More Team Luke

Hi Dear Ones…

It has been a very hectic time for Luke. Last Friday, we were into Lucile Packard Hospital, to the Infant and Behavioural and Development Unit to see the wonderful Dr Brian Tang. It was a follow-up evaluation from the one we had done when he was 17 months old. Once again it was to evaluate if he was moving toward the Autism spectrum, and discuss the forthcoming transition from Early intervention into an education setting when he turns three (in 4 weeks) yikes! He was very helpful and kind. Believed that the best plan for Luke was to keep in a very small environment, with one-to-one tuition. He agreed that he was not Autistic, or on the Autism spectrum, which was very pleasing to Si and I.

Here is what the lovely Mayra (ST) had to say about Luke last week….

It was a busy week for Luke it seems. Lot’s going on in all therapies. This is what we focused on in speech last week and are also working on this week:

-Oral motor and sensory with more vibration to lips, tongue and larynx
-turn taking with toys-I get his attention with a cool toy, use it and have him reach for it as in taking a turn
-Choosing between two objects
extended vocalization-Luke is “singing along” to familiar songs with me and the computer
-the sound /oooo/ and /eeee/ intentionally produced in imitation along with songs
-face to face games that have lots of movement with and without sound
-intentional gestural communication-reaching, showing, pointing, pushing away
-first signs (more, all done) in hand over hand-he used to mind this a lot and now he gives me his hands to move for him!!

Luke has been very focused on faces and facial movements lately so I plan on capitalizing on that interest.
He did two things last week I thought were especially cool:
1. I hid his favorite picture book under a pile of papers as he watched me and then he swiped the pile off the book and smiled as he found it and reached for it. 2. My phone rang next to him (I think that i phone ring is familiar to Luke) and I did not pick it up. He looked at me and the phone several times back and forth with a look that just screamed, “Aren’t you going to get that?”…The End!

Love Rachel