I have been wanting to do
Tot School through
1+1+1=1 since "B" was born. I keep waiting for when he would be ready to do some of the typical Tot School things...and it never arrives. My older son was doing Tot School activities (all though I didn't know it at the time) around 15 months but "B" is just different. At almost 19 months he still says ZERO words, won't play traditionally, won't let me read to him, isn't safe in a seat, constantly puts things in his mouth, and does thrill-seeking (AND DANGEROUS) activities. This week we had him evaluated for speech and it turns out he most likely has Sensory Processing Disorder. Evidently my little guy's brain doesn't feel some of his senses as strongly as most people, which leads to him sensory seeking. This sensory imbalance is effecting him learning things like speech. We are meeting with an occupational therapist and coming up with an Individualized Family Service Plan next week. I am overwhelmed to say the least (but at least I know what to focus on). Before the diagnosis I was focusing more on speech. I learned to focus on farm animals for early intervention speech because farm animal noises correspond with the first sounds babies make (B, W, M, N, D, and P). Here was our first week of Tot school (actually 2 weeks) on farm animals:
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| 18 months/3 weeks |
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| Farm Animals and Blocks Play |
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| Rice Pouring (he LOVES pouring)- he still puts things in his mouth though ;0( |
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| This was one of the best ideas I did this week (put mini farm animals in his snack cup). He really has to work to get them in and out which was fun for him. Great tool to use for play !!! Each time he pulled one out I would say the name and make the sound. With speech it is important to only focus on ONE word then add more once they get it. |
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| They can go in the corral too! |
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| Baby App voted one of the best for Early Speech Intervention (Peek-a-boo Barn) We love it. |
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| He just started coloring recently. I added farm stickers (oh MAN did he love the stickers). Had a fit when they were gone. Putting stickers on what actually a difficult task |
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| More pouring and transferring-this time with porcupine balls |
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| Putting pipecleaners in a Parmesan Shaker. He actually did great sticking them in the hole, but had difficulty pushing them down. It kept him busy for a bit. |
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| A very SIMPLE farm puzzle because his attention span is so low! |
"B" just started to show an interest into books. He still won't let me read to him for long but he will sit through one book. I pulled out a lot of the same books I read during my 5-A-Day books quite awhile back. You can see the five books I read and learn more about
5-A-Day from this
post. I would like to get back into doing the 5-A-Day challenge, but was getting so discouraged with "B's" disinterest in reading. Considering my focus has been in libraries it was pretty devastating because I know how valuable reading is. In addition to the five books from the post we also read this Little People's book called Baby Animal Sounds. I can't find it on amazon but is cloth with a button that babies can push that make farm animal sounds. If you can find it I highly recommend it.
Isn't it hard when the younger child doesn't follow the same patterns of development as the older one? We've experienced this at our house too, and are working with a speech pathologist to find ways to encourage our youngest son to be more verbal. Thanks for sharing ... and for setting such a wonderful example as a mother!
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