Wow have we come a long way! Hailey has been ice skating since September and she is still adoring it and doing very well. I am so glad that we found something that she can excel in, and where her auditory processing disorder does not make a profound impact on her ability to learn it.
Her coach and the director of the ice skating program gave her an award recently for having great sit spins. She was so proud to receive such an unexpected honor.
She also has just signed up to participate in an ice theater class. This class has a lot of acting, ice dancing, and figure skating. The kids work in small groups and in large casts to present a play on ice so to speak. Hailey is extremely excited about this class and enjoyed her first one immensely.
The coach for the ice theater program has an accent and speaks in choppy English, but Hailey is okay with this. She agreed to not let any misunderstanding interfere with her learning and enjoyment, so she will tell the coach, "Can you please show me" when she doesn't understand what was said. We ran this scenario by the coach and she was more than willing to accomodate.
Now for the real kicker! This particular coach is known to be a little tough in some ways. (I really think it might be a cultural thing and she certainly does not mean any harm by it.) She might say something like, "What you can't do that yet?" or "You should be better by now." I made Hailey aware of this fact and told her that she might say something like that to her one day. Hailey asserted that she would be okay if that happens, and she realizes that the coach is actually trying to motivate her. Wow! I am so impressed. This child of mine is maturing into a very understanding, confident young lady.
She also has just signed up to participate in an ice theater class. This class has a lot of acting, ice dancing, and figure skating. The kids work in small groups and in large casts to present a play on ice so to speak. Hailey is extremely excited about this class and enjoyed her first one immensely.
The coach for the ice theater program has an accent and speaks in choppy English, but Hailey is okay with this. She agreed to not let any misunderstanding interfere with her learning and enjoyment, so she will tell the coach, "Can you please show me" when she doesn't understand what was said. We ran this scenario by the coach and she was more than willing to accomodate.
Now for the real kicker! This particular coach is known to be a little tough in some ways. (I really think it might be a cultural thing and she certainly does not mean any harm by it.) She might say something like, "What you can't do that yet?" or "You should be better by now." I made Hailey aware of this fact and told her that she might say something like that to her one day. Hailey asserted that she would be okay if that happens, and she realizes that the coach is actually trying to motivate her. Wow! I am so impressed. This child of mine is maturing into a very understanding, confident young lady.
help me please! My son is almost 5 and i'm positive he's suffering from APD. He'll be 5 in september and he only just (a week or so ago) finally understood my question, "What's you're favorite color?" I took a video of myself asking him questions and he had NO idea what I was talking about. He answered "reading" for "who is your best friend?" He doesn't understand me. please help me help my son! What can I do at home? what can I do while i"m waiting to get in to an audiologist. I'm lost and reaching out to people who have walked the path I'm finding myself on. troisiemm@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteAdi, You are on the right path going to an audiologist who specializes in auditory processing disorder. Some big things at home to help are to make sure he can see your face always when talking to him and that there are no other competing sounds nearby. Speak in phrases with appropriate breaks rather than long sentences. Use picture cards or objects to help communicate. I'll find the link to the ones you can buy to give you an idea, but you can also make your own. Limit his time he has to listen attentively because it will exhaust him, and help him to feel safe in group environments because he probably feels lost and confused. The audiologist should be able to suggest therapies and specialists such as a speech therapist if those are appropriate for him. If he does indeed have APD, he'll probably need accommodations with academics and most likely some sort of reading interventions. For now, work on the above suggestions for home. Also, please check out the Facebook groups for Auditory Processing Disorder Support; they are filled with people with experiences and advice to share. Good luck, Bev :)
DeleteAdi, Here is a link to some picture cards you can print. http://www.do2learn.com/picturecards/printcards/index.htm
Delete-Bev