The Joseph Robert Shaw Foundation

Helping Children Recover from Brain Injury

Communicating His Needs

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   Asking for help on his eye gaze AAC device is something we’ve wanted Joey to be able to do for a long time. We model the phrase “I need help” and try to encourage him to use the help icon as much as he can to tell us what he needs. And he will use it, occasionally.

Joey’s never been a fan of being given the specific words to use in any given situation. I learned this awhile ago when I tried to get him to use the word want. He used every possible word but want, and ended up working a lot harder than he needed to. [Read more…]

Where does inclusion fall in Joey’s journey?

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As we prepare Joey for kindergarten, we are looking into the large question of what does an appropriate school program look like for Joey?

So far, Joey appears to be around grade level. He knows his letters and numbers, can answer questions about a story, and asks his own questions in his own way. He understands early phonics skills, and tends to learn new information quickly.

Of course, all of this knowledge he demonstrates through his eye gaze device, or from being given an answer field of two to three choices and asked to choose one, either with his eyes or his hand.

What educational setting will set Joey up for the most long-term success? [Read more…]

Looking Towards Kindergarten

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As this school year wraps up, it’s impossible to not think about what next school year will hold. Joey and my own daughter are both entering kindergarten, and I find myself often nervous about both of their transitions into big kid school.

All parents feel big emotions as we get ready to send our children off to kindergarten for the first time. The bus seems so big, those school expectations feel so official, and our kids seem so small. I’m not sure anything compares to what a parent of a child with disabilities feels as they prepare for kindergarten.

You are being asked to put your trust in another adult, and can do nothing but pray that the adults in the school will see your child as you do. Will they honor the individual child in front of them? Will there be enough wait time between asking questions? Enough explanations of rules and routines? Enough nurture? Enough well balanced kindness and firmness? Will my child be set up to succeed, or to fail? Do these teachers believe my child can achieve and be a part of the class? Do they see my child as a burden, or as a joy? [Read more…]

Cookie Fiasco! Another great book for supporting core words

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Most of you know my love for Piggie and Gerald books – or just Mo Willems in general. Sadly, Mo Willems ended his Piggie and Gerald series a few years ago, but the characters will show up in other children’s books to introduce and end the book. 

Although these books are not written by Mo Willems, they have the same silly nature that Willem’s books typically have. Which of course, also makes them excellent for reading to encourage AAC use.

Joey and I are in the midst of reading The Cookie Fiasco, a nerve-wracking tale of four friends who are asked to share three cookies. (As a preschooler, can you imagine anything more horrible?) The book takes us through the character’s extreme emotions and attempts at problem solving until the cookies accidentally break into 12 pieces, leaving each character with 3 pieces. [Read more…]

How do we truly assess student knowledge?

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It’s spring, which means it’s time for end of year assessments in schools all across the country. This year, I’m making no exception for Joey.

Typically, I’m constantly assessing Joey’s skills throughout our sessions so that I can plan our next activities to target what he’s ready to learn next. This spring, since Joey is going into kindergarten in the fall, I thought it was time to get some hard data on more isolated academic skills. [Read more…]

Saturday Serenade

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Test post for Saturday Serenades https://www.musichealsglennjan.com/saturday-serenades

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