Week 4

Sept. 3-6, 2013

I'm learning by leaps and bounds. There is so much to take in, so much to remember, and especially so much I never, ever learned through a textbook in a classroom that I'm learning in real life right now. This time, I'll mention some of the things I'm learning from the students, specifically.

Andrew - the only surviving triplet of his deceased siblings (however, he currently has a 7-yr-old brother). Bryan has been working with him for 6 years now and he mentioned that he noticed Andrew has slipped into somewhat of a depression over the years. Andrew has congenital blindness and a lot of other sensory impairments. This is probably THE most challenging student on Bryan's caseload. I feel very insecure and I have a great lack of knowledge in working with Andrew. I am learning little by little and Bryan is allowing me to work through my fears (which I hate at the moment, but am thankful for when it's over with). Today, when I was walking with Andrew back to his class and supporting his crocodile, I started to question (in all honesty) if I would really be able to do this job. However, Andrew's progress (in what I've seen so far) has been phenomenal. Bryan got him to walk all the way back to his class from the sensory playground 2 days in a row and this was a HUGE milestone for him (only dropping one time).

Jacob - kindergarten student with congenital blindness and issues with his thyroid (weight gain issues). This student is also VERY challenging for me. This kid is mostly dead weight and when he is asked to lift a finger, he whines really loud. It is hard to identify what motivates him. Bryan was so creative in his approach with this kid. I feel like I would have NEVER come up with the things that he did in working with Jacob. For instance, this particular day we were in the gym - Bryan wanted Jacob to practice tummy time to strengthen his arms. He placed him on the gym floor and he said that normally, Jacob is repulsed from being on the floor and fights to get up so it forces him to use his arm and leg muscles. However, he was not moving. In fact, he started to fall asleep. So creatively, Bryan decides to move him closer to another student who was also practicing tummy time, because he knew this would repulse Jacob and get him to move. Ironically, Jacob just continued to lay there! So, Bryan puts the kid on top of Jacob and that is when we finally got him to start moving. It turned out that we got Jacob to move his arms and legs so much and strengthen his quads and hamstrings that he was smiling once he was back in his wheelchair and he was going back to class. Today, Bryan noticed Jacob in his class using his wheelchair to get around class and during our time with Jacob - instead of encouraging him to move in tummy time position, we got him to be mobile with the use of the wheelchair. This was really cool.

Austin - total blindness; walks with cane; just started walking 2 yrs ago; experiences balance issues; high school student; one of my favorite students; great personality and attitude about life; what a privilege to work with and learn from him! I really enjoy working with this kid. He has such a great attitude about life. When I accidentally walked him into a padded wall in the gym (by accident, of course), he made this goofy laugh and I will never forget it. I felt so bad, but this gave me an opportunity to see this forgiving side of him. I've really enjoyed working with Austin. Bryan has allowed me to work completely independent with Austin and every time I give this student instruction, he is always so positive and ready to go. We worked on routes in the school and curbs outside. He is learning to use his cane for support when going up and down curbs. This was something new I did not learn in school.

Michelle - high school with RP that totally amazes me. We are working to incorporate the use of the blindfold to prepare her for Cane Quest. We introduced her to the Book Port Plus, which will be used at Cane Quest for verbal directions. Together, she and I were instructed by Bryan out of the school and along the front of the building (along the sidewalk) toward the lighted intersection. I used a cane and so did she. She walked way faster than I did. When we got to the lighted intersection, I took off my blindfold and instructed her across each of the four corners of the intersection. She was so nervous and kept expressing angst, but she did not realize how good she was at what she was doing.

Alesia - pre-k student with CVI (missing corpus collosum). I absolutely love this darling little girl. She is so sweet and cute. Bryan tells me that sometimes the "sweet and cute" is the biggest culprit with these kids. He is gently reminding me not to get so hung up on the cuteness and to focus on the skills these kids need to attain for independence purposes. I really connected with Alesia (the first time) when Bryan left us alone just outside the playground. That is when I found out she loved being sung to and it made her spirit just rest. It was so beautiful the way she became so still and listened intently to my voice as I made a new song about her. After this, we pushed her on the tire swing (her favorite) and she allowed another kid to swing with her.

I could go on and on and on, but I will save the rest of my experiences for another excerpt.