Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Barely Any Time for the Kids

I can't remember the last time I had a ridonkulously busy week like this. I went home over the weekend and spent some alone time with Gramma, thinking I'd get tons of homework done since Gramma and I don't talk all that much. It was cool (and funny) to realize that Gramma actually talks to me a lot! I didn't get my text reading done b/c Gramma kept commenting and conversing with me! :)

I know it's bad when I wake up on a Tuesday morning all disoriented. I actually experienced two 'levels' of disorientation. First, it takes me a few seconds to realize that the alarm went off at 6 AM for a reason, not because I forgot to turn it off for the weekend. Secondly, it's even worse when I actually think it's a Friday morning! (Wishful thinking!)

Rewind:
On Sunday night, I stayed up until 1 AM reading my textbook. On Monday, I attended a training from 8 - 12:30, got to work by 1 and tested kids until the end of the day. I stayed up until 1 AM again to create 3 Excel graphs to turn in the next day for Big Kid School.

On Tuesday, I saw CV and DA, which was a riot as usual. I told them that I might actually call them in on Thursday again to 1) make-up therapy and 2) have my administrator observe me. DA was such a punk -- he threatened to sabotage the session by telling my admin that I starve them! (Humph! That is not my problem! Besides, I actually share my fruit with those crazy kids from time to time!) The sad thing was that CV said he might move to Colorado next year! I also saw my lisper, who I have great conversations with. I was also pleased to hear that he seemed to have improved since the last time I saw him! He asked if I would continue working at this school next year. I said, I hope so. When I explained how/why I may not be there next year, he got all sad and said, "I hope you don't leave!" I tested another kid and then rushed off to a 2-hour training on writing goals. Afterwards, I rushed to Big Kid School which ended at 9 PM. I worked on two more graphs from 10...until 3 AM.

I seriously didn't think I'd make it through this day. I thought I had an IEP at 8:15, but the mother didn't show up so I saw J320 without prior prep. He was a little feisty as we haven't had regular 'dates' for sometime (with the holidays, trainings, and meetings). Afterwards, I went to a lengthy IEP that carried onto the next period so the teacher asked me to take over and end it. Secretly, I am flattered that the psych and teacher sometimes ask me to begin or end an IEP; they actually trust me to not act a fewl with our kiddos' parents! That rolled into a triennial for my "programmed" boy. Shortly after, I left for my BCBA supervision that began at 1:30...Thankfully, the final class for this course ended early at 7:15. I even got home in time to watch America's Next Top Model! :)

I should totally be in bed right now, but I need to finish a social story for N320 (entitled "Keeping Hands to Myself"). I have another IEP tomorrow at 8:30 and then my administrator is observing me at 9:30 with N320 and possibly M320 (piece of cake!).

Friday is an all-day training...that I know I will struggle staying awake. It's only Wednesday and it's been a ridonkulously long week!

On the other hand, I completed my first BCBA class! Woo-hoo! :D

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Big Stork Delivery in September!

One of my best GFs is pregnant!

I was so excited to hear the GREAT news that I started crying tears of joy! (I thought that only happened in movies!) When I saw the picture of the ultrasound, I asked in shock, "What?! What is that?" -- not really asking what it is b/c I knew what it was a picture of! (BF won't let this one go.) I was shocked b/c I had no idea her and hubby had been trying so for a millisecond, I thought maybe the ultrasound picture was of a future niece/nephew or godson/daughter. But no! The baby is their very own!

I am so crazy (restating the obvious) -- I seriously think about her, her hubby, and the baby on the way EVERYDAY and get all excited for them!

Congratulations to future Mommy and Daddy to be!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

For K3...Why I Love Little Kid School

So, this post is dedicated to K3 -- in another attempt to convert her to school-based speech-language pathology (another hack at the perpetual Hospital vs. School debate).

When people first heard that I was back in "Big Kid" school, I got a few, "Boy, you must LOVE being in school" or "Wow, you just can't get enough, huh?" Totally not true! Really, the idea of what this newfound knowledge will enable me to do is the biggest motivator behind me going back to school.

As far as working in "Little Kid" School, I LOVE it! Reasons why I love working in the schools (for as a non-District employee):
  1. Seven hour work days including a paid half hour lunch! (I don't think I could ever polish my real work hours down to 7 hours b/c I get there at least an hour before school begins...partly b/c I avoid 405 and parking lot traffic, and I leave at least 15 minutes after the bell to avoid parking lot traffic.)
  2. ALL the legal and school holidays! I work 183 days a year (I get paid a 12-month salary for 10 months...and can still work summer school and get paid regular salaried rate for fewer hours and still have a few weeks off).
  3. When kids are away at camp or assembly, I am not legally required to make-up the sessions (big stress reliever).
  4. I attend so many meetings and trainings that it breaks my day up and keeps the schedule/work varied and interesting.
  5. Once everyone has settled in (and the group dynamics are right), you will love working with the kids b/c 1) they work hard and 2) make you laugh.
  6. Kids are so forgiving...I can be my goofy, clumsy, crazy self and they certainly don't judge me as much as big people might.
  7. Everyday is so different...and the variety and excitement is contributes to high career satisfaction for me
  8. I have my own "office"/room...and I'm pretty much my own boss on campus (since I don't work for the District). That is not to be confused with me not feeling the pressure of representing my employer (the County).
  9. I rarely attend school site meetings (that are always after school)...b/c I work for the County and not the District. =P
  10. It's an awesome feeling when your students stop by to either say hello or ask when they will come again for speech. (It's hilarious when students you don't even have on your caseload say hello and ask why they can't come with the other kids.)
  11. It's a sobering feeling (a good reality check) when your students confide in you. They trust you and enjoy your presence.
  12. Hardly any work brought home...unless you have a high-profile case that you really want to prepare well for. Then maybe 1 hour max to write and review your report -- but that is also ONLY if it is a triennial...meaning every 3rd year of therapy! Oh, and also if you take the time to create therapy materials (I only do that for my 320s. For my regular SPEDs, I use all purchased materials and tweak games.)
  13. Lucky for me, none of my regular special education cases are high profile (as far as I know) (but pretty much all of my 320s are just by nature of the kiddos' disability).
  14. I work at one site (I would hate to work at more than 1 site.)
  15. I work with middle school kids...which I suspect tremendously cuts down on the amount of paperwork I do when compared to my associates who work with the younger ones.
  16. Educator discounts! (I just enrolled for a AT&T discount.)
To be continued...

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Square 1: Re-Scheduling

Just when I thought I finally had my speech therapy pull-out schedule set, I find out that California may have a law that says we cannot pull students from P.E. for DIS services! I couldn't believe it and searched high and low but fell short of any findings.

Today, at the District SLP meeting, I asked the administrator if there was such a Special Education law, and boy was I in for a shock. She said, "Actually, believe it or not, it is not a Special Education law. It's a General Ed law in the state of California."

Wouldn't you know, I searched it under General Ed just now and found the following:
The minimum requirements for physical education are:
All K-12 students (including students with disabilities and/or special health-care needs and those in alternative educational settings) will receive physical education instruction as designated (EC sections 51210, 51222, and 51223):
- A minimum of 200 minutes for every 10 school days for students in grades 1-6
- A minimum of 400 minutes for every 10 school days for students in grades 7-12
So here I go again...re-scheduling! I mean, I'm not surprised considering childhood obesity rates increasing like crazy and yes, I am concerned about my kiddos' healths. On the other hand, I think it's absolutely outrageous that out of all school subjects, only Physical Education has a state mandated minimum time requirement! That means that our kids don't have to be in Math, Language Arts, History, or Science for a set amount of time each day/week...but they sure as heck better be in P.E. a minimum of 20 or 40 minutes a day!

I wouldn't be so worried if we didn't have a minimum day every Thursday where the students do not actually engage in physical activity during that half an hour. Ugh, do I go back to square one?

Saturn and the Moon Get Together and Mac

I am again proud of my kiddos. Today, CV came in asking about the lunar eclipse taking place right now. It was perfect timing b/c I was just thinking that I'd wing therapy and have them give me a topic to look up on the internet so that we can read, discuss, and "respond to Wh-questions related to curriculum with no more than one verbal prompt." I was so pleased with how interested they were about the eclipse, especially since DA had no idea what an eclipse was. DA even asked to take the Fox 11 news article home so he could share with his youngest sister and CV asked to take the wikipedia article about lunar eclipses to share with his homeroom!

The best thing to me is that I didn't even know about this spectacular event until CV came in and told us! The next best and somewhat sad thing is that the next time a lunar eclipse takes place will be on DA's birthday in two years, when he will have left me and gone onto his first year of high school. My kids haven't even left yet, and I'm already anticipating separation anxiety!

On the subject of "my kids," those two saw my Matt & Molly materials and asked me what they are for. I reminded them that I work with "other students with a severe disability" in the classroom next door to the class I always call them out from. CV said, "Oh yeah, those are your other kids!" Haha. :) They sure are!

I was even more pleased b/c these goofballs got all serious talking about disabilities. Turns out CV has a cousin that is Deaf. I seriously thought he was going to sign some bad words since they like to get all ghetto and crazy around me, but he actually signed a few basic conversational signs (like his cousin's name).

All in all, it was really cool to see them interested in something and serious about serious topics.

Well, aside from when CV re-defined what will happen during the lunar eclipse tonight -- "It's when Saturn and the Moon get together and mac and then dump each other and move on!"

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Pizza Party

I remember when we were in elementary school -- "winning" or earning a pizza party was such an awesome reward. As an adult, I still LOVE pizza parties!

BSILF and Hubby came over to the westside to meet up for bowling and pizza, only we didn't get to bowl since both alleys were jam-packed. :( Instead, we came back to Chez C&C and ordered Numero Uno (my favorite pizza...most likely b/c I have never had authentic Chicago deep dish or New York style) and polished it off with a 31 Flavors Oreo cookies and cream ice-cream cake!

We really had so much fun catching up with BSILF and Hubby (especially me!). We talked for hours about everything going on, from housing to jobs to the yummiest food to our futures. I thought it was funny that half of the time, the men would break off and talk about male stuff and then join us every so often as us women shared about the craziness of work. They also marveled at how big Lil F is now...and she had to show off and stand on her hind legs like she was prepping for the Great Escape again. (I also think Lil F has Tanga Tank Envy.)

I was sad when they left, but I knew that we all had lots of work to do...or at least sleep to catch up on.

Friday, February 15, 2008

It's Raining, Where's Mom?

Today was our monthly meeting with N320's team, which consists of the 320 specialist and case manager, That Crazy Lady, N320's Mom, NPA Behavior Therapist, the paraeducator/1:1, and me. Now that I'm a future BCBA, these meetings have become increasingly interesting and meaningful...not to mention, I've grown, learned, and contributed a lot since our first meeting so I've earned my place at the table. (1/2 j/k)

This time was especially interesting and sad b/c we discussed the "bipolar episodes" in depth. (I was just kind of annoyed b/c I caught That Crazy Lady rolling her eyes a few times whenever the 320 specialist dissected issues; they have an ongoing behind-the-back-slandering thing). We think we pinpointed the interesting antecedents to the behaviors that have recently escalated (or replaced others). I gave my piece about how his behaviors have been so difficult for me that I now have his paraed in close proximity, especially after the elopement incident.

Before Mom left, N320 sprinted over to me and almost stuck his hand down my shirt twice and tried to jam his fist into my crotch. She was mortified and screamed at him to stop. I felt really awkward afterwards b/c I could tell that she felt awful about it all. I didn't want to leave without saying good-bye so when she looked like she was about to leave, I awkwardly said please don't worry, you are doing such a "good job" being a (single) Mom of three boys including one with a disability. I immediately felt like such an idiot for saying something like that! I meant to say something much more eloquent, articulate, and deep! Being a Mom of a child with a disability is not a job with performance reviews, especially a review from a 28 year-old with no child of her own! Ugh! I could have hid under a rock.

She just kept profusely apologizing for his behavior and expressed how she felt so bad about it and didn't understand why he does that...and then I saw the tears well up in her eyes. I really wish I could have eloquently articulated that it really is okay and that she should not feel bad.

Instead, I asked if I could hug her and we did.

I wish I could tell her how much I love seeing Mom and N320 together. When I see them greet, hug, and kiss each other, I know that no words are needed to express the mother-son love that they share with one another. That Crazy Lady thinks that Mom gets too caught up in the emotionalism of the disability and how it comes out 'inappropriately.' Despite having to look at it from a professional point of view, I disagree with That Crazy Lady. Mom often holds side conversations during the meetings to quietly ask, "Why was he crying?" In a way, it's her 'professional point of view' to probe; she's his mother for crying out loud. And I feel so much for her when she does ask. I know that it's not an accusatory interrogation. It's an innocent question bred from love. The pain and anguish is evident in her eyes -- she knows her son is experiencing something so sad...yet he isn't capable of expressing what he is feeling and why.

Instead, he cries, "It's raining, where's Mom?"

...

P.S.

I've been asked to help him identify his emotions and their causes during therapy. Should be interesting and challenging especially since he doesn't cry around me...unless That Crazy Lady is around. (Imagine this hypothetical script: "Oh, I see that you're crying. Are you sad b/c That Crazy Lady is here?") Usually when he's with me, he has the most devilish look on his face! I've caught him looking at me from all the way across the room! It is craziness. I am tempted to create a Boardmaker symbol with the happy face and two red horns and pair it with, "Oh, I see that you are feeling mischievous. Is it because you are getting ready to grope me?" j/k In all seriousness, I've become immune to the groping; if anything, I am actually embarrassed that I don't have an effective way of dealing with those behaviors. Moreover, he has recently figured out that he can grab onto my hand or fingers and not let go.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

This is so Ironic!

My "not programmed to lose boy" drew me another picture today. His drawings are quite vivid and imaginative. I'll post them as soon as I remember to take pictures.

Anywho, I thought about him earlier this morning when I worked with J320 because Programmed Boy also randomly laughs and says really loudly, "This is so ironic!" all the time.

Random: Secretly, I think it is interesting that his language appears to be above average when compared to his SDC peers (I assess him for his tri in a few weeks), but if anything, I really need to work on pragmatics with him.

Anywho, the soOoo ironic part about this morning was when I went to with J320 this AM. It was a little unplanned so that was already not in my favor. I was originally scheduled to see N320, but he was having one of his "bipolar breakdowns," crying up a storm, repeating, "it's raining." (I originally thought it was mean for That Crazy Lady to say N320 was having a "bipolar episode" whenever he started crying like that, but tonight, I saw a commercial for a medication for Bipolar Disorder...which he just happens to be on and his dosage was recently increased.) Anywho, since N320 was in his rainy day mode, I cashed in on the opportunity to work with J320.

I've been so pleased with how J320's been doing these couple of weeks. This AM, however, he seemed a little feisty...possibly in part because his great 1:1 was MIA again (and I waltzed in at an irregular time). So when I approached him, he was lazily laying on the bean bag (which is never a good thing for me, based on past traumatic experiences). So I gave him my usual transitional verbal prompt and visual cue.

Well, he had been laying there stimming (or as ABAs would say, engaging in automatic reinforcements), and he ironically whacks me while simultaneously saying/echoing, "No hitting!"

I can't remember if I chuckled at the irony, but I remember thinking, For crying out loud, how in the world do I respond to that?!

I guess that was more of a rhetorical question b/c I know that I need to just ignore (not draw attention to it therefore reinforce the behavior), which I think I did...but it's always like this -- after the first hit, I'm traumatized for the rest of the session.

I also ran out real quick for a lasik eye surgery follow-up appointment mid-day. Left eye is between 20/30 and 20/40...and borderline eligible for an enhancement procedure. Not sure if I should be thrilled about that. I need to wait to see if my vision will stabilize some more (hopefully at 20/20) and go back in 4 months for another check-up. I told BF that if I get the lifetime warranty insurance, I would only want to get it in my left eye. I totally should've done that! Would have saved myself $150. =P Of course that would have sucked if I got insurance on the wrong eye...

Happy Valentine's Day!



Much love and XOxoOXox to my family, friends, and turtle!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Another Update

Re: Scooby-Doo Boy for whom I stayed up late writing a report for~
During the triennial IEP for my Scooby-Doo Boy, the psych and I figured out that the reason why Scooby-Doo Boy appears to "perseverate" on Scooby-Doo...is not really because he is perseverating, but because he 1) obviously loves the cartoon Scooby-Doo and 2) has a doggy named Scooby-Doo! LOL

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Re: Big Kid School~
I went to another supervision meeting and before my co-students came, the instructor was discussing with my faux mentor (unbeknownst to her, I consider her yet another mentor; she is also an SLP who just completed the coursework for the BCBA program). He shocked me when he said:
  1. Despite us being given the quiz questions and answers to remember, people still didn't get 100%! Crazy talk!
  2. I asked him my feared question: Do you think this (rote memorization of practice quiz questions) will prepare us for the national board certification exam? Of course he said, "No. You will REALLY need to study everything, not like this [I think he wanted to say "BS"] where you are just memorizing answers to practice quiz questions." Fabulous.
On the other hand, I filled out a mid-course evaluation last night and gave my honest input. I defended the instructor a little bit (e.g., he appears to know what is and is not ABA like the back of his hand) and then expressed concern about not being prepared enough for the exam b/c they have "conceded to complaints about having to study everything in a chapter for a 10-question quiz. The instructor is always reminding us that we are in the business of building behavioral repertoires. If that is so, then why are you enabling us?"

*I didn't realize how 'passionate' I felt about all of this. I pulled out all the stops with my limited vocabulary, using "conceded"! I haven't said that word since I studied for the GRE! And that was in '04!

In retrospect, I didn't mean to call out the program director who created that evaluation (and whose project/company was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize; this person is truly amazing). Still, I am selfishly concerned about not being prepared enough to pass that exam.

I will admit that I am at an advantage for a few reasons.
  1. I recently graduated, therefore it is not as difficult for me to revert back to full-time employee/part-time nerd as it is for the others who have been out of school for many years.
  2. BF is used to me being a student (and we live together).
  3. I don't have (my own) babies or kiddos.
  4. Nor do I have a second job (one job exhausts me enough!).
[End of rants.]
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rewind to earlier in the day~
I saw as many kiddos as I could today before the IEP and meeting. My 2nd period boys made me happy. I told them straight up that we were going to do two things -- first, we are going to work on this worksheet and get this "boring" stuff out of the way, and then we will play a game [a.k.a. language activity]. (After I opened my big mouth about the "boring" comment, I realized that that was not the best motivational instruction.) They didn't put up a fight and one even started on the 2nd page, even though I said they only had to do the first page! I was thrilled!
They, too, are a pair that have taken a few trials and errors of re-grouping and a lot of unsuccessful sessions (they practically sleep through the sessions), but putting them together has been a great move. Unbeknownst to them, I saw them together one lunch period and immediately re-grouped them the next week. To reiterate, I have found that my best group dynamics are those that have a buddy system -- a little healthy competition keeps the kids going (and awake).

Third period was another trial-and-error b/c I "owed" one of my boys (the one who automatically closes the door so that "the ladies don't see" him in speech) a make-up session yet I had to see my 7th period pair earlier. Turns out Previously Stanky Attitude Boy who likes to accuse me of cheating didn't show-up but Previously Ditcher did along with Ladies' Man and they are actually homedudes. That was a great relief because now I know I can always pair them three together. My only concern is that Ladies Man seems to slack off a lot when I don't see him individually (or when he is too challenged).

And what the deuce was up with the weather? Yesterday was crazy hot and today was freezing! I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow, I see N320, meaning I need to mentally prepare myself for another half-hour groping session.

The great thing about working with N320 is that he will help me get my Individual BCBA Supervision hours...of which I need 37.5 hours! Hopefully, before the end of my program, I will have figured out the function of his groping behavior (amongst others) through a functional analysis assessment, found a replacement behavior, and successfully implemented a behavioral support plan. Whewee...

Homework Help

My dynamic duo showed up for therapy today (technically, yesterday), asking (in Spanish) if I had anything for them to eat. I nagged, "What did I say about coming in here hungry and asking for food?" and didn't give them anything. They were big babies for a minute until CV asked if I could help him with his History homework.

A little background: the teachers, especially the Special Ed teachers, are very verbal about this "open" policy towards helping students with their homework. Most homeroom periods are pretty much times to simply work on homework. Of course these kiddos would much rather goof off and space out than work on their homework.

So, I always tell my kids that if they ever need help with their homework ('help' is the keyword; I emphasize that I will not give answers, but I will help them get to the answer), they can always bring it to speech therapy or come in before school, during lunch, or after school. This was the first time anyone took me up on my offer. I was pleased about that but not for long.

Soon after he took his notebook out, I thought, boy, I'm gonna have a field day trying to figure out from this language disordered kid what he needs to do. It was like playing 20 questions before I realized what his assignment was. It made me really appreciate a "normal" session where I have absolute control (i.e., materials). I finally figured out that he had to answer 5 short questions based on textbook reading.
Me: Okay, where's your book?
CV: At home.
Me: What?!
CV: My book is too heavy! I didn't want to bring it!
Me: How are you going to find the answers? Do your notes say anything?
CV: No, but my friend let me borrow his homework to copy. It's right here.
CV pulls the "borrowed" homework out.
Me: Don't tell me that!
Me saying in a joking tone: I hope you gave your friend something good in return at least.
CV: Yeah, I gave him a buck fifty.
Me thinking for a moment about BF and how people used to pay him so that they could copy his homework. Quick, get back to reality...
Me: What?! You gave somebody a dollar fifty? Who did you pay?
I turned the paper around...just to see that it belongs to another one of my kids with a specific learning disability and auditory processing disorder! Goodness gracious!

I, laughing inside, lectured him with a straight face about how he needs to do his own work -- and beforehand. Furthermore, if he expects me to help him, then he MUST bring his book. We didn't get through his 3 questions, which must have peeved him because he asked me to call him out of 4th to help him finish. Sucks to be him because I had to leave for a meeting. Otherwise, I would have since I need to make-up one of his sessions.

Later on, my Blackjack boy came in tired and asked for a paper towel. I gave him one, but then asked him, "Do you need a paper towel or Kleenex?" He paused and said, "Paper towel; I got lots of boogersh." "You mean you need Kleenex," and I quickly gave it to him. =P Unfortunately, we regressed to /s/ at the phoneme level (he expressed that he was tired; he came home late from the movies). At the end of the session, he tried to strike a deal with me -- if he produces 60 initial-/s/ in single-words with 100% accuracy, will I give him a Blackjack? Just kidding, he immediately said. Then he asked for money. "What?! No, I can't give you money. That's called bribery, and I am not allowed to bribe you." Then we had a 4-year old argument, "Yes you can!" "No I can't!" Repeat x 2. In retrospect, I should have given him the cheesy talk about how I am here to help him, and he should do this for intrinsic rewards, blahblahblah, but apparently, I was still thinking like an immature 4 year-old.

Sometimes, I find it very challenging to be mature and grown-up around these crazy kids. I'm sure I'll have another story to tell tomorrow, when I see my kiddo who doesn't want "all the ladies" to see him in the Speech Room or the two boys who accuse me of cheating.

For now, I need to finish up an assessment report for my boy who LOVES Scooby-Doo...

Monday, February 11, 2008

New Look!

Oh boy, I think I finally fixed the big glitches on making this template work for me! I feel like I need to give credit to where it's due -- (even though it's on the very bottom of my blog) I pulled this free template off of jackbook.com. I was craving a new look but still wanted to keep a darker appearance so this template really caught my eye. I'm still working out a few smaller kinks, but at least I got it up and running right for the most part.

It would have saved me so much more time if BF had just helped me, but he seems to never want to help me with what he is most capable of! Actually, the one time he did something for me was create a door sign for when I first started working in September. But he still refuses to reformat my laptop (I think I've exhausted my "reformatting" favors since we've been together).

The entire time that I read and re-read through the FAQs on how to fix the glitches with this template, I kept thinking, I'm so glad I don't have a language disorder.

Working with my kiddos has really made me appreciate on a constant basis the intricacies of how our brain processes language.

P.S. I went for another Beach Walk this morning! Weekdays aren't as much fun for people-&-dog-watching, but certainly just as refreshing and rejuvenating.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Mommy!


(The title was meant to be said in a J320 way; he often enthusiastically says, "Mommy!" when I show him a picture of his mom.)
Tonight, Bro and I visited Mom at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights. Thanks to our summer trip to China, I was actually really looking forward to seeing the temple in its Chinese New Year decor. When we got there, we walked around and took a few pictures before we found Mom in a room.
Mom was seated behind a desk talking to visitors who had patiently waited in line for the next available monk. It wasn't long before Bro and I sat down, and I immediately subtly horded my favorite Chinese "lucky" candy. We also gave Mom a traditional red envelope. In return, she gave Bro and I each a charm. My charm has four Chinese characters translating into: "Prosperous Future Generations":
"With virtue, you will be respected. With achievements, you will be adored. With magnanimity, you will be acclaimed. With tolerance, you will be followed." Dharma Thoughts of Master Hsing Yun

Bro got a charm with characters translating into "Harmonious Conditions in All." Mom explained that the people she spoke to were sent from somewhere else, after they received a book on teachings, to ask Mom and the other monks any questions they may have and to hear them impart their wisdom and knowledge of dharma. It was very awe-inspiring...and also funny how Mom commented on the side afterwards about all of this.
After a few minutes of catching up, she quickly got up and told the neighboring monk that she was going to show "these two" around (I don't think the other monk knew that we are her kids). When we walked outside, she said, "boy, sometimes these visitors are really difficult to talk to! They come to me like I'm a fortune teller and keep asking question after question! I can share with them Buddha's teachings but I can't tell them their future!" LOL

Bro commented to her how her lifestyle is similar to that of a therapist; people come to her for guidance and clarity. (Bro has been running with this idea of how many religious leaders are like therapists, including my Minister Aunty.) Anywho, Mom shared about how she helps people understand and share Buddhism...and likened it to how I help people understand and communicate the understanding. That was kind of neat...because all along, I wasn't quite sure if she understood what I do for a living.

We walked around some more and took more pictures. Mom seemed really happy to back in L.A. She laughed and joked with us a lot during the hour that we spent with her. It was really wonderful to see her and spend time with her. We left promising that we would visit again soon.

Afterwards, Bro and I stopped by the Chinese supermarket down the way and then ate at Dumpling Master. Much to our surprise, it was definitely better than we expected (and it had an "A" rating!).

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Something Normal for Myself

I did a normal person thing today!

I left Bro a voicemail last night saying that if he and FBIL go for their usual beach walk, to please call me so that I can join them. He didn't call back so I decided that I, being a big girl, could do it on my own. So I headed out.

I started at North Venice Ave. and then walked ALL the way to Santa Monica and back! It was refreshing and nice (albeit warm and sunny). I must have seen at least 25 dogs and wanted to pet every single one. I also saw a bunch of babies and kiddos enjoying a ride or walk. When I was about 15 minutes away from finishing, BGF called so we caught up for a little bit. Turns out she was taking her second to the last car-full of stuff. Her and Hubby finally moved into their new home! Woo-hoo!

When I was halfway home, Bro called and asked where I was. I said that I had just finished the walk. They did, too! However, they started at Santa Monica and walked all the way to Venice Ave. before turning back. How in the world did we miss each other -- twice?! Boo!

Regardless, it was really relaxing and refreshing to get out for a walk at the beach. I even got a teeny tan along my neck area and arms (the only areas that I care to tan and that will actually tan). I came home and relaxed some more before meeting up with Bro for a Costco run. After that, I was so sleepy (as usual) so I crawled into bed and took a nap.

What a normal-person day. :) Too bad I have to transition into a normal-student night, but I need to read a chapter on constructing and interpreting graphic displays of behavioral data.

Update on Big Kid School: it's still time-consuming but going well. After some of my classmates voiced formal complaints, the course got even easier -- we will now know verbatim what questions are on the weekly quizzes. This is outrageous and ridonkulous! Not that I am really complaining about this course being easier, but knowing exactly which multiple choice questions (and answers) have a chance of being on the quiz gives me more reason to slack off on the already monumental reading. I already have quite a battle with my own will and diligence.

I also wonder what's going to happen the remaining four quarters, when we get new instructors...and possibly more difficult exams and (Excel) assignments. =X On the real, if my SLP grad program was like this, then all the Special Ed kids that I serve would really be screwed.

Friday, February 08, 2008

An Atypically Atypical Work Day

Granted, my days are typically atypical, today was an especially atypically atypical work day. At the end of the day, BF asked his usual question, "So, did anything funny happen today?" Much to my own surprise, today was the first time that I really didn't have any funny stories! He dismissed it by saying, "Oh, yeah, you didn't see your autism kiddos today, huh?" Although my 320s usually give me many things to laugh about, my "regular" Special Ed kiddos usually do, too.

I actually got to work around 7 (the earliest since the new year started) mainly b/c I had two IEPs to lead. This would be the 2nd and 3rd time in my life that I held them on my own (since I am the case manager for these two). Fortunately, I've been through a number of triennials (psych leads them) so I've kind of gotten into the groove of things.

Seeing the red VM light button first thing in the morning really threw me off. Unfortunately, it was CJ, my grad student assistant, telling me she was not coming in today. I decided that in between meetings, I would see the "regular" SPED kiddos, since I haven't seen the Friday crew for a few months now (and I was positive the 320s wouldn't miss me). I kind of like to see them every so often to gauge how they're doing.

So, my two IEPs went fine. On a general note, every IEP has been eye-opening for me. It's really sobering to see how the child and parent interact, hear what concerns the parent has, and realize what a different picture I have of the student (even in comparison to how s/he is in a classroom setting). The most important thing for me is meeting the parent. For some reason, seeing how involved and concerned (or not) the parent is drives me to want to work even harder with the kid. The nice thing is that it's a win-win situation for the kid -- if the parent is concerned and involved, I'm excited and work hard with the kid. If the parent is the opposite, personal sympathy and concern pushes me to work hard with the kid.

So in-between, I accidentally pulled a Monday 3rd period group. If I've learned anything, it's that working with middle school students can be a battle of wills. Actually, I learned this from my autism kiddos (mainly, J320 and N320). So Stanky Attitude girl kept rolling her eyes at me and refusing to participate. I knew she was fully capable of completing the activity, but I still gave her max verbal prompts to even get one word out of her (note: she's not selectively mute). When the 3rd girl arrived, she looked at Stanky girl and something told me that there was weird tension between all three (mind you, the last I remember, the other 2 are sweety-pies). Halfway through the teeth-pulling with Stanky Girl, even the 3rd girl slightly rolled her eyes at Stanky girl b/c we all sat there waiting for what felt like an eternity for her to respond. Finally, I said to the other two girls that I would finish up with them two and let them go. They whizzed through it smiling and laughing and then left. I talked to Stanky Girl (or moreso, "at" her) and then drilled her with 5 more trials and then let her go.

I know I can't expect every one of my students to work hard, but holy snikeys, she is the only one that hasn't come around. I have several boys who I thought had the stankiest attitudes and now, they have become my favorites. Even the one that literally stomped to my room from the beginning of the hallway has really come around and even messes with me (actually, he makes me feel like I'm the one that has a language disorder b/c he accuses me of not explaining directions clearly...therefore, I "cheat" during activities b/c I "keep changing the rules" -- which is so not true! Secretly, I think it's a clever defense, though.)

After my 2nd IEP, I took a lunch break and had my first laminating disaster. I let go of one card, and it shifted while the first card was already laminated so now I have two expensive pictures slightly overlapping a corner. Worst, it's material for my 320s! So bummed. On the other hand, I finally laminated a real mini-Oreos and Gummi Bears wrapper for P320 to use for PECS. I hope it works. I keep saying that I need to create 3-D symbols but I haven't done it. I'm hoping that using real wrappers will be concrete enough.

During the last period, I called one of my stutterers in and was going to call the other but decided to see this one individually after his Language Arts teacher expressed some concern about him. I couldn't tell if he was happy or disappointed to see me b/c when he walked in; he almost cracked a smile and then stifled it. By the end of the session, I was convinced that he was not pleased to see me b/c although I didn't explicitly address his teacher's concern, I made many implications. Deep inside, I was bummed about what he was doing and how poor he was doing.

I guess all in all, today was an atypically atypical day b/c nothing funny really happened. I usually have many serious times/sessions/meetings in a day, but it's always counter-balanced with lots of funny moments. Today felt more like a heavy and serious day of damage control, counseling, and reality-checking. I'm exhausted. Thank goodness I have two 3-day weekends.

Oh wait! I did eventually tell BF about my one very odd SDC kiddo. He always asks me "hard" questions, ("Why are [fill in blank] called [fill in blank]?"). How do I explain to an SDC kid that language is arbitrary? Anywho, he always stops by on his way to the Nurse's office for his inhaler before P.E. to ask when I'm going to call him again. LOL Whenever I tell him and then send him off with a farewell greeting, he always reciprocates, "you too!" That cracks me up b/c he says it moreso out of a polite habit without regards to what a person is saying. Like I usually say something like, "well, thanks for stopping by" to which he says, "you too!" or if I bid him farewell in my sing-songy tone ("see you toMORRow!!") then he'll say "you toOOooo" in an imitative sing-songy tone. I find this kid to be soOOoo strange in a non-creepy way; when we play language games and he loses a card or something, he dramatically holds his head, laughs maniacially and says, "No!!!! I'm not programmed to lose!" So I did that all night during dinner.

As strange as my kids can be, I certainly have a special place in my heart for all of them. I guess even Stanky Attitude girl.

Now I know I'm rambling and need to get some rest...

My Beautiful Granite Blue Baby Elsa

"Please bring up #280, a gray Passat..."

Why does every VW dealership think that my car is gray?! It's Granite blue! My VW rep must've caught my telepathic vibe b/c then he corrected himself and said, "uh, blue passat" over the walkie-talkie. I can't blame him; my poor Elsa is always so dirty that she appears gray. Kind of like when I drove my gramma's white Volvo...it was always so dirty that BF seriously thought the true color was an off-white/beige until he washed it one day and unearthed the snow white. That was an embarrassing (and funny) moment.

Today, I brought Elsa to the dealership again to fix another thing. Last month, I made an appointment to get my compass back. A week later, my driver's side vanity mirror light went out. I thought I could live without it, but after about 10 times of wanting to check if I had anything in my eyes (and teeth) in the dark, it was time to bring Elsa back.

Unfortunately, there seems to be an ongoing theme -- whenever I think it's a simple issue to fix, it's not. With the compass, they had to try a few things before doing the last resort of unplugging my battery, doing a magical thing, and then reconnecting to re-boot the entire system. For my mirror, I thought it was as easy as changing a bulb. The rep must have exercised his telepathy again b/c he immediately said, "You would think it's as easy as changing a bulb but it's really complicated; we actually have to replace the whole visor b/c of the way it bulb is wired."

After waiting 1.5 hours, the rep came back and said that it is actually the wiring that has come loose...and in order to fix it, they have to pull back a third of my roof! It wasn't something that could be done in 1.5 hours so I have to bring Elsa back next week. And now I am completely missing a visor! My driver's side comfort zone feels slightly naked. :(

I bet vanity mirror lighting wiring was not one of the 120 features. Either way, I still love my car. I just wish she didn't attract so much sea gull crap at work. A big part of why I don't mind bringing her back next week is b/c I know by then, she'll need another car wash...

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Pie!

It's pie month at Marie Callendars again! :D

After work and BCBA supervision meeting, I drove by bro's work and he got me the most fragrant and delicious strawberry muffin from Marie Callendar's. I must have brought it to my nose a dozen times to take the sweet fragrance in (and BF's nose half a dozen) before I finally ate some after dinner. Too bad for BF b/c he doesn't really like muffins so I have it all to myself. Since I kept talking about it, he started craving dessert/something sweet.

Then it hit me -- "I think it's Pie Month at Marie Callendar's!" and off I went to the nearest location.

Imagine my disappointment when I found out that they no longer carry the Boston Cream Pie!

Thank goodness they still have Kahlua Cream Cheese!

Friday, February 01, 2008

Security!

Despite the ridonkulously crazy schedule that I set for myself today, I was really proud of myself for finally sticking to my schedule, in addition to fitting in testing and 2 make-up therapy sessions. Shoot, I was in the autism classroom even before they got off the bus -- that's how on top of it I was!

First, I worked with 320J for his usual morning session. I was really happy b/c he did exceptionally well (and his behaviors were barely a challenge today!). He even followed my point to his classmate across the room (joint attention) and greeted his classmate with minimal verbal prompts! I was thrilled!

Next, I worked with the highest functioning of the 320s. I got lucky b/c when I worked with 320M, the 320 psychologist brought a parent over for a transition interview (I will get the incoming sixth grader next year) so the Mom got to see a little bit of how "normal" therapy can go. Unbeknownst to them all, I am also lucky b/c I happen to remember this kid from when I observed one of my mentors a few months ago; this kiddo will be the highest functioning if he does transition into this classroom next year.

Snack time was next so I worked on picture exchange with 320P, my nonverbal kiddo. He cracks all of us up. I love working with him at snack because it's so fascinating to see his idiosyncrasies (well, all of theirs for this matter).I.e., he loves mini-Oreos...but he takes them apart, licks the cream, and discards the cookies. He nibbles Chips Ahoy cookies just to get the chocolate chips and refuses to eat the cookie. I asked Mom to start packing him gummies b/c he is always stealing 320J's so today, he had a bag of gummy bears. He gave me the symbol card, but I quickly learned that he only likes the white gummies (I don't blame him -- the white ones are my favorite too!). Some of the gummies had melted together so there was a big blob of 2 white and 1 red gummy bear. He nibbled the red off, spat it out, and ate the white. Ha! Hey, we're all selective eaters to some extent, right?

I rushed back to check in with my grad student and to harass one of my kids to bring back her IEP invite and then I went back to see my last 320, the busy hands one. Rewind: I had an absolutely disastrous session yesterday for all sorts of reasons (excuses). I typically see this one before lunch b/c food is his big reward/motivator. Yesterday was all jacked up b/c the NPA Behavior Therapist declared the day before that he was coming in a 2-hour window to observe me and That Crazy Lady. So we saw 320N right after snack, when he conveniently loaded up on sugar. In retrospect, I don't feel like a complete failure b/c the NPA BT couldn't even manage 320N's behaviors. I am just bothered by the idea that this mofo might go back to Mom and narc that I am completely clueless on gaining control of the session (which is extremely likely -- long story). I'm sure it didn't help that I completely grilled him beforehand (in as sweet a way as I could) about all that ABA stuff. I mean, he's supposed to be the autism behavior therapist consultant...yet I could tell that his type is why I am fortunate enough to get my BCBA tuition reimbursed through the SELPA.

Anywho, so I saw 320N again today. We were doing SOOO well for the first 20 minutes. He tried to grope me a lot but we got past it each time. Then he got up and ran to the door. That's always potential drama. I stood up, took a few steps, and did the prompting hierarchy to get him to sit down. We worked a minute, and then he bolted for the door again. I started the same procedure...when he flung the door open and took off running. I freaked out! I looked towards the other room, where everyone else was, but knew that if I opened the door to scream for help, 320N could be anywhere on campus by that time. So I ran out and saw him around the corner, about halfway down the corridor. He saw me walking towards him so he ran off again, stopped, turned around, and shrieked with excitement. I knew that if I ran, he would sprint, so I kept calmly walking towards him.

It's like the movies when a negotiator has to calmly approach a suicidal person about to jump off the ledge, "Don't come any closer or I'll jump!"

He took off running anyways and I panicked some more b/c it was lunchtime so half of the campus was at lunch while the other half were in their classrooms while this kid was running down the hall loudly shrieking. The second he turned his back, I sprinted towards him and firmly grabbed his wrists. The problem is that I am never strong enough to keep the grasp so he got loose and ran off again. I caught up and he pulled me to the corridor hall. I think he sat down in defiance...which was to my benefit. I quickly kneeled on his feet and held his wrists down so that he couldn't get up nor move.

I'm sure God was laughing and then decided it was time to intervene...but still wanted some comic relief b/c then my most clueless student comes walking towards me, "Hi Ms. L____." I cannot emphasize how clueless and forgetful this baby is. I swear I almost keeled over from shock when he remembered and said my name just a few weeks ago! I said in as calm a tone as I could, "B___, I need you to help me. Please go to Room 44 and tell the teacher, Ms. J, that Ms. L___ needs help. Tell her that I'm here." So he's about to take off when he asks, "You mean the room next to Ms. P__?" (His teacher's.) I'm like, Crap! Way to confuse this confused boy! "No! I mean, room 39 or 41!" Crap, why tell him both room numbers! That's too many things for this boy to remember! Sometimes, he evidences the short-term memory of a goldfish. (His teacher and the psych will attest to this.) "Go to Room 39 or 41 and tell the teacher to come help me please!" "Okay!" and runs off in the wrong direction! (LOL) "B___, the other way! It's the last classroom on the other end of this hall!" I was so sure that he wouldn't be able to follow this complex instruction embedded with clauses and was already looking around, trying to devise a Plan B. He runs off and I calmly talk to 320N. He keeps shrieking and struggling to get up while I continue to freak out.

Not a few minutes later, I see his 1:1 coming from one direction and TCL coming from the other direction (Starsky & Hutch style, she likes to call it)...and 3 campus security guards getting nearer, yelling into their walkie-talkies, "Situation is under control!" I was mortified but relieved. The aide and TCL took over and I kept looking at B___, with his big droopy eyes, and I just about jumped up to hug him. Before I could, I turned around and saw 320N sprinting away, but TCL got him and we all went back to the classroom.

During the debriefing, the aides that were still in the classroom re-told how adorable little B___ came into the classroom, out of breath, garbly (like he usually is) and trying so hard to relay my message. Mind you, this kid is diagnosed with mental retardation, language disorder, dyslexia, and recently Autistic Spectrum Disorder and so it was like telegraphic speech, "Ms. L___; she's over there...and there's a boy, and she needs help." LOL Fortunately, TCL is quick on the uptake and knew right away that 320N and I were not in the room next door any more. Not to mention, she told me this morning that this same type of incident happened just a few days ago.

When we finally settled down, I was completely wiped out. 320N's aide attested that he has really been acting up this past week so don't feel bad. We talked about B__, and I emphasized how I was so proud of him for being able to follow through!! TCL was, too, so she went over to his teacher to tell him, in hopes that she would reward him. I later went over to see some of her other kids and told her again how grateful and proud I was of B___. Sadly, she was too annoyed by him to appreciate the situation. Poor baby. I am totally going to acknowledge him next week. Seriously, if you knew this kid, you would totally appreciate what he did...much more, his ability to follow through!

Goes to show that these kiddos will continue to surprise us in the ways that we least expect it.

As mentioned, I am wiped out. I don't know how I managed to get through the rest of the day, but I did. I should have a drink or something, but it would be wiser for me to read and study my textbook... :(

Thank goodness I have two three-day President's Day weekends coming up. I certainly need it!