This daily correspondance between schools she attended and us give you a glimpse on our daily life. Most parents of typical children do not communicate on daily basis with the teachers. This gives a reader an insight to how important daily communication is for a child with autism.

Kat has attended school since she was 3 years old. These are school notes that were result of correspondence with her parents and her teachers. We have made comments at a later date reflecting back on the impact of these events.Kats School Notes Index

Date

Comments

1998-03-02

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1998-3-03

Hello! When I got in, Kat was playing the snowball tag game again. She was running and smiling. I gave her a few prompts to run faster and turn around to watch the balls. She loves to chase after them and throw them at the other kids. After gym, we went to the library. Kat picked out a book and looked at it and said, "no, I don't want this book." Wow! Kat looked at fish books but then choose one about costumes. Great! She also chose a book of poetry. Wonderful!

In science, they went over the science homework p. 254-255. She needs to do it tonight for homework. I'll put the notebook in her schoolbag again. They took a pop quiz on the vocabulary for the chapter. Kat got 1/12 right. Mrs. D. moved on to reading, so we went to Mrs. R' s early. They were waiting for someone, so the kids played whispered down the lane. After that, they played a vocabulary game. They had to give a definition and then use the word in a sentence. Kat did wonderfully!

Then, Kat did spelling. I told her after the game and after spelling she could play basketball. After the game, she started on her spelling right away! When she was done, she didn't want to go to the gym.

In music, they watched "Amadeus." I found Kat's science worksheets to study from for tonight. We went back to Mrs. R's room and did math. They did word problems w/ money. Kat had a lot of trouble. She needed constant prompting from Mrs. B. and me. She's getting it very slowly. See you soon! A.

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1998-3-04

Is there a health book? We do not have one at home. We will see you tonight. Kat was a concert last night.

D.

Hi! The science book is being used for health. The chapters about the human body are the "health" chapters.

In art, they carved sculptures from a sand-cement mix stone. I assisted Kat a lot because she was working w/ a knife and she kept getting close to her fingers and saying "ouch." After initially disliking feeling on her hands, she was fine. I ask Kat if she wanted to keep working on it next week and she said "Yes." I was surprised because I thought she would hate the feeling of the sandy grit and not want to work on it again.

In reading, they corrected sentences w/ errors. Kat did fairly well. Then, they began working on a creative writing assignment. They are answering plot questions before they begin the actual writing. Kat needed lots of prompts to get ideas.

I took Kat to the gym to play basketball. After a few minutes she said "I am tired." I asked why and she said, "because I want to do the language. I want to go to Mrs. Rolfe's room."

In language, they reviewed comparative adjectives (-er/-est). Kat had to write the 2 forms on the board. She did it perfectly. She had trouble making up a sentence. Then they started on irregular comparative adj. (Exs.: good, better, best) She did well on this.

Kat worked dilligently on her language w/ no "silly talk" and " no posing." Wow! She is doing great today with not exhibiting inapproiate behaviors.

We went over the science flashcards. Kat knew most of them fairly well. Then, she sped through her math seatwork. It was a multiplication review that she did very well in.

After lunch, Kat had speech. They did possesive pronouns. Kat needed prompts from the teacher and I to answer, but she paid attention and said still fairly well.

In math, they started decimals and transferring fractions in tens to decimals. Kat was only there for 10 minutes, so I'll work on it after school. Kat had 15 minues to study for the science test because the class was at the book fair. She can go w/ Mrs. R's class on Thurs. or Fri. if you want to send $ along.

Kat took her science test. She did not do well. I didn't give her much help. I rewarded the question about examples of simple machines and listing their names. She could not remember the info from the last unit that was for extra credit. Kat had some extra time, so she wrote in her journal. See you soon! A.

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1998-3-05

Good Morning!

Wow! Kat was ready & waiting to greet me this morning - Big smile !

P.E. - Kat was very attentive during the kickball game, ran quickly after a nice kick! In the outfield Kat shyed away from the ball - gave a few prompts to take her hands out of her pockets, she put them on her hips. (More approiate, lots of kids were standing that way!)

S.S. (Social Studies)- AWESOME attn! only needed inital prompting to follow along - after she was really "on the ball!" *No silliness, silly talk, or posing! I am so impressed - she is really attending to Mrs. D. and listening and reading along! Great work Kat!

Mrs. K - went right into language seatwork - I only asked her "what are you going to do ?" w/o hesitation she looked up at the "seatwork" chart & began working on her language independently. - I went over it with her after, she missed alot of questions choosing ('er.' vs. 'est') example- "better or best" (in a sentence).

- She then visited the "Book Fair" to fill out her "wishlist" -> enclosed the front of the book, she only choose one book, which she can buy tomorrow morning! When we got back she studied her spelling words for her "pre-test." then I quizzed her - she only missed 3 so I had her write them each 5x. Then she got a 108 "A++ Super" on her spelling pre-test only missed 1. Great!

After recess - we had science w/ Mrs. B. It was struggle to hold Kat's attention and interest in earthquakes. Very silly & wiggly, posing & got the "giggles." While we were looking at a video of earthquakes -> took three dimes of sillness, etc! Made a "verbal contract" w/ Kat that if she works QUIETLY w/o no "silly" or 'giggling' (She agreed!) She'll get the dimes back during math!

Math with Mrs. B. - much calmer and more attentive now - working on decimals to the 10th & writing fractions. Exs.: (1.8 or 1 8/10) still "silly talk" 1x. Kat earned 2 out of 3 dimes back. did some problems on the board. Good! But struggling w/ converting decimals -> fractions.

*Overall - good day! Great Morning!!!

- Afternoon was "touch and go" for attn though!

*Extremely HAPPY today, affectionate, smiling.

- She hugged me in the hallways & once in Mrs. R's class during her "giggling" episode - was not interested in earthquakes at all. watching clock, anxious to start math (we usually do math right after lunch - not science. Attention got better in math.)

*** She understands decimals. just having trouble moving from one concept back to another - she gets flustered. Mrs. B. will focus on just decimals w/ her/then fractions - she will get it! She did miss part of the lesson yesterday! She won't be so flustered after some practice!

*Have a great night! Oh - a lot of awesome eye contact today! L.

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Hello! Kat is very "mellow" this morning - had to prompt a greeting. After homeroom we stopped by the "Book Fair" and "fulfilled" her 'wish list.' Oh, & every student from Mrs. R.'s class got to choose two books for free! Kat choose all the books all on her own! *Oh, you're change ($1.05) is in the brown change pouch! Kat worked on another "clay" sculpture - she did very well. I held the sculpture for her while she carved - it got tough for her at times & she would ask me very sweetly "Will you help me please?" Great work! & nice* interaction with R. who offered to help Kat with edging a design around the top. *Some silly talk while carving. - Great job with seatwork today - lots of initiative! Gotten 100 A+ on both activities w/ adjectives! I had her read me the first sentence out loud & she got it! So I had her do the rest (picking out the adjectives in the sentence!) on her own -> 100 A+ great! Initial prompting for the next activity (to write out a paragraph (copying from the book)) she likes to skip the directions & just write the answer - just like every other kid! She did excellent on her own - another A+ 100! Perfect!

(Reading with Ms. L.) - Kat was much more attentive to Ms. L. than I have ever seen her. We played a "Reading Vocabulary Game." Ms. L. did a great job prompting Kat through activites! I had to give her a few "no's" for a playing w/ her watch but besides the "watch" she was fairly attentive! Kat did a wonderful job on her seatwork and finished early - so I gave her a choice of library or gym for a "break" - she wanted to go to the gym so we took a walk and then went to the gym to play a little basketball! I had Kat try some dribbling & I showed how to do some "lay-ups!" We both had a great time, made a lot of "baskets" and Kat was laughing and playing with me! "Out of the blue" - she announced "I am tired, I am going back to Mrs. R's room!" I teased her a little, try to talk her out of leaving, pretended like I didn't want to go - Let's "stay & play!" She was very firm about going back to class and repeated her announcement ... so went back to Mrs. R's room for language - "perfect timing Kat!" - did some practice w/ "er" and "est" (better, best) in the form of a hangman game - Kat was very attentive to Ms. Libby and responded with the correct answer. 5/6x (sentences were written down for her) - (verbal was too hard).

After we went over her fractions ditto - she had done it before so I let her go on her own w/ it, she missed alot! *Extra time before lunch - I had Kat work on the 2nd packet (and the last 2 pages of the first packet) - from her "EXTRA WORK" folder & went over directions w/ her, she completed each page then after we went over together -I wrote some prompts- hints for her and she fixed her mistakes! Great work! So attentive and tuned in today - very motivated! I let her read and look at 2 of her "Book Fair" books in the time remaining before lunch! I had her read the book to me, "wked " on* inflection, expression & volume!

Recess - I prompted conversation about music and movies between Kat and D. had Kat ask D. questions -> lots of prompting to get responses from Kat to D.'s questions.

Mrs. B. is absent today - Lots of practice with fractions and writing decimals, Kat still needed quite a bit of help to get rolling but got a lot of done after initial review. Kat won a game of "quizmo" right before it was time for Social Studies-Science with Mrs. D. Great Day ! Excellent work ! Kat did an awesome job writing in her journal this afternoon. (Had some free time in Mrs. D's)- completely on her own ! I only helped her say "Linda and I"- that 's all- The rest all I ! "Brilliant !" Lots of details !

Watched a film strip of Social Studies. Very nice attention- seemed genuinely interested ! Some approriate "Novel" comments ! (Only to knows for grimaces- Silly faces awesome day ! Kat was really great ! very on the ball, nice interactions. Fun day ! On really proud of her ! "Go Kat !" Have a wonderful weekend ! See you at clinic. L.

Good Morning!

Didn't expect to be here so soon this week, However, Kat was sitting attentively in health class when I arrived today. They were discussing AIDS and Kat had copied all of her notes neatly from the board. She was attentive to one as well when I entered the room - gave her a big smile and hello. The only indication that I heard which told me she was unsupervised? A soft low humming of her favorite tune!

Went to Mrs. R's room early today as the schedule was changed to accomodate a "Social Studies speaker" at 11:00 to 12: 30 today. Mrs. D. is concentrating on Social Studies early on in the week and will then shift the focus to science. In the mean time, Kat is finishing her assignments, par excellence for Mrs. R.

We are now back in Mrs. D.'s room listening to quite a lengthy presentation about Colonial Times by a woman from the Camden County Historical Society. Kat is doing quite well do to the fact she is having to copy short notes (in cursive) intermittently while the speaker is lecturing. Two of the students have dressed in costumes and Kat is fascinated by this. They are creating lists in their Social Studies notebook, exploring artifacts in the room, writing with quill pins and playing with wooden tops. The time has gone very quickly and Kat clearly enjoyed herself!

At lunch recess had a short time to go in the gym for jump rope games and basketball. After lunch, went back to Mrs. R.'s room where we caught up on all her assignments. For the day in the first hour and then had an hour of math review for tomorrow's test. She is having a little trouble still with fractions. She needs to count all the objects and know that 13 the denominator and then the colored objects expressed as the numerator. You'll see several examples of this on the papers she has for homework in math. It is really only a matter of practice, practice, practice. It's quite amazing that she has picked up all of this through her lessons at school.

I will talk with you at clinic tonight about her math group. Mrs. R is beginning a unit on counting/making change which I think would really benefit Kat. See you a little later! Melissa

Hi, Kat was perusing a Social Studies book when I arrived this morning. I think she is very interested in this chapter and yesterday's presentation just piqued her interest more. Where the subject is made more real to her somehow, she takes more of interest in it.

We moved on to P.E. and Kat was really a star today. She learned to hold and manipulate a hockey stick, doing drills with the ball around cones, and then participating in a game. Mrs. B1. remarked how attentive Kat was and also how well she did with the drills. Used to cost response to move more quickly only once and she is already catching on.

In Social Studies, they are finishing Chapter 12 and will have a test at the end of this week. Kat had a chance to read and followed along well during the entire lesson. After Social Studies, she participated in a game of questions which is a review for the Unit Science test today. I witnessed a wonderful thing! When it came time for Kat's turn, I quickly slipped her cards to Mrs. D. She answered 3 in a row correctly. The class went wild - they had never heard Kat get such complicated answers correct. They all clapped and Kat was nervous but happy when her turn was over! Mrs. D. rewarded her with some candy - what a moment !

They went out for T.P.E. and played kickball for 20 minutes. Kat is really getting into these games now. She heard the kids yell out the score and she repeated it. Then, at the end, she heard them say "We won!" and she hollered out the same. Wow.

On to Mrs. R's room for the last morning hour. She had time to complete all her seatwork which includes reading, spelling, language, and math. She finished it all without a problem.

They went outside the recess and it was quite cold and windy. Kat does her zipper her jacket now by herself (she gotten use to the zipper) but doesn't put her hood up, even if she feels cold. So I have been telling her, "If you are cold, put up your hood." It's almost as if she forgets it is there.

After lunch, they had music (just sang a bit and then watched "Amadeus" again) and then went right back to take her science unit test. She hurried through it so I made her go back and read each one again. She had made several mistakes, which she recognized and corrected them. She then went right back to Mrs. R's where she had a math test. It must have been a lot of pressure on her as she started to cry during the math test. She was also very stimmy and emotional this afternoon- such as contrast to this morning. I can only think it's those Rice Krispy Squares at lunch and candy this morning! See you tomorrow! Melissa

Hi, Katherine did not get a chance to do her homework, sorry. We will work on it tonight. Danuta.

March 11, 1998

Good Morning... No problem with the homework. She did all of it for Mrs. R.'s room and the Social Studies for Mrs. D. we can try to squeeze in before lunch today.

When I arrived this morning, Kat had wriiten in her journal and was making up math problems to do on a separate piece of paper! I'm sure a lot of teachers would like such motivated students.

Off to art first thing today where we began a new project. Kat had to draw a shoe and then add lots of little people and details to her drawing. Her tendency with these drawing projects is to do them too fast. Sooo - I slowed her down considerably, made her erase sloppy work and do it again. Since she was forced to pay attention to the details of her drawing, we got a largely improved finished product. She was not happy about all the corrections but everyone commented on her great job when done. This made up for all the toil!

Back to Mrs. R.'s room for the morning. Kat now knows to go right for her seatwork assignments and enjoys getting them done. She was called up for her reading group which she has with the student teacher, Ms. L. They are doing a lot of board work but some of it is good review for Kat (for ex. What word doesn't belong?).

Before language we had a chance to go into the gym for ten minutes, jog, play basketball and jump rope. She loved it - and then said "I'm tired, I want to go to Mrs. Rofle's room."

Back to language class where they used MAD LIBS to learn nouns, adjectives and verbs (even some articles.) Kat has trouble naming these parts of speech when asked so I think we should make it part of her academic work at home, whenever we can fit it in. I'll try to make up some sheets for to do. When she catches on to parts of speech, she'll have a good way to help her organize language structures in her mind.

Off to lunch for the exciting part of the day. Every once in a while now, I follow Kat in the lunch line (surreptitiously) to see how she does. Did that today and found she was chattering away under her breath, not paying attention to the lunch ladies and cutting the line! Boy, was she surprised when I caught her. Had her go through again the proper way and she did it perfectly. Even though she can do it by herself, she still needs to be monitored closely from time to time.

It was very cold at recess today but, guess what? Kat put up her hood on by herself and pulled her sleeves down to hold the chain on the swings. She remembered what we discussed yesterday. When she is really cold, she is a bit more distracted.

Speech class is after lunch every Wednesday. It is always hard for Kat but today they are doing possesive pronouns. She is trying hard to follow long and I'm working with the teacher to help facilitate her responses. Gave her a reward of a trip to the library for good attention. She loves these little breaks.

In Social Studies had quite a bit of seat work to do. We finished last night's homework and then finished several review questions which Kat had to write out. After that they corrected the work in the workbook. The only thing we are missing is her packet. It would be good to leave that in the yellow folder until after the test because they use it a lot in school. We'll try to work on it here if you don't get it done at home.

As for next week, I'm still assuming our date at the Middle School is for Monday. Just give me a call sometime this week and let me know what time we should meet and where. It's hard to believe that it is already time to be making decisions for next year.

Gave Kat a dollar because she worked very hard to remain quiet and attentive this afternoon. Her eyes popped out when I gave it to her! Had a great day! Talk with you soon.

Melissa

March 12, 1998

HR - Good Morning! When I arrived Kat was smiling & very friendly! got a nice greeting, she had been making up math problems!

P.E. - Very easy going today, Kat had fun ! The groups each "dressed-up" their snowman and then posed for a picture w/ him! I had to tell Kat to take her hands away from her face & "smile" and she did! Kat smiled brightly for the picture with her teammates & the snowman - who they dressed as a "Philadelphia FLYER" hockey player!

Social Studies - Kat was very attentive to a filmstrip reviewing Chapter 12. Some prompts for attention when we went over the 'HW' assignment (page 290).* Very 'insecure' while copying notes from the board today - kept repeating what was on the board back to me, seemed flustered, copy the notes - Lots of prompts to continue copying and took two dimes for "silly talk." Not a good morning - Kat has lost more dimes she (has yet) - posing, verbal attn - I took her aside in the bathroom to talk to her about her behavior - too silly, she can do sooo much better! I had to get very stern w/ her - she seemed to understand and agreed to work better & quietly in Mrs. R's class and she will get 3 dimes.

She started her seat work indepenently but had to use cost response for not "sharing"- - she was just not working - she'd write a little then start picking at her desk or just staring attn after cost response and intial prompting to "keep working" she was much better! Completed her language seatwork nicely and quietly - I went over her mistakes with her & she corrected her paper - only missed a few in each exercise (using articles - a, an, the ) and told her to read each sentence in a whisper to herself to listen for the right word when we reviewed directions. "Kat which sounds better?" During language lesson w/ Ms. L. answered questions on adjectives with prompting. Ms. L wrote Kat's question for her on the board - she did well! Kat had a rough time w/ her math ditto seatwork - new fraction problems! She can do (1/6 of 12) perfect but (4/6 of 12) is another story - Mrs. B. made up some practice problems for Kat & then went over them with her. The original 'SW' ditto confused her because it jumped around for one concept to another - Kat needs to PRACTICE one concept at a time. She cried a little while working w/ Mrs. B but told herself "It's okay" ... she started to "catch on" once she relaxed & took her time & listened to Mrs. B.!

After Lunch - Kat did MAGNIFICENT job! - helped put sand around the "Adobe house" the class made for their study of Native Americans - then Kat made a ladder out of popsicle sticks and toothpicks! Wonderful attn "Welcome back" Kat! Beautiful work on a Native American coloring worksheet, a little verbal while coloring - took a dime back and she ignored my "No - wk. quietly" and stopped.

She is much better this afternoon! She was just "really off" in the early morning - "just wanted to play- very silly & unresponsive." She earned a lot of dimes back in the afternoon. "Nice come back Kat!" She just took a math "pre-test" on time and money, she worked very quitely (I prompted her to slow down and take her time!) (She tells herself, "it's okay" when she gets flustered.) - played Math games for the rest of the time - Kat was great! Have a good night! Study Kat (for Social Studies!)

L.

March 13, 1998

HR - Good Morning! I got a great greeting this morning w/ a bright smile! She sang the national anthem at a nice almost even volume !

Art - *Wonderful today, drew a "Surreal" shoe picture, traced the outline of the shoe w/ prompting, then copied details! Nice close attn! Alot of details - really took her time with intical prompts and "created" quietly! Her picture turned out beautiful! - she even added a lot of her own details (I prompted her by asking questions, "What would you like to draw- anything you want !") She drew some fish & waves & a sun! - I prompted birds & a dolphin! She lost a bit of her 'fine details' in the coloring of the picture - but she really did do her best! *very creative Kat !

Mrs. K - Kat got very excited when she saw T. looking at a book about the Titanic! Some prompted conversation - Kat was given an apple in Mrs. K.'s and ate the whole thing!

Very attentive during language! (played a game)

*Things to discuss at clinc

-Kat took a reading skills comprehension test. -Just to clarify from the start - I did prompt her if she began to "Flounder." The first part - vocabulary (Multiple choice) I had her read the sentence aloud. then I had her read each possible answer in the sentence -> then choose the one she thought sounded right. She did very well, (she may not know every defintion but she can tell if the sentence sounds right or not).

Reading story/answer questions - prompted to read story aloud and also to refer back to the story.

I put the test in the HW folder so you can see - Mrs. K. suggested giving her the test again next week, a page or two at a time - the test was very involved and a little long - Kat could have guessed on a few (picked a couple of 1st choices as her answers and it was hard to prompt w/o "Leading" her at times. Next week she will take a bit of the test at a time w/ minimal prompting just to see what she "knows" on her own to assess her comprehension. Mrs. K. had questions about how this test should be adminstered to Kat - so as to get "the most" out of her own (talk about at clinic). when she is clearly struggling how much prompting is too much?

Watched an hour of "Cinderella" (A treat for 13 blue feathers). Next she drew a picture about spring - a lot of attention to detail- great! Flowers, a girl picking flowers, sun, birds, clouds. then Kat had to write a story about why she likes spring - I prompted her to refer the picture she drew for ideas. prompted her w/ some questions - prompted a sentence about playing w/ Messha outside. So Kat drew Messha & herself playing into her "Spring" picture really GREAT!

After, she relaxed and went online on the computer with T. to look at sites about "Titanic!" Looked at Mrs. B. son's baby photo album /- when the computer moved "too slow!"

A really awesome day! Kat is very "on the ball" & just a lot more "tuned in" and AWARE! - So much more so than yesterday! nice interaction & some good eye contact w/ her teachers! Oh & Mrs. B. sneezed and Kat said "God bless you!" Great attn to what 's going on around her today! Oh - went through lunch line nicely! "

Math with Ms. L. - Kat is learning about ($) money - "a very motivating* subject for her!" She struggled w/ verbal questions posed to her - but got a 100% A+ on the "money ditto!" Great!

*did a little review before the Social Studies test.

- had to take 2 dimes for "silliness" during Social Studies test- after cost/response she worked alot better! prompted her to slow down, take her time! Content multiple choice & went over directions with her. then I let her do it ALL ON HER OWN. Skills test - alot harder. prompted to read story/paragraph- head her read it aloud, quietly then I had to prompt her to refer back to the Reading- (struggling w/ questions here) part 2 of skills - looking at a chart and then answering questions.

-ALOT of prompting just to look at and follow the chart.

Essay- As always extremely difficult! (for her). I tried to prompt questions to get her to respond/help her remember. very restless w/ this, flustered. could not get sentences out of her - She listed again - as she's done in the past. Essay are still sooo hard for her even with prompting. Have a good weekend!

L.

March 16, 1998

Good Morning

The children heard some sad news today. One of the 3rd graders who was suffering from luekemia died last night.

On a happy note, Lisa (Mrs. B.) had a baby boy yesterday! 7 pounds 11 oz. 20 inches long.

The kids watched a video on cooperation. It's part of the series with a comedian who makes jokes, talks with kids and then does skits about the topic. Kat has seen some of these before. She started singing the theme song in the beginning. What a cutie! Kat sat still for most of it. Silly talk is way down this morning.

In Science, they started Unit 7. The student teacher is going to be teaching the next unit. They readed p. 258- 263. Kat read p. 260. Her volume was a lot better. Unfortunately, Kat was not paying attention to the student teacher and needed lots of prompts to follow along. Kat was also singing a lot! After taking a dime, Kat did better. Then, Kat drew a diagram of the Earth's layers.

In reading, they kept watching the movie about the Brother's Grimm. Kat really liked the video. She sat quietly and stared at the t.v. the whole time.

Ms. L. was teaching language when we arrived. They had to choose the right answer for a presented sentence (more vs most, etc.) Kat has trouble w/ oral presentation of choices so Ms. L. gave her choices from the book.

After language, Kat did her spelling seatwork. She asked for help 2x's and did the rest independently. For reading, they had to create a birthday party invitation. I prompted to Kat by modeling responses and by asking questions about parties. Then, Kat did her language seatwork. She needed lots of help to finish it. She had to underline the adjective, add-er to- est to each adjective, and choose the correct article. Actually Kat had only had a lot of problems w/ adjectives.

Then, Kat rushed through her math dittos on telling time. Wow! She is great at it. Kat spent a little time w/ her old math group on time (which she is great at!) and then moved to the other group to do $. Of course Kat is wonderful at counting change. She had a bit of trouble once, but she worked through it and was fine. See you tonight!

A.

Hi, M.

I was very excited about Middle School. I think Kat is going to like it. She loves being with other kids.

I don't know if you remember back when we dealt with some bad behavior but you took her back when she did not behave.

Maybe the contract should be that if Kat wants to be at school those are the conditions or she goes home to move.

D.

IMarch 17, 1998

Top of the mornin' to you...

Wow! Kat was copying loads of science vocabulary from the board when I arrived today. All of it was neat and well done - she even stopped to give me a sweet hello. Gave her lots of dimes right off the bat. Off to P.E. and more amazing things. Kat cycled through 5 rotations (jog, dribble & shoot, monkey bars, jump rope, skip it). with only one prompt! Mrs. B. was excited to see she could even use the skip it (looks like this O_____.) without help. She is really paying attention. It's difficult. This is marvelous to watch. Kat is playing a game of hockey now. She is looking for the ball and hitting it just like the other kids. Mrs. B even put her in the face off! This is wonderful to witness. Kat is obviously happy, too! If she can handle this kind of the game in P.E., I'm sure she can do things we never dreamed of.

Took Kat to the library for 10 min. between P.E. and science for outstanding performances in P.E. She still gravitates toward fairy tales but persuaded her to look elsewhere and she selected two fish books.

In science, They are on Chapter 14 studying the Earth. It is an adjustment for Kat to now listen to the student teacher, Ms. P., but she is doing quite well. Unfortunately, she is allowing a lot of discussion/questions/stories from the kids which breaks up the lesson for Kat but Kat is doing an extraordinary job attending and staying quiet. She just got an opportunity to read and the vocabu. was difficult (e.g. seismograph, Richter Scale, tsunami, etc..) Overall, she was quiet and attentive through out the lesson.

Finish the morning in Mrs. R's class by taking a reading test and compeleting assignments.

Music was the first thing this afternoon. They are practicing songs for the spring concert. (April 20) I signed Kat up for dancing w/ Mrs. C like last year. While we were watching "Amadeus," Kat heard Mozart say "That was a malicious lie." K said to me "A malicious lie - do you like a malicious lie?" I was shocked. She was really listening to the dialogue carefully. The line was not shouted or said angrily - only in passing. She is also listening to things the kids say. One of the boys said, "we get a treat today." After a short while (with noise etc.) asked K what the boy said - she new immediately.

In math, they are doing money counting and identifying the worth of coins. She is now working with the higher group on this - and it is quite easy for her. She does, however, have a little trouble understanding some of the terms used such as "How many coins did use in all?"

That's all for today - See you tomorrow!

Melissa

March 18, 1998

A short art class this morning do to the fact the kids earned a reward for gym time. Kat did have a chance to work on her "detail" picture for about 15 minutes. She is much for careful now, using fine line markers and outlining her drawings. It is not quite independent yet but I notice a big difference.

We are in the gym now for a snowball fight game. I wish you could see this - Kat is having a ball herself. She is speedy, following the rules and really enjoying the game. No need for cost response here!

In Mrs. R's room, Kat went her right to her reading work. It is becoming difficult but Kat is keeping pace. Two rules which she known by now but it is not applying consistently are 1) capitalize the first letter in a sentence and 2) put a period at the end of each sentence. She should be doing these two things whenever she writes, at home or school.

Her language lesson today was with Ms. L., the student teacher. She had them listen to 2 choices of words in a sentence and the correct answer. Had to prompt her many times to write the correct response (one she chose) and finally she got the hang of it. These listening - writing exercises need more practice - maybe we can create some for the academic part of therapy. One thing I have observed this week is that Kat is listening better to other's conversations. Today during reading she heard one girl say to a boy something like "Don't do that, Greg." Kat piped right up and repeated the same thing. Everyone was quite amused - and she matched the tone and volume of the speaker perfectly.

Lunch was quite routine today. Kat needs to pay for another string of lunches as she is out of tickets as of Monday of this week. Recesses was inside the gym and Kat chose to jump rope. Mrs. B. was impressed at how she has improved her speed and rhythm while jumping together. She does, however, need to transfer this to jumping alone. I feel sure she will soon.

Speech today involved a group of activity with worksheets on which they wrote synonyms. It was good review for her. This morning, part of her spelling lesson was on opposites. The pronoun packet that I sent home yesterday or actually a speech homework assignment but Kat does not have to return it on time.

In Science, they are reviewing defintions and new concepts about the Earth. They have homework which involves drawing (see assignments) a diagram in her science notebook. It will be continued with two more diagrams another night. See you next week!

Melissa

Hi L!

The data sheets are in the front. Record all silly talk including singing.

Melissa

I will!

L.

March 19, 1998

Good morning! great eye contact with her greeting, I gave her 3 dimes! No silly talk so far this morning! * I will make more of a point of giving lot more dimes along & paired with my verbal praise! & other "treats" during the day. I feel very very bad about going light on the dimes - I thought we were going for more praise & other types of reinforcement like breaks, etc. at school. I'm sorry if I missunderstood (moving away from dimes) at school. I am sorry. * It was NOT intentional by any means!

P.E.- Awesome today! Made great attempts during hockey game - won a "Face-off" for her team! later played snowball game - great! She really seems to LOVE this game now! Lots of running! very motivated! Smiling - Attentive running - she is really looking for snowballs - she want's them! Kat got 2 people "out" on the other (opposing) team! really awesome particpation! Gave her ALOT of dimes after & lots of encouragement & praise & " high - fives" during the game! She was very excited! She's got a great arm !

Science - Excellent attn! Copied notes from the board independently and listened to Mrs. D's lectured about the earth's layers w/o prompts! Followed Mrs. D around the room "w/ her eyes" - great! & even repeated a phrase from Mrs. D's lectured to me great! I heavily reinforced that! (had to take two dimes for silly talk while copying more vocabulary) - quiet after I took the dimes, copying notes quietly now! (also lost a dime - I caught her singing in the bathroom!) Aside from the silly talk while copying notes - She really did pay close attn! great overall!

Mrs. R. - needed intial prompts to get started on her (language, reading, etc.) - did not initate seatwork today on her own - but one she got started she worked quickly & quietly with few prompts. - 1 dime for "pose/silly." nice participation in Language but needed a lot of prompts to attend Ms. L. (Maybe because she's still a little new and very soft spoken). Kat is not responsive to Ms. L. today needs prompting due to her soft spoken ways - I have to prompt eye contact & attn! when Ms. L. works (aside) with Kat. -just not tuning into her today, but gave her some good responses after prompts from me and Ms. L. The class played a "MADLIBs" language game to practice nouns, verbs & adjectives - each kid took turns picking random nouns, etc! to create a funny story! Kat listen to the stories & laughed appropriately! got a 108 A++ on her spelling test so we went to the gym & played "basketball" and had Kat dribbling, shooting baskets! After making quite a few nice baskets we ran 2 laps around the gym and Kat announced that she wanted to go back to Mrs. R' s room! She had fun though and was very proud of herself everytime she made a basket!

-Watched Danielle jumping rope (indoor recess)- And imitated - got almost 4-6 jumps in a row! Great! Back to Mrs. K 's for a game 'til early dismissal.

-Overall a *great day! Some silly talk but awesome attn! & good work throughout (a little trouble attending to Ms. L.). Otherwise very responsive! Very happy all day - I went much heavier on the dittos than I have been - pairing them with my usual verbal phrase, "Cheering on!" (Back home for an hour for some therapy). have a good night!

L.

March 20, 1998

HR- Good morning! Kat greeted me w/ a very enthusiastic "Good Morning L.!" and even got a bright smile! She was doing math problems when I arrived today!

Kat had a lot of fun in art today! finished her "surreal shoe" and then started working on a Rocket Ship! She drew it herself with some instruction from Mrs. D1- the art teacher! Alot of care & attention to details, nice precise coloring! Had to take two dimes (Continous singing while coloring). Ironically - R. was singing and humming almost loudly the entire time she was coloring. ("it almost sounded like verbal stim!"). "As I "bust" Kat for singing - I look around & notice alot of kids "humm," sing, etc! while they color, draw"! (May be it's not so unnatural in a creative, relaxed environment?) Oh in art, Kat's barrette began falling - she said "It's a messy hair!" & shook her hair loose.

Mrs. K - nice interaction (prompt greeting) by Mrs. K and w/ Mrs. K - smiling w/ eye contact! More "tuned in" to people around her lately! - took her Reading book out and started flipping "thru" then realized 'seatwork' was in her Reading WORKBOOK & announced workbook page - great! SELF-CORRECTION! did really well w/ her seatwork - needed prompts to refer to a legend and a map! *Kat was working on her Language seatwork and I had to prompt her a "bit" to get her started (Adjectives) she seemed as if she was struggling so I am attempted to help her and she very softly and sweetly said "Don't worry" as she touched my arm. - as if she was reassuring me that she would be alright - that she got it. Great! Great volume in reading today! Nice & almost steady! (even some expression!)

Mrs. R. remarked to me that "it's as if Kat's come back! "- Referring to her interaction! Kat has joined in conversations (whether it be little incidental comments or repeating a phrase or two she hears!) "She 's just been coming out w/ stuff and she's been really cute!" (In the past - Mrs. R. has told me that there have been times when she's felt that Kat was just " tuning her out," that she just was NOT listening but lately that has changed - Kat is really "tuning in" & 'talking' more! & ALOT more Responsive and Friendly. *While waiting in line to go to lunch Kat very impatiently said "Come on Let's GO!" (Don't know whether she over heard one of the other kids in line or not? - Might have been independently. I didn't hear anyone else say that!

(Indoor) Recess- Kat valiantly played with the "skip it" (skipping toy goes around ankle) following D.'s lead! She really started to get the hang of it! Whenever D. changed activites, Kat would announced that she wanted to go to that 'activity'! She really does like being with D.!

Kat is doing very well in math ("counting $")! *Oh something very cool & kind of funny! For math stations, Kat had to go to each of 5 plastic cups (counting $) - placed around the room & dump out each cup & count the money (& record her answer). - She dumped out cup #3 & the money - change, etc. Spilled all over the floor - LOUDLY! Kat looked up from the floor as she went to pick up the coins & almost seeming self - conscious said "it fell!" looking back at me & the class. So natural and comical! We all laughed together! Great! She is sooo AWARE! before leaving for Mrs. D's class - prompted Kat to wish everyone a "Great weekend!" (w/ all teachers Kat gave eye contact when prompted and a bright smile - ON her OWN!

*Very happy today, seemed to enjoy interactions! Mrs. R. pulled Kat aside and told her how great and FUN it has been talking with HER! Mrs. R. has really seen aLOT of improvement! -Enjoyed Kat a lot this week!

Science - attn (much better!) read with great volume (not too loud but 1x too soft). Alot of bright smiles & nice eye contact today! Verbal stim was higher - I think due to her excited happy mood! (took dimes after a warning). Very responsive! Have a great weekend!

March 23, 1998

Not much happened this weekend. She watched "My best friend's wedding last night."

D.

Hello!

A nice good morning on a 2nd try including a hug. She took me by surprise or I would have avoided it. Lots and lots of silly talk and singing and posing. Unfortunately, her neighbor is singing too. Kat is sponstaneously taking notes in health. She needed a prompt to take out her paper w/ notes on it, but she has been writing what the teacher is writing on the board. The kids watched a video on vaccines and AIDS. They will have a quiz next Monday but there will be a review beforehand.

In Science, they read p. 274 - 278 and then did the lesson review. Kat read fairly evenly - She needed an initial prompt for volume. The "broken plates" project is due on Friday. Please finish the science lesson review in the notebook tonight.

In reading, they watched a video about the Brother's Grimm again. In Mrs. R's class, they watched the 2nd 1/2 of Cinderella because the kids earned it. Then Kat took the language pretest and did her reading seatwork. Then, Kat took the language pre- test and did her reading seatwork. Then, Kat went to the gym to shoot some hoops and run. Kat got wounded quickly and asked to back to Mrs. R's room a few times.

At lunch, I walked up to Kat in the lunch line. She had her fingers in her ears and was posing. She was completely inattentive to the lunch lady. Kat needs lunch ticket money!

After lunch, they finished watching "Cinderella." Then they played madlibs to review parts of speech. Kat has been singing, posing and sillytalking all day. She zoned out and would not pay attention to Ms. L. Kat did a little bit better in math. she was still singing a lot, but she was working hard and doing better on her homework. After math, she had a bit more free time, so she worked on her seatwork. See you tonight!

A.

March 24, 1998

Good morning... A very pleasant hello today but no EC. So prompted that. Took a look at her journal before P.E. - Wow, her writing is looking good! Smaller, neater and definitely better than my boys penmanship! Off to the gym for a set of execises to begin the class. Kat is much better at these this year - sit ups, jogging, monkey bars, etc. - and she made the switch to each station nicely. Afterwards, Mrs. B. began volleyball skills. Kat paid close attention most of the time and no silly talk during the game. Before we even went to gym today, I had a talk with Kat. Told her that I had to write down everytime she "silly talked" - and If I had to write down a lot, she wouldn't get as many dimes today. It is now 10:45 and she has had only two occurrences. I really believe she understands and at times makes a consertive effort to control it. She is certainly doing that now and is making lots of money as a result. When she is quieter, I tend to see a few more faces but she almost always looks at me right away and says "No posing." Science was a bit fragmented because lots of kids were out having their photos taken for yearbook. They were given a packet again on the earth which they are to finish for homework. Now the student teacher is going over the packet and Kat just answered the question for her w/ my point prompt). However, she is listening as she provides the answers to the class and is repeating them out loud before she writes them on the lines - new techinque for Kat and once again - repeating what she is hearing. Something new - Mrs. D. just came over to Kat to remind her of her homework assignment. Kat was not paying attention to her so I immediately took away a dime. She had Kat repeat to her what she needed to do she needed to do and gave her a blank bookmark to mark her page. I decided would be good to have her copy her assignments when it is on the board - so she did it on the bookmark. We can try to have her do this now in preparation for middle school.

Off to Mrs. R's room where she only had time to finish her seatwork today. She needed some help and since all the other kids went to lunch it was a good time to teach her some new things. We spent quite a bit of time on language and math money concepts. She needed review on some of the basics. At lunch, Kat did not sit next to me as one of the other children did before her. It was a good thing - at one point she asked me for snack money and I couldn't hear her. She had to get up, come over and ask me in louder volume as I truly couldn't hear what she was saying. She learned that unless she spoke loud and clear, she could not get what she needed.

On to music where there is a lot of noise and confusion while discussing the upcoming concert. Spent about 10 minutes rehearsing the songs. They will sing and Kat is singing some of the lyrics. She is following along very well. I think she can probably learn some of them by heart before the concert on April 20. The rest of the class was devoted to watch "Amadeus." Kat really started to wiggle during the video, talking and making faces, even some singing. I am not sure whether it was the video or the sugary snacks she had for lunch. It is hard to tell but no matter how many dime she lost (6 in all) she couldn't see to stop herself.

In math, she continued to talk and sing. Took away 6 more dimes- and told her everytime that she could not sing or talk. Took away 10 dimes in a 15 minute interval - she didn't seem to care until the 10th dime when she finally got angry and started to cry. I was very passive and simply said "no crying, please pay attention to math." She quit almost immediately and started to pay attention. The lesson was very important - some clock work your doing at home (saying quarter of, etc.). I almost drained her change purse! Take a look at the data for today and see if you can make anything of it. Will see you tomorrow if you can make it!

Melissa

March 25, 1998

Wow! It's almost lunchtime and this is the first chance I've had to write. When we went back to Mrs. R's room, the principal of OSAGE and their first grade teacher for Matt Adams was there. (Now I understand why they wanted to observe Kat!) It's seems Matt is beginning school there soon and the teacher needed to see how the program works. Since both Mrs. R and the student teacher were out, it was a difficult time to observe. Nevertheless, Kat was a star - learning about adverbs from the subsitute teachers she had never met before. She was quiet and attentive for the most part. When she was done, she transitioned right to her seatwork.

After lunch, Kat has speech on Wednesday. This is a 45 minute lesson and always difficult for Kat to sit through. She asked to go to the bathroom halfway through the class. I crept in and heard her talking/singing while she was washing her hands. Out of the blue, I said "Do you want to go home?" instead taking a dime away which I had left in class. She was immediately attentive saying "Oh no!" (grabbed my hand and looked very upset). "No talking, no singing in school Melissa!" This made me wonder - are the dimes being removed doing the trick? or should we take her home once (which she is sure to hate) to see if it works? I can only remember what it did for her agressive incidents - stopped them just about cold. Let me know what you think.

Kat is now in math and for the last two days they have been practicing on the clock "before, after" etc. to the hour. The teacher has a clock and has written the words "after" and half past on the right side and "to" "before" and "of" on the left. She is an excellent teacher - speaks clearly, is forthright - and is getting Kat to pay attention. It is a short lesson however as they are getting ready for an assembly at 2:15.

I won't write anymore today but will make an additional note if anything happens at the assembly. She hasn't made a peep since I suggested going home!

Melissa

On March 26, 1998

Good morning! Kat was wonderful in P.E. today. did a number of different aerobic activites (There were 9 different stations.) Kat followed the lead of her teammates & with a little "cheering" & encouragement from me & her teammates she really shined! She did about a 5 or 6 nice sit-ups which I know were hard for her but she really wanted to keep up with the other girls! And running!!! She almost seems to enjoy running now! She is smiling and running faster w/o prompting. great ! She looks to me for approval but is doing it for herself! After "stations" the kids broke up into their winter groups and played "Pillow Polo"! Very fast paced and a little chaotic for Kat to "follow" but she really tried hard, ran fast and tried to "stay in the mix!" "Awesome effort Kat!"

Social Studies (S.S.) - Kat sat very attentively during a presentation by Mrs. D's student teacher - but I noticed a change in her after eating some gummi candy (given to the class). Kat got increasingly sillier after the candy! Had to take three dimes away for "posing", giggling, faces, during the remainder of S.S. She needed constant prompting to follow along in book & pay attention to lecture. Sugar really does seem to effect her! She was not responding to me or cost response - very hard to talk to. On the way to Mrs. R's I resorted to "Melissa's tactic." I asked her if she "wanted to go home?!?" She grabbed my arm to say "No!" "No silly talk, no posing!" I felt a little guilty saying that to her b/c I have never 'taken her home from school' but it did have an IMPACT on her - more than losing dimes! She was almost an angel in Mrs. R's class! Oh - she took a Language test. I prompted her the directions and had to read the sentences aloud to hear which answer "fit", she got quite a few! We'll have to see - she choose the answers on her own, I only prompted her to slow down & read each one. Prompted some conversation during lunch and recess - Kat was very happy swinging in the sunshine! She's been singing "George of the Jungle" during recess. *Kat did very well w/ telling time but silly talk was extremely high this afternoon!

L.

March 27, 1998

Hi Linda, Please let Kat take the science test independently today without any help or prompts. She's been studying hard but sometimes they are too difficult for her any way!

D.

'Sure!' Ok, Danuta - will do. hey, I am very sorry I did not "close" my notes yesterday, I did not mean to end abruptly like that but about 2:15 yest. afternoon I got very sick. Suddenly w/ a migrane & had to excuse myself a couple o/ times due to an upset stomach - I did stay w/ Kat 'til 3:00 p.m. I just could not write w/ the pain in my head - I think my illness was the cause of Kat's 'sillytalk/verbal' so much (& sweets at lunch!) I was NOT able to be as "tough" on her as I should have been - sorry, I got caught off guard by the migrane.

Oh - great day so far! Kat was wonderful in Art today. Barely any verbal stims at all! She is being attentive to Mrs. D1! She made a clay sculpture of "The Thinker" - I helped her with the initial shaping of the clay but she smoothed & put in the details on her own! She needed a prompting to stay on tasks - only because the 'feel" of the clay on her fingers made her uncomfortable, kept saying "I want to wash my hands!" but she did "hang in there" despite the "clay feeling"! and did a beautiful job on her sculpture! Great! Nice attn. and effect! Mrs. D1 was impressed! Very FUN & "Easy-going" day in Mrs. R's! Kat did very well on her seatwork! Then Mrs. B came to visit the class and brought her Husband, her son Evan and her new baby Dillon (Dylan) Jacob! Kat liked the baby - said "hi" w/ a smile to Mrs. B. and the baby w/ a slight prompt. While Mrs. B. & family were here the class surprised Mrs. R w/ a birthday cake. Kat got a 103 A+ on her spelling test! Once again Kat did great with telling time today! She is really catching on! got "100's" on every ditto during 'math'! We we reviewed for her science test. I quizzed Kat on the science cards. She new most of them on 1st. Great!

When we got to Mrs. D's class they were doing Social Studies not Science - Kat will take her science test on Monday! Nice attention this afternoon and silly talk is down from yesterday! Kat followed S.S.lesson without prompts!

FIREDRILL - Kat responded quickly! Mrs. D. prompted some conversation with Kat while outside about "summertime" (Had to prompt eye contact). Nice reading in S.S. aloud - needed prompts for volume! Good Day!

(Oh - I could NOT find Kat's "RED PURSE" so I gave Kat her "dimes" to hold at the end of the day! "dimes" are in her pocket). (Started a stenciling project in Social Studies {S.S.})

Have a great weekend!

L.

P.S. When I left Kat was writing in her journal (after initial prompting).

March 30, 1998

Hi. Kat had a good weekend. she saw "Man in the Iron Mask." Ask her who played in it, what actor?

D.

Hello! As soon as announcements were over, they had a fire drill. Kat was great! She was humming very quietly but she did not do anything else inappropriate (the other children were much more inapproriate).

In health, The teacher review verbally and then gave them a test (T/F). Kat just alternated T-F, so I erased it and had her read the questions to me. She got 70%! Wow!

Then they had Social Studies instead of science. The student teacher was reviewing what they had read verbally and by making a diagram of the set up of the government. They did a page in their workbook and p. 80 is for homework. Class was pretty dull, but Kat was great!

In reading, they finished the Brothers Grimm movie and then Mrs. H. read them a short fairy tale. Kat got wiggling by the end of it.

For language, Ms. L. started adverbs. Kat was really out of it. She was wiggly and hard to re-direct to the lesson. This behavior got worse while she was doing her spelling seatwork. However, when she did her math, she stopped.

During recess, Kat talked w/ D. about her weekend. She did a good job and even asked some questions w/ partial prompts.

Mrs. D. gave me the science test that they took on Friday. I let Kat take the entire test by herself. Kat finshed all of her seatwork, so I gave her some extra seatwork which was a language review packet. Then, Kat had math. She did time stuff. Kat has trouble with "______ minutes to ______ o'clock." and quarter to quarter past and half past. She did great otherwise. See you tonight!

A.

March 31, 1998

Good morning! Mrs. D. returned Kat science test this morning. She did fairly well but since all the other kids took home their tests to correct and be signed, it would be good for Kat to do the same thing. Also spoke with Mrs. P., the health teacher, who told me how well Kat is doing in health. (see test in homework folder.) When she was required to read each question and think about it, she got 70% overall.

After rehearsal, they returned for Social Studies with the student teacher. She had her workbook done (for homework) but I could not find the social studies packet in her homework folder. Did she have one sent home yesterday? They are reviewing these in school each day this week. Yesterday's homework was pg. 91. (I didn't see it written in the front of the book under homework so it was probably given out when Kat was not here.) Mrs. D. just returned into the room and gave me another packet for Kat. Told me she had just spoken to you - it was a very productive discussion!

Finished up Social Studies and the whole class went outside for T.P.E. Kat followed the group beautifully in a relay race using a basketball to dribble around a cone. Then she participated in a ball throwing drill. The kids were great and Kat's reaction time improved tremendously and the kids cheered with every success.

On to Mrs. R''s room with just enough time to finish up her daily assignments. We have a new seating arrangement already and I love it. I think this will work out very well - Kat is between children who love to talk to her.

After lunch, Kat became a bit weepy. She had her journal entry under the wrong day and wanted to erase the whole thing. I try to emphasize that it was just a mistake - didn't realize she had her reason, either. She is a little more emotional then - as we all are! Math is still telling time but practicing the different forms (quarter to, half past, etc.) Homework in several subjects tonight. More tomorrow!

Melissa