Miriam

[Guest guest]

Hi Miriam. Sorry to hear your frustration.

The hand-over-hand signing can be a big controvercy in the learning to sign

community due to the very response your son is having to it. He sounds very

frustrated and I am soo very sorry the therapists are acting that way.

If you are in a area which has one I would look up a Speech Language Pathologist

not a therapist. We had better luck after that. Ours is localed in the major

hospital near us.

Off the topic sort of....dogs have a calming effect do you have a dog or know of

a therapy dog that could visit during these " learning " sessions? I have seen

first hand the amazing effects these dogs can have, especially on autistic kids.

Just a thought.

My daughter is 6.5 yrs and she walks in a walker, crawls, and is verbal. She is

pretty much a left handed signer as her brain is more effected on the left

causing rightsided weakness/spasticity. She had a rhizotomy at age 3 that really

helped significantly with movement.

She crawled at 3yrs old and around the house that is her main way to get around.

She was potty trained at 5.5 but ONLY after starting Keppra and within a month

of doing so (after being dxed with neurogenic bladded and being told she would

prob never gain bladder control.)

Her attention span is also very short and we started Straterra this year and her

walking via walker tripled in ability, with only fatigue rt leg dragging.

Sorry this is long.

She was mainstreamed last year but is virtual schooled this year due to the

school not allowing her on the play equipment and not allowing her access to her

service dog. (We are awaiting a discrimination ruling). Her attention span is

much better and she is learning better now.

Maybe take a break from teaching him the signing and just sign with his sibs and

signing around him but not so much to him. This may help so he can see it as a

normal everyday thing not a frustrating learning session. Just another thought.

Unfortunately/fortunately we can't force our kids to reach milestones or do what

we know would make their like easier. We just have to give them the " tools " and

hope the try them. Guess that is how they develope character and self.

i hope you the best. I am just learning and sometimes it is like throwing a

bunch of things in hoopes that just one atleast sticks.