William loves this old toy that one of his therapist has called Tommy the Telephone. (I have looked for it on eBay, but have not found one yet. Oh well, I guess if we owned one it would not be near as cool when he therapist brings it.) First William holds the phone's hands, which are heat activated, then it rings and makes an animal sound. We then help him find the animal that makes that sound and ask him to put it in the phone's opening in the back. When his therapist first brought this toy in the fall, it was an instant hit with both William and Juliet. Although she is not in this video, Juliet usually helps William match the animal to the sound. William is always super serious about all the tasks that are involved in playing with this toy. He loves it so much he could probably play with it for the entire duration of his hour session, but it is usually saved for the end.
William and an Illini cup
William in his stander
William has continued to do well in all areas of his development. Over the past week, he has really turned on. He is more engaged in his therapies and activities then we have ever seen. This change has been noted by not just me, but all of his nurses and therapists. Part of it is probably the age that he is at, but still it is incredibly exciting. I am so thankful for all of his wonderful therapists. They are excellent! It has been amazing to work with them and learn how to help William develop and learn in spite of his disabilities.
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? By Bill Martin Jr./Eric Carle is William's new favorite book!
Polar Bear Polar Bear was a gift from his Grandma. She found a version with buttons to push with all the animal noises. Like any new toy it had to be studied by William. (The picture to the left shows William's pensive look or the "thinking pose" with one finger by his eye.) However after a few reads, it became a big hit. He plays with his book with so much energy and determination, turning the pages quickly to get back and forth to his favorite animals and then pushing the animal sound buttons. So far his two favorite animals and sounds are the Lion and his roar and the Leopard and his snarl.
In the below video, William shows me his two favorite animals! I was going to asked him to show me the hippo or zebra next, but in good sibling fashion it was taken away by Juliet! She likes reading the book with us too. Her favorite is the whistling zoo keeper.
Two weeks ago one of William's Physical Therapists (PT) began her session by telling me that she wanted to challenge William a little more and have him sit at his desk and play with toys. Up to this point we typically let him watch Sesame Street while sitting so he is only working on gross motor. The whole time she was explaining the plan William shook his head back and forth saying NO. (He did not approve of the change.) She worked with him as he shifted around trying to keep his balance, while I read him books with him turning the pages and stacked blocks for him to knock down. We did this for about 30 minutes, until William was tired and needed a break. After we laid him down on the floor he began to wave bye bye to his PT (even though he still had 30 minutes left in the session). I tell this story because I found it funny how he communicated with us that day and it is a point to measure progress. The above video was taken yesterday with his other PT. Yes, there is obviously Sesame Street on TV, but he also is able to play with his talking cars and balance against his desk.
