legs of his chair. This should allow him to bounce his legs and feet without being disruptive and making noise.
We have always said that if he could handle school, we could handle his behavior at home and outside of school. But lately, he just seems so out of control. His body is constantly moving and he cries and throws tantrums about everything! Friday after school is awful. Church is even worse! It's at the point now where I don't even want to take him to church for fear of how is going to act in front of other people. That's so awful for me even to admit!
I know a lot of this is due to him getting used to being in school all day, instead of just the afternoon. He did seem to mellow out a couple months into school, but he's not in Kindergarten anymore! 1st grade has so much more work and so much more is expected of them. We are afraid to let this go to far and have him fall behind. That's why we are being so proactive right now. He is a really bright boy, his teacher even says so, but his issues are causing him to not be able to concentrate and do the work.
On a brighter note, at least he still likes school. I know he has a great teacher because even through all this, he hasn't complained once about her or about school. It doesn't even seem to phase him really, not until he gets in trouble at home for getting in trouble at school. Then the "I'm sorry's" come along with weeping and gnashing of teeth (only cause he just got something taken away!)
Whew! Sorry for the long post. I just needed to get that all out. It's so frustrating watching your child misbehave and struggle. I hope and pray that we can figure out a solution for our little guy! He is so outgoing and funny and imaginative. I just want those qualities to shine through and not all the other stuff!!!
Cherene
He is having trouble focusing, staying on task, working independently. He doodles a lot, bounces and moves a lot, sings a lot, talks way too much!!! He is also very impulsive and now getting in trouble for for bad behavior. He plays in the bathroom (has always struggled with this for some reason, and we have no idea why!). She gives him many more warnings than the other kids because he can't help much of what he is doing, but he continues to be disruptive in class. When he is supposed to be working on a task by himself, he rarely gets anything done, and what he does do is rushed and not his best work. When an adult sits right with him and keeps him on task, he does much better. It's the same at home when he has to do homework. He can't be left alone to do it, and if there are any other distractions in the house, forget about it!!!
I love that boy with all my heart, but my goodness is he stressing us out! His teacher has set up some sort of meeting with herself, the principal, mom & dad, and some other people (I think the meeting had a certain name but I can't remember, not an IEP but something else). In the meeting we will work out some ways to help Aidan improve and be successful. He may also do group social once a week to work on his impulsiveness. She already has some strategies she is putting into place, and then we will meet again in like six weeks to see if he is doing better. If not, we will have to go to the next step (clinical diagnosis and medication maybe?) Aidan does really well with the timer she has in her class, so she is getting a personal one that he can use at his desk. She has moved his seat, but she doesn't want to put him completely by himself and isolate him unless she absolutely has to. She is also going to put some sort of large rubber band around the front legs of his chair. This should allow him to bounce his legs and feet without being disruptive and making noise.
We have always said that if he could handle school, we could handle his behavior at home and outside of school. But lately, he just seems so out of control. His body is constantly moving and he cries and throws tantrums about everything! Friday after school is awful. Church is even worse! It's at the point now where I don't even want to take him to church for fear of how is going to act in front of other people. That's so awful for me even to admit!
I know a lot of this is due to him getting used to being in school all day, instead of just the afternoon. He did seem to mellow out a couple months into school, but he's not in Kindergarten anymore! 1st grade has so much more work and so much more is expected of them. We are afraid to let this go to far and have him fall behind. That's why we are being so proactive right now. He is a really bright boy, his teacher even says so, but his issues are causing him to not be able to concentrate and do the work.
On a brighter note, at least he still likes school. I know he has a great teacher because even through all this, he hasn't complained once about her or about school. It doesn't even seem to phase him really, not until he gets in trouble at home for getting in trouble at school. Then the "I'm sorry's" come along with weeping and gnashing of teeth (only cause he just got something taken away!)
Whew! Sorry for the long post. I just needed to get that all out. It's so frustrating watching your child misbehave and struggle. I hope and pray that we can figure out a solution for our little guy! He is so outgoing and funny and imaginative. I just want those qualities to shine through and not all the other stuff!!!
Cherene
Friday, September 5, 2008
Busy, Busy, Busy
So...sorry about the long delay in posting. We have been really busy with school starting and church going to one service this coming Sunday. We (ok, mostly Chuck) have been painting the downstairs of the church and rearranging all the kids' rooms, so that has taken up a majority of our time the last couple weeks.
School started for Aidan, and so far so good. I will have to post some pictures as soon as I get them off of our camera. The first day they had a choice of cheeseburger or grab bag for lunch. He chose grab bag, but when he got home he told me he had a cheeseburger. The grab bag, he discovered, did not contain a toy!!! We had to inform him that lunch would never come with a toy at school. Very cute! His teacher is super nice and staying in contact with parents is very important to her. She even called two nights ago to check in with us and let us know he was doing really well. She has noticed some of the concerns we talked with her about (trouble focusing in the afternoon, doodling more etc...) but said it's nothing to be concerned with yet. He has awoken every day ready to go to school, so we are hopeful that the good attitude will continue!
Aidan had to get a tooth pulled yesterday, and he was so brave. His mouth is very small, and he needed more room for at least the 4 bottom front teeth to come in right. The dentist did let me know that he was in for lots of dental work and braces when he gets older. Woo Hoo! Large dentist bills, just what I always wanted!!! His oral surgeon and the whole staff were extremely friendly and great with Aidan. After he got some laughing gas and the dentist came in, they sent me out of the room. Aidan did completely fine. They said he layed very still for them, and he even had to get two stitches. Aidan told me later he just grabbed his legs instead of squeezing my hand. He absolutely loves going to the dentist. He wasn't scared at all, and he practically talked the nurse's ear off before the procedure! Needless to say, the tooth fairy brought extra last night. She even left a note with fairy dust on it. She also allowed him to keep his tooth for a few days so he could show it off. (I'm not sure how I feel about perpetuating the tooth fairy lie to that extreme, but he got a huge kick out of it. We'll just be paying for lots of therapy later on, along with the dental bills!)
Ok, I am off to bed. It's been a long week, and I really hope my boys sleep in tomorrow. Now that we are on school schedule, I am highly doubting it. But since they stayed up later, there is that slight chance. A girl can hope, right?!
Cherene :)
School started for Aidan, and so far so good. I will have to post some pictures as soon as I get them off of our camera. The first day they had a choice of cheeseburger or grab bag for lunch. He chose grab bag, but when he got home he told me he had a cheeseburger. The grab bag, he discovered, did not contain a toy!!! We had to inform him that lunch would never come with a toy at school. Very cute! His teacher is super nice and staying in contact with parents is very important to her. She even called two nights ago to check in with us and let us know he was doing really well. She has noticed some of the concerns we talked with her about (trouble focusing in the afternoon, doodling more etc...) but said it's nothing to be concerned with yet. He has awoken every day ready to go to school, so we are hopeful that the good attitude will continue!
Aidan had to get a tooth pulled yesterday, and he was so brave. His mouth is very small, and he needed more room for at least the 4 bottom front teeth to come in right. The dentist did let me know that he was in for lots of dental work and braces when he gets older. Woo Hoo! Large dentist bills, just what I always wanted!!! His oral surgeon and the whole staff were extremely friendly and great with Aidan. After he got some laughing gas and the dentist came in, they sent me out of the room. Aidan did completely fine. They said he layed very still for them, and he even had to get two stitches. Aidan told me later he just grabbed his legs instead of squeezing my hand. He absolutely loves going to the dentist. He wasn't scared at all, and he practically talked the nurse's ear off before the procedure! Needless to say, the tooth fairy brought extra last night. She even left a note with fairy dust on it. She also allowed him to keep his tooth for a few days so he could show it off. (I'm not sure how I feel about perpetuating the tooth fairy lie to that extreme, but he got a huge kick out of it. We'll just be paying for lots of therapy later on, along with the dental bills!)
Ok, I am off to bed. It's been a long week, and I really hope my boys sleep in tomorrow. Now that we are on school schedule, I am highly doubting it. But since they stayed up later, there is that slight chance. A girl can hope, right?!
Cherene :)
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