September round-up

I am so behind on everything but the essentials, but here I am in bed on a Sunday morning with my laptop, so will try to update a bit.

My last entry reported how Jade had just started basic talking with her TA. She was managing one-word answers to questions, and some longer phrases when clearly prompted with two options. She progressed remarkably quickly from then on (for an SM child!), although I now can't remember the exact timings. It was just after I blogged last time that I contacted an SM expert who is conducting a study on using particular computer programs with SM children at home and at school to help them start and then progress with talking with other people around. I was enquiring to see if he might be able to visit us, set us up with the software, give the school staff a much better training on SM than most of them have had (with the exception of Jade's class teacher, who doesn't really seem to have absorbed it very well, sadly). We had a very long, useful and informative phone conversation, which ended with a plan for me to go and talk to the school, get their agreement to go ahead with the software and training, and then come back to him. I did this, but I think it was within the next week that it really seemed we had moved past that point for Jade. Certainly within two weeks from my last entry, she was able to talk fairly freely with the TA as long as no-one else was within earshot. A week after my last post, we started sliding me (and DH, on Wednesdays) out, meaning Jade agrees on us moving further and further away down the corridor, while Jade and the TA are in her office talking and working together. At this stage DH and I had to remember to take a good book with us into school, as sitting in school corridors for an hour at a time gets pretty boring! A week later, we fairly spontaneously tried moving me away during actual classroom time, which is much more challenging for Jade as she is not in such a safe space. The TA had been sitting with her while I sat a couple of chairs away, and then I sat at the back of the classroom. That day, the TA gestured to me if I thought it was worth trying to get me out of the classroom, which I did. She whispered to Jade to see if it was OK with her, and Jade nodded. So I took a chair and sat outside the classroom. About half an hour later Jade and the TA went to the TA's office while I remained where I was. A while later they moved me outside the school main door, and even later on I was put right across the courtyard away from the main door. Fortunately it was a warm sunny day! I was astonished that Jade had moved me so far away in just one morning.

Since then we have continued moving us away from school, all under Jade's control according to where she feels OK to put us. She hasn't got round to sending us home yet (a 5 minute walk from school) but has sent us over half-way there. Because we're now communicating by mobile phone when I need to go back to school, and Jade doesn't actually see where I go, I have actually come home once or twice, but she doesn't know that. I would never never not be where she expected me to be if there was any chance that she would see that I wasn't there, as trust is very important, but I know I'm safe with this.

So the current state of affairs is that Jade is in school from 8.45 till 11.10am. I drop her off with the TA first thing, then go and drop Shannon off at her class, and leave them both while I go away. I may get a call on my mobile to move further away at some point, and I go back to school at 11.10am to collect her. The TA sits with her in the classroom for the first part of class time, while they go over literacy theory and get instructions for assignments, then they go to the TA's office to actually complete the work. Jade can talk to the TA in the same way that any slightly quieter, shyer child would talk to an adult, i.e. she is not completely relaxed, free and chatty but with a certain amount of reserve she can say anything she needs to say, initiate conversations (which is major!!), ask questions and generally get on very well, again as long as no-one else is nearby. They have walked all round the school, talking in different private places with no problems, and Jade can giggle or clear her throat (non-verbal vocalising) in the presence of other teachers or children. We are so thrilled, and astonished at how quickly things have moved in the past few weeks.

We are in the very fortunate position of having a dedicated TA, for the entire morning when that becomes possible for Jade, without having had to go through statementing, or any other administrative hoops. It came about when I involved the Educational Psychologist, who called a meeting at the school and brought in the SEN TA. When the Ed Psych said that Jade needed one-to-one support, it was immediately forthcoming!

Must publish now, my laptop battery is about to die, but will try and follow up soon!