Wednesday, May 3, 2023

 Wednesday, May 3, 2023

I woke up before the 5:30 alarm went off. I felt some underlying disturbance. I anticipated a total financial collapse of the world. The supply chain for essential goods has yet to recover from the Covid era. This may be because of the standstill during the pandemic or something new. Either way, the vet can't get the medication needed to treat Elsa's ear problem. The little of it they have must be saved for a life-threatening emergency, not some annoying, even painful, ear infection. 

I was surprised to find my neck was not stiff when I woke up. However, my neck tweaked when I took off the Salon Pas. I put another set on. That helped immediately. Then, I discovered that I didn't have pain when I raised my arm. Something got fixed.

I find myself straightening things up the way Mike used to. Sometimes, this involves putting things away that I don't need and sometimes, just organizing what's there, as Mike would. He had a good eye for order. I would spend the whole day deeply cleaning the kitchen, every drawer and cabinet. He would come home and, without taking his coat off, move his briefcase from his right hand to his left, walk up to the counter, and rearrange a few objects, and the kitchen would finally look perfect. I'm trying to make up for the missing Mike in my life.

I was full of energy today. I got cleaning and gardening done. This is a me I haven't seen in a long time. Is it because I'm feeling good, because I've tossed my glasses aside, or because I'm energized with fear about the future for all of us.

 I met with Adolescent D today. I again asked him to tell me something he had done successfully so we could break it down action by action. He told me he completed an assignment for his class. He had to put a slide show together on wind turbines. He did research, compiled the slides, and presented them to the class. While he was talking, I addressed a problem I have seen many times before: his delayed response time.  

He said he had trouble getting the words out. "Do people in the school know about this problem?" He said no. I'm sure they knew about his delayed speech, just not what he thought the cause of it was. I wondered where the breakdown came from,  1- understanding what has been said, 2- formulating an answer, or 3- getting the words out of his mouth? He first said his problem was with number 3. Then he changed it to 1 & 2. I suspect it's all three. It wasn't surprising that he didn't have a clear idea of what his problem was. I had just introduced concepts he had never considered before. I will keep asking questions about these concepts. He will become familiar with them and be able to use them.

His problems with understanding what someone says, formulating a response, and articulating his thoughts are all manifestations of his auditory processing problems. When I told him this, he said," I don't have problems hearing!" I explained the differences between hearing and perceiving. 

I told him a story I heard about a man born blind who had an eye transplant. While his vision was good, it took his brain two years to figure out what he was seeing. I've explained this difference to him before. This time, he got it. This is why I had him listen to the audio file of the 5 Stories, breaking down the words phonemically.  

I retold him the story of the seven-year-old boy who had so much trouble speaking his eleven-year-old sister and fourteen-year-old brother couldn't figure out what he was saying. I had the older brother play the audio file every night when he went to sleep. Since the two boys shared a room, the older boy listened to it repeatedly for about a month. The seven-year-old's speech problem cleared up.  

The old brother visited me briefly. I asked him if listening to the audio file made a difference for him. His first response was an indignant "No!" I asked him if he understood what people said better. He thought for a minute. With a surprised look on his face, he said, "Yes!" 

My speech and listening skills improved after I made the tape for the first time at fifty-eight. Making the sounds myself was a more powerful exercise than just listening. I completed the recording in three days. I could see the impact immediately. This is why I wanted D to listen to it each night. I told him I couldn't guarantee it would have the same effect, but I was confident it would do no harm. He asked me to send him the link to the YouTube video again. He went and found it while we were talking. His attitude was completely different. It will be interesting to see if his change will make a difference in his remembering to do it. 

     Mama K's crew signed in. Fourth grade K was in the car with a seat belt on- a sure sign they were driving. I don't mind working on the phone with the kids sitting in the car as long as they're alone. Several other people were there, and Mama K was going to pick up her middle school daughter. K had entered a new phase. When on Zoom, he constantly evaluates his face. What a scream! Adolescence, here he comes! 

We made tentative plans to meet later, as late as seven-thirty. When the time rolled around, it was too much for me. I begged off. I hope to have more time with them this summer.