Making Progress: Slowly But Surely
Miguel has attended three therapy classes so far and I’m so happy with the recent feedback from his teacher.
Making Progress: Slowly But Surely
I said in my previous post that he regressed which made the first two sessions (actually, it was the initial assessment and then the first therapy class) with his teacher a bit difficult. I was alarmed because he was being uncooperative even when it came to his two most favorite matching activities – the shape blocks and the vehicle form board.
So, what we did was refocus on these two activities while at home and it paid off because his teacher said that Miguel was a lot easier to prompt to do those tasks during his most recent session.
I asked Miguel’s teacher if we could already consider that as a form of progress and she unhesitatingly said yes, he was definitely improving. I was so ecstatic to hear that. I said that progress is still progress even if it’s slow. I'd be the happiest dad as long as my son is making improvements even if it takes time.
Miguel is a contented boy
There’s just one new behavioral issue that recently came up. Well, I didn’t realize it was an issue until Miguel’s teacher told me about it. She asked me if Miguel had a recent bad experience with bathroom sinks because he seemed afraid to go to the toilet. That’s when I told her the story when Miguel suddenly cried and became agitated while he was being bathed in our bathroom around two weeks ago.
His yaya told me that he seemed to have seen something in the window that scared him. From then on, he wouldn’t go inside our bathroom anymore. I thought that it was only our bathroom that he didn’t like; turns out he’s now afraid of bathrooms, in general.
Miguel’s teacher emphasized that he should be able to get over that fear so we have to gradually reintroduce him again to using the bathroom.
Another matter that I pointed out to his teacher is that when at home, Miguel is cooperative. For example, it’s generally easy to convince him to wash his hands before eating and after playing. It’s been part of his daily routine so it’s a normal activity for him. The problem would arise when he is in another place, like when he is at school, and he would unexpectedly become uncooperative and wouldn’t want to wash his hands.
What I’m just saying is that we wouldn’t know how to react to those unforeseen situations because we’re not used to them happening at home. How can we address something when we don’t realize that they’re possible setbacks in the first place? Miguel is generally contented and doesn’t have any tantrums as long as he is not hungry and he is not bored.
The change in the environment seems to be triggering the shift in the behavior of Miguel. Realizing that made me worried again. On the other hand, it’s also good that we’re aware that things so that we could be ready for them in the event that they do happen.
Well, that’s GDD. It’s unpredictable and full of surprises.