Tommy goes to Language Lab

Okay so I’m trying to eat better and have bought a lot of those 100 calories packages.

The problem is, sometimes there is barely enough food in them. It’s like two bites and you’re done. I don’t know about everyone else but that’s not enough food to fill me up. I know there was this woman on The Today Show talking about how you could tell yourself that you’re full and your body would believe it.

Mine does not.

Mine thinks that’s complete bullshit.

This morning I had the 100 calorie blueberry muffins. For one, they tasted like feet. For two, they were bite sized. So it’s like three bites and you’re done. I ate them even though they tasted like feet because in the mornings we’re in a time crunch and I don’t have the extra minutes to find something else. So I ate the feet-muffins and my stomach angrily rumbled at me for more.

The hell Amber? my stomach said, What was THAT? And is that seriously all we’re getting today??
Yes. So move on and wait paitiently for lunch.

My stomach gave an angry gurgle.

Stomach! I lectured. MOVE ON!

Of course I also had two Thin Mints which made my stomach a little happier.

I know the 100 calorie packs are made for snacks though but when I want a snack, I’d like a little bit more food than three bites.

I also got those 100 calorie Twix bars and it’s like two bites and you’re done.

The crap?

Oh and yes I do like Little People, Big World. A lot of people asked me that since I mentioned liking Jon and Kate plus 8. I wish I could take my children to their farm.

Anyhow.

Tommy is going to be starting something called Language Lab.

He goes to a different school in the morning for it since his current school doesn’t have one.

The school psychologist called and asked if it would be something that Tommy would enjoy.

I figured it would being that he loves to learn. This basically helps him to speak more and answer more questions and learn more social skills.

I was invited to go check the Language Lab out last Friday and I agreed. The school it’s at is pretty close to the house.

I had to take Natalie with me but she didn’t seem to mind. She gazed around as I entered the Language Lab room and the teacher introduced herself. Pretty much everything in the room was labeled. I sat down in a chair labeled "chair." For some reason this amused me and I nearly got a case of the giggles. I swallowed it back so the teacher didn’t think that I didn’t find this serious.

I sat for the first thirty minutes of the class. There are five other boys in the class and some have sensory issues like Tommy. I could see one that reminded me so much of Tommy walked around on tip-toes and banging his feet on the ground as he sat at his desk.

I knew Tommy would do wonderfully there.

The teacher had a picture up on the screen and she called on the kids to explain what they saw.

"And what about this lady? What feeling do you think she has?" the teacher asked, pointing at this cartoon lady whose brows were furrowed.

This also amused me and I nearly got the case of the giggles again.

(I got in trouble at school a lot for getting the giggles. I’d usually find a friend who also had a problem with the giggles and we’d collapse into laughter so the teacher would have to separate us. This also happened in high school in biology class. You’d think I’d have outgrown the giggles by then but no. My friend Olivia said in a funny voice, "Investigating starfish," because we were investigating starfish and I found this HILARIOUS and couldn’t stop laughing. So yes, the teacher separated us. Oops.)

"Her is mad!" one of the boys offered.

"Why do you think she’s mad?" the teacher asked.

And the boys took turns speaking. One boy didn’t seem to want to say much and kept shrugging his shoulders and going, "Dunno.."

At one point the teacher asked a question and no one answered. So then Natalie went,

"Ahh babababa!"

Like she was all, "Dudes, this is easy stuff, here’s the answer.."

Everyone laughed at that.

But yes, I thought Tommy would do really well there.

So yesterday we had another school meeting. I’ve seen that office more than I ever saw my school office when I attended school.

So basically Tommy is doing great in the resource room which is a smaller classroom. He is in the regular room in the mornings to put his stuff away in his cubby, do lunch count and sit for the opening lesson.

The psychologist was telling me that she was impressed by how Tommy seemed to wait for all the kids to put their things away and then he’d put his things away. Like he knew all the noise would bug him so he waited back for it to settle down before approaching. Then at circle time he sat a little away from the class so he wouldn’t get overwhelmed.

"I thought it was wonderful that he knew exactly what he needed to keep himself comfortable," she said.

She said he still gets a little upset if he raises his hand and the teacher doesn’t call on him right away. But it’s not a full out meltdown anymore.

Then after the opening lesson Tommy walks down to the resource room with another boy. The psychologist said she trailed them and Tommy went straight for the resource room while the other boy started wandering down another hall.

"Down here!" Tommy told him as the little boy danced down the other hall.

In the end Tommy was all, "I’m going to the resource room. Bye," and then left.

She says she’s proud that he knows exactly where he needs to go.

However, some of his issues are if he can’t figure something out HIS way right away, he gets upset and starts whining. He does several puzzles in the room and if he can’t figure out how HE thinks it should work, he does the whining and can’t focus on anything else until he finishes.

He definately has some OCD qualities.

Also, he doesn’t always let his occupational therapist sit beside him. If she tries, there are some days where he’ll tell her to go away.

Of course as a mother who teaches her kids manners, I was appalled to hear this.

But the bottom line is he’s doing really well. The teacher in the resource room says she has no problems getting him to do his work.

Soo..

Since he usually goes there in the morning then his day would go like this:

In the mornings he goes to language lab. I’d drop him off at his home school and a bus would pick him up there to the language lab school.

He’d go to language lab until around 11 then be bussed back to his other school where he’d get to have lunch and recess with his friends.

Then he’d go to the resource room and complete his work for the day. And then he’d be able to go to music or art again.

Remember, Tommy has only been going half days. He’d usually come home around 12:15.

But now he’ll be going all day again and we’re going to see how he does. I hope he does well.

And he gets his music and art which he enjoys. No PE yet because he had some severe meltdowns in there. So on PE days he’ll just stay in the resource room. But in the language lab they go to the gym just as a group so it won’t be a HUGE group..this way Tommy shouldn’t get overwhelmed.

In the meeting the psychologist brought up that she did several tests on Tommy and that they came out that he was Most Likely to have Aspergers which is a form of autism. I mean I know it’s not official that he has it but I know he definately has some traits.

The kid is brilliant though. He’s really interested in the human body so he’s been learning about that at home. He has several books that we read, plus this game that my parents gave him about it. So he’ll randomly say, "I’m breathing in oxygen right now," or after he eats he’s all, "My stomach is churning my food. And then eventually I’ll poop it out." (Yes, I try not to giggle at that..)