Some of you already know that at the moment I am working as a nanny/therapist for a little 7 year old boy who has down syndrome and autism. We will call him Gavin. This precious little boy presents me with many challenges.
He does not speak. Sometimes he is very upset and can't tell me why. He cries and thrashes his body around. He inserts his limbs into the toilet bowl every time I take him to the bathroom.
One of the things Gavin and I are working on is learning to follow physical directions. Two weeks ago I tried very hard to teach him to touch his nose. When he finally did it on Thursday, I shouted and laughed with so much joy and pride I think even the neighbors heard. Gavin laughed too. So we did it more. And more. And more. Each time he touched his nose I made a huge stink about it.
So this past week I moved on to new directions. Every time I ask Gavin to reach up, or open his mouth, or touch the floor...he very proudly touches his nose.
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