If you were to come to my house, you would find a wild assortment of Lego creations. We have Star Wars, police vehicles, various
spongebob accessories, enough little Lego people to populate an entire city, Super Mario made out of random blocks, a hot air balloon. Well, I'm sure you get the picture.
To most people, it would appear to be a collection of toys. Superman and I spend a lot of time building Lego. Why? We do it because it builds so many skills. Hand/eye coordination, fine motor skills, sorting and finding (which is a huge challenge to a lot of people on the spectrum), following directions and a process, problem solving, social skills of working with a partner and taking turns. If you start at the beginning and try to skip to the end, chances are that your Lego creation will look nothing like it does in the picture. ;) It also builds confidence. Every Lego set that I see represents creativity,
hard work, determination, and fun!
Superman is discovering that learning is fun. He used to think that learning was a lot of fun. Somewhere along the way last year, that was lost. I'm working really hard to bring it back. We celebrate the little things. I don't need him to do 8 pages of math, or read a novel, or countless worksheets to see success.
Pencil/paper tasks are definitely a part of our every day routine. But to see him sit down and just do one page of math (14 addition questions in under 2
mins) is worthy of a party at our place! Usually we do one page each of math,
english, reading comp and spelling. The rest of his skills accumulate during the rest of our day. We work out together Mon-Fri which has become a favourite part of my day. While I run hills on the treadmill, he uses the bike, and then we switch. He usually gets tired before I'm done so he hangs out with me and we talk. I see success when he shows signs of increased flexibility, when he gets excited because he was able to problem solve his way out of a frustrating situation. When HE makes ME lunch, or he sits on the stairs with a cup of tea (that he made himself) to watch his sister get ready for school because he wants to make sure he gives her a kiss and hug and can wish her a happy day before she leaves.
He has become a pro at using the GPS system and can get us from our house to his sister's school (which is 25
mins away from our house) all on his own. He has also learned how to find items in the grocery store, use the self checkout to scan and pack his items, pay, and go on his way.
On Friday we were taking a walk in the neighbourhood where Ladybugs school is located. We like to get there early if the weather is nice so we can go for a walk and have a good talk. He said to me, "Mum, you remember how when I was little, I used to be with you at home all the time because I was too little to go to school? And then every time I had to start at a new school you said it was because you were trying to find the best school for me? Don't you think it's kind of funny that it took us five schools to figure out that I learn best when I do school at home?"
Yes, Superman. I do.
