Starting over, where to begin...

[Guest guest]

I have been on hiatus if you will, way too long. Living here in rural Montana I

only have myself for any kind of interventions with Kenzie. I won't go through

my history because most of you already know it. I haven't done anything ABA

wise with Kenzie so long and he desperately needs it. I have been focusing on

biomedical interventions and a lot on doing the SC diet which is very

consuming. But now I must thrust ahead with some VB.

I'm writing this for suggestions and for motivation. My head feels like mush

any more. I've tried so many different things spinning in so many different

directions. I feel the diet is critical for Kenzie but I know I need to work on

academic and life skills. I'm so bad at being organized. I need to begin all

over again. How do I approach it? I know the table will be aversive at first.

Keep in mind that food and videos are his main reinforcers both of which he has

been getting freely because of where my focus has been. My eyes are glazed over

from reading posts on the internet on diet. Food can no longer be a reinforcer

so don't even suggest that. I can hold back a couple of favorite videos to use.

He's not really interested in any toys. Based upon that it's somewhat hard for

me to pair myself with the table as reinforcement when there's not too much

available. He's has been doing DTT at school but only about 45 minutes per day

and not happily.

This is what he is working on at school. Various mands. Tacts for practical

things that he uses at school, i.e., pencil, crayon, scissors, etc. Social

skills of learning students names by using pictures with names. Classroom

readiness learning their morning song, standing independently, walking to the

regular ed classroom from the resource room with aide way behind, lining up for

activities, putting work away, getting out folder, and giving completed work to

regular ed teacher. Self help skills of working fasteners and taking off shoes

and outdoor wear and going to the bathroom independently. Academic is reading

labels and matching with picture, counting from 1-50 and count out groups of

items. Interverbal has been " Where are you going? " and " What are you doing? " .

Motor imitation. Ok that's it. Sorry for all of that but I wanted to give you

the big picture. I would like to collaborate with the school teaching lesson

but I think he's capable of so much more.

Here's his current skill level as I know it. His counting varies but generally

he can count rote 1-40. He can randomly identify the numbers 1-20 but gets

mixed up after that. He can count out objects up to ten. On a worksheet he can

have, say four objects with three different answers and he has to say which

answer is correct. He knows his ABC's and he can identify all letters both

upper and lower case. He can read approximately six words because we've worked

on them. We've just started visual phonics, which by the way if anyone has

done that please email me privately. I have questions. He can tact 50-60

objects. He can mand for anything he wants with one word but we're working on

making him expand his mands. His receptive language is pretty good. He can't

write at all so I've found the writing posts very interesting. Everything has

failed in that area for us but we have not worked it nearly enough. He doesn't

color. He can cut ok. Self help is still pretty weak and he is not potty

trained for BM's. That saga never ends. I can't think of anything else right

now.

Based on the above what would you recommend for one hour per day after school?

He is currently in regular ed kindergarten/lst grade classroom about 70% of his

day with the rest of the time with one on one. He has a full time aide but she

is trying to back off some in the classroom to give him independence. What do

you think he should be working on and how much should I focus on various things.

Should I have a full curriculum and touch on things briefly or fewer things and

spend more time on them. For you newbies, I have done ABA/VB on and off for

five years. For some reason I feel like I'm brand new. I'm so out of touch

and burned out but I have taken too much time off.

How best can I organize myself? It seems when he comes home he's so hungry and

with SC diet you spend a lot of time preparing things. Next thing I know it's

late afternoon and time for the rest of the kids to come home. I'm curious how

many of you still do VB after school all by yourself or do most of you have

tutors.

Total rambling here. As I said my mind is mush after all these years and all

these therapies. Please forgive for this long post. I hope to hear from

supportive, inventive and creative people.

Thanks

Penny

Kenzie 7 y.o.