in the right job

The last couple of days I have had such good sessions with kids at work.  I am working at a couple of special schools at the moment - so what I am aiming for with a lot of the children is communication, engagement and relationship.  I have been using interactive storytelling a lot - call and response repetitive poems and stories around a stretchy piece of lovely blue spandex.  I lead the kids in a story with repeating phrases and actions, and they help with the characters and responses.

Just in the last day there have been responses from kids that I have never heard verbalise before - one girl said 'help' and 'oh no' today - first thing I have heard her say in three years - we nearly all fell off our chairs - one lovely very autistic five year old boy did all the actions to the story (The Gruffalo) and replied emphatically 'NO' when asked if there was a giraffe in the story, and one ten year old boy with Down's Syndrome said 'thank you' at the end of the session - the teachers have never heard him say anything - and it was caught on video as well!.

My job is awesome sometimes - I get to be creative, catch the joy, hear their first words, build up their vocabulary, play with rhythms and rhymes, and talk all day.  It takes a bit of planning and thought, and laminating and resource making, and trial and error.  It takes teachers and teacher aides who are willing to go along with my craziness and practice language every day with the kids.

There is research and background knowledge and rationale behind all the strategies I try.  I use the spaghetti method of communication therapy - throw everything at the wall and see what sticks - signs, symbols, talking, technology.  But the moment you can't plan for is when the kid peeks out at you from under a parachute and smiles, and finishes the poem 'Connor is someone that I know, but not as scary as the ....... 'u-o-o' (gruffalo).

God certainly had me in the right place at the right time today.