Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Symbolic Play

M's symbolic play is really picking up.

She loves her dollhouse with the furniture. Yesterday at speech M brought some little people figures with her and her therapist brought out a chair. M put them in the chair and pushed them up to a little table. Then the therapist handed her a tiny plastic piece of cake and M fed the people cake. Then she held it up to the therapist's mouth... then she held it up to herown mouth (never putting it in her mouth). I was blown away. She had a smile on her face the whole time...

As her ABA therapist noted yesterday, M is playing with her toys more and more appropriately, and she's taking pleasure from it. It's not a mechanical response.

This morning she's running around the house with the little plastic play knives from the kitchen (sounds bad, right? They're really dull and small). But she was trying to cut things ("No... not the table. No... not the cabinets.) I was cutting onions so I had her cut onions with me. She loved it. I guess she sees me chopping food for her all the time.

Yesterday we had a train video on for her... then she disappeared and ran upstairs and started messing with C's lego trains. I brought out the Brio trains this morning and while she doesn't have the patience to just sit and watch them go around the track she couldn't leave themcalone and worked well for them during her ABA session.

She's pushing cars, putting people in the cars, and running figures down her bath toy slide.

It feels like she's starting to catch up. Can I let out a big sigh? There are still moments when she's spacy or not listening. There are moments when she's tantrumming and being aggressive because she wants her own way. And there's the whole speech issue where she's not saying a whole lot. But a small step in one area gives me hope that she'll be making small steps in all areas eventually.

4 comments:

Jennefer said...

Lately I've found that the best things to do with Piney is whatever I'm involved with at the time- like how you cut onions together. Like today I was sorting the boardgames and she helped me. I think it works a lot better then trying to always do things like play dolls together or something.

Anna Scott Graham said...

Wow, this is so terrific to read! You must be teetering on an edge, so wanting to fall into what's 'normal', but then hedging, but from the sounds of things, I think that dive isn't far around the corner!

Melissa said...

sorry havent checked blogs in awhile. hugs for this mother's day

Laura said...

All steps are good steps! Sounds like she is doing great, and most important -- is happy!
Love to her, you and the rest of the gang.