Still Chugging Along

Early this week Iulia and I spent most of our days in the anger management sessions with selected children.  Some of them came with examples of when they used the things we had previously taught, which is encouraging even if they only employed them a couple times.  I have also observed a few of them using (or trying to use) what they learned.  This week we provided them with more strategies to regulate their anger/frustration, such as squeezing their hands/feet together, putting something in their mouth, stomping the ground (instead of someone else!), and closing their eyes or turning the other direction.  After practicing them each one identified their favorite; many liked the first three options.  Next we played a game with colored candies that required them to give the number of responses as they had candies of that color (i.e. 3 red candies= 3 responses).  The prompts asked what they could do when they get angry/frustrated, what they can say when they don't like what someone did, and what nice things they can say to someone else.  For each correct response they won that piece of candy.  With two weeks until our next session we told them to practice everything they have learned, rely on each other, and report back what strategies they practiced.  I'll be on the lookout as well and providing guidance to make the better decision when needed.

With the help of the caregivers I was still able to conduct a few group activities with the children this week.  One day the older children made picture frames out of popcicle sticks.  First they had to choose four different children and write a nice adjective that describes him/her.  Then they exchanged the popcicle sticks, which served as the border of the picture frame.  Next came the task of decorating; which, of course included taking turns, sharing, and asking politely to use various materials.  Throughout the week I have been taking pictures of them playing nicely with each other and will develop the pictures to put in the frames.

The following day the younger children made butterflies which will be given to the older adults they visit with one of the sisters.  Using a popcicle stick as the body the children wrote a nice message (primarily "have a good day").  Next they traced their hands and cut them out for the wings (yay fine motor skill development!).  Finally they decorated the wings with stickers, markers, colored shapes, and string.  Many of them need encouragement to slow down and take their time; several need one-on-one attention for honing their cutting skills (which I've been trying to do a bit in my play time with them).  As with the older children I was definitely pleased with the way they shared, waited their turn, and used their manners when asking for materials. 

Because the majority of the children have spent several session with me one-on-one I have started to ask the children if they want to play together with someone.  Many, but not all, opt for this choice.  It's a great way for them to employ the skills they have learned individually and facilitate their interaction with one another.  Plus they enjoy teach each other the games they have learned and exploring new activities together.  The most difficult task is having them work together on projects (e.g. building a house, making an object with Play-doh) rather than doing these things in parallel.  With three weeks to go I think some positive changes in this area can still be made.

At the meeting this week with the caregivers I attempted to tackle the difficult subject of sensory regulation.  Before starting I composed a mini-Sensory Profile survey for them to take (on themselves).  This allowed them to get an idea of what the topic entailed, and get them thinking about various children who might respond strongly to the items.  Then we talked about each sense, I introduced the proprioceptive and vestibular senses, and we discussed the consequences of too much or too little stimulation.  Next week we'll delve into strategies to address sensory integration issues, specifically those concerning a few of the children here (although most of the behavioral issues are truly behavior related and not sensory related).  It's a tough topic to grasp, but they seemed engaged in learning something they never heard about before.

All in all a successful week sprinkled with positive changes during my daily observations (mostly from the children).  After two fairly frustrating weeks it was refreshing to have one that was more upbeat.  As more and more children begin returning from Italy I'm eager to see how they will integrate back into Casa Sperantei, and how both groups will teach each other the positive behaviors they gained this summer.