Summary of our group meeting

Thanks to everybody who came to our group meeting!! It was a really good meeting!

I. First, we went through the goals that Megan left, which are posted on the playroom doors now. Here are some comments about the techniques Megan taught us:

1. pauses and non-verbal gestures instead of asking the kids many questions


Different people have had different results with this technique, but in general everybody feels that Liam is using more spontaneous language, so that is fantastic!!

I reminded people what Megan told me in an email (here are her words):
"I think it's really important to ANIMATEDLY and EXCITEDLY wait for Liam to say something...even if it's one word that is GREAT because remember you are working on SPONTANEOUS communication with him. Also, share with the girls the assumptions they are making when they say Liam is "frustrated." Although this could be the case, we don't know for sure and, even if he is frustrated does that mean that we simply give up our goal or stop challenging him? Of course we don't want Liam to be frustrated but our role is to be his coach and encourage him especially through the goals that are challenging for him!"

We agreed to just use more dramatic and animated non-verbal gestures and to just wait for them to talk to us. This is perphaps the hardest goal we have ever had with Liam, so it is natural that he has some difficulty, but he can do it! :) He is doing it! :)

2. joining Duchis from the distance with a drawing of her zoo/circus/farm

Everybody felt that this technique is working great. Duchis is voluntarily leaving her Little People stuff to go to each of us, so that is FANTASTIC! Keep doing it, and when she comes to you welcome her excitingly and build on the game or introduce a new game.

3. choosing a prompt from the list of materials we have and keep reintroducing it in different ways throughout the session.

Everbody also felt that having an idea in mind before entering the playroom is being helpful. Liam and Duch seem more and  more open to play new things. Here are some games we discussed:
 
- Firefighters
- Guessing games (things in your hads, or things in a box, or cards)
- Paper planes, with Liam in particular
- Kid's camera - photographer games
- Peekaboo, with Liam in particular
- Simon says, with Duch in particular
- Doll house, both kids are being so much more creative with that!
- Blocks, same thing, they are so much more interested in blocks!
 
4. building on the hugging and kissing with Liam.
 
- create different types of kisses (shark kiss, monkey kiss)
- make crazy funny faces
- make crazy funny movements with your body
- create songs about hugs/tickles/kisses (my song is "Where is the tickle, where is the tickle ...?" with the music of "twinkle twinkle little star")
- vehicle rides, animal rides
- the idea is to become a toy for Liam
 
5. building the connection with the kids, show them how to be a friend
 
When in the room, be very appreciative of everything Liam and Duchis do and say.  Model to them how fun, loving, and nice is to have friends. Think that one day, when they do not need a playroom anymore, they will have friends of their age, so we need to teach them how to be with friends. Celebrate them and appreciate them a lot.
 

6. Duchis crying

We all commented how Duchis seems to be crying more. It could be the homeopathy, but in any case we need to be CONSISTENT.

- If Duchis cries and screams, we do NOTHING and just tell her: "You can cry, but I don't know what you want, so I will do nothing" or "If you cry, I don't understand what you want"
- If Duchis cries and speaks at the same time, be VERY SLOW and tell her: "I see what you want, but it is still hard to understand with all the crying. Can you tell me with your normal voice?" Don't give her what she wants quickly, TAKE YOUR TIME.
- When her voice changes and she tells you what she wants, then MOVE FAST and congratulate her and give her what she wants.

We also talk about what to do when she asks for things outside of the playroom. We agreed to start drawing stuff for her and to tell her that we will play with what is in teh room and that you can draw all these wonderful things for her. When offering an ALTERNATIVE or a DRAWING, be excited, like this is the best alternative ever.

Let's try all these things until our next meeting in about 3 weeks.
THANKS!