Let's Get Physical

This seems to be next on the list. Language and logical thinking are more or less taking care of themselves. (With the weekly language therapy and continuous attempts by this less-than-skilled father to use the mediated learning approach to problem solving.) For example, our current bedtime story is 'Call of the Wild', which is filled with language that I find challenging but which MK loves. We are also back to getting As and Bs on the report card, without modification of the curriculum.

But physical things are still hard. Shoelaces are there, but are still a challenge and often require multiple re-dos. Handwriting and basic drawing are OK (at long last) but putting sheets into binders is more difficult. The other day walked MK through replacing the light bulb in his room. That was hard. It would be relatively tricky for any 13 year old, but it was very hard for us. Unfolding the ladder, getting fingers onto those tiny retaining screws, handling the light bulb without breaking it, fear of electrocution, boy-oh-boy. Coaching and explaining through every millimeter, I felt like a puppeteer with his strings crossed. But we did it in the end and MK felt justifiably proud. This evening he applied all that we had learned about screws to assembling the Christmas tree stand, and he felt even prouder of that.

It seems to me that this is a window. We are on the cusp of competence and what I want to find is some way to help MK across to the other side. He doesn't have to get signed by the Knicks, but I do want him to be confident about where his body is in space and to know how to use it for ordinary day-to-day stuff. So I am going to start looking for a new hired gun.

Wish us luck.