Evan’s Story

Summary

This script follows the journey of Evans, a happy and carefree baby with Down syndrome, and his family's efforts to integrate him seamlessly into their daily life. It highlights the importance of play in therapy and the collaborative approach between therapists and caregivers to support Evan's development in feeding, communication, and social skills. The script emphasizes the positive impact of a flexible therapy plan and the crucial role of daycare providers in reinforcing the same strategies at home.

Takeaways

• 😄 Evans is described as a happy and carefree baby, with some stubbornness at times.
• 🌟 The family has adapted well to Evan's Down syndrome, maintaining a typical lifestyle and routine.
• 🥄 Evan is good at finger feeding but needs assistance with spoon feeding, especially with foods like yogurt.
• 👨‍👩‍👦 The family works with Evan on spoon feeding during snack time after returning from childcare and work.
• 👶 Evan's therapy sessions are integrated into family play activities, making them enjoyable and meaningful.
• 🎯 The therapy approach is flexible and natural, focusing on play and incorporating the family's involvement.
• 🗣 Evan is learning to communicate meaningful words and request toys and activities, like 'more bubbles'.
• 🤝 The therapists work closely with the family and share knowledge to support Evan's development throughout the week.
• 🏫 Evan's daycare providers are also involved in his therapy, ensuring consistency in his learning environment.
• 👧 Evan is well-liked at his daycare, and his absence is noticed by both staff and other children.
• 📝 The script emphasizes the importance of therapists observing and providing suggestions for modifications in the childcare setting to support Evan's full participation.

Q & A

What is the overall temperament of Evan like according to the transcript?

Evan is described as a very happy, carefree, and flexible baby, although sometimes he can be stubborn. He is generally an easy baby for his parents.

How does Evan's love for playing and interacting with others manifest in the script?

Evan enjoys playing, especially with a ball, and interacting with people. He likes playing with kids his age, indicating a sociable nature.

When was Evan born and what condition was he diagnosed with later?

Evan was born about a year and a half ago, and it was later discovered that he has Down syndrome.

How has Evan's disability affected the family's day-to-day lifestyle and routine?

The family has found comfort in that Evan's disability has not significantly drawn them away from their typical day-to-day lifestyle and routine.

What is the current goal for Evan in terms of feeding?

The current goal for Evan is to work on spoon feeding, especially with foods like yogurt, as he is already good at finger feeding.

What is the best time for the family to work on Evan's spoon feeding according to the transcript?

The best time to work on spoon feeding for the family is at snack time, after they come home from childcare and work.

What is the approach the family is taking with Evan's therapy sessions?

The family is incorporating therapy into play activities, making it engaging for Evan and meaningful for the family. The therapists are flexible and use a natural approach.

How does the therapy session differ from past unsuccessful attempts?

In the past, therapy was unsuccessful because the therapist had a rigid agenda and did not incorporate play into the session. The current approach is more successful because it is flexible and includes play.

What is the role of Evan's therapists in his childcare setting?

The therapists' role is to instruct Evan's teachers on the types of activities they are working on, ensuring consistency between home and daycare.

How does Evan's daycare teacher feel about having him in the class?

Evan's daycare teacher loves having him in the class and looks forward to the days he comes. He is described as a great kid who lights up the room.

What is the strategy being used to help Evan learn to say words and understand language?

Evan is learning through manual sign language, which facilitates his ability to understand and use language, making him a more active and effective communicator.

What modifications are being suggested for Evan's participation in the classroom activities?

Suggestions include modifications of the activities, environment, or materials to support Evan in fully participating with his peers, ensuring all children are engaged at their level.

Outlines

00:00

👶 Evan's Developmental Progress

This paragraph introduces Evan, a happy and carefree baby with Down syndrome, who is described as easy to care for despite occasional stubbornness. The focus is on his love for play and interaction with others, as well as his parents' efforts to integrate him into their lifestyle without significant disruptions due to his condition. The narrative also touches on the importance of mealtime and the transition from finger feeding to spoon feeding, with the family working closely with therapists to achieve developmental milestones. The paragraph emphasizes the natural incorporation of therapy into play and the family's engagement in Evan's progress, including communication goals and the therapists' flexible approach to treatment.

05:02

📚 Collaborative Therapy and Childcare

The second paragraph delves into the collaborative efforts between Evan's parents, therapists, and childcare providers to support his development. It highlights the importance of consistency in Evan's therapy and childcare experiences, with therapists providing guidance to his teachers and incorporating his developmental goals into daily activities. The paragraph showcases Evan's positive impact on his classmates and the classroom environment, as well as the therapists' role in adapting activities to ensure Evan's full participation. It also discusses the use of edible materials in therapy to engage Evan's senses and facilitate language development, emphasizing the importance of sharing knowledge and experience among all involved in Evan's care to ensure continuous progress.

Keywords

💡Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome is a genetic condition where an individual has an extra copy of chromosome 21, which results in physical and developmental differences. In the video, it is mentioned that Evan was born with Down Syndrome, and this is a central theme as the video discusses the challenges and the progress made in his development, such as learning to eat with a spoon and communicate.

💡Carefree

Carefree refers to a state of being free from worries or responsibilities. The term is used to describe Evan's personality, indicating that despite his condition, he maintains a happy and easygoing nature, which is an important aspect of the video's portrayal of life with Down Syndrome.

💡Stubborn

Stubborn describes a person who is determined to do something despite opposition or difficulty. In the script, it is mentioned that Evan can be stubborn at times, which is a common trait in children and shows that children with Down Syndrome can exhibit a range of behaviors similar to those without the condition.

💡Finger Feeding

Finger feeding is a method of self-feeding where a child uses their fingers to pick up and eat food. The video discusses Evan's progress with finger feeding and the transition to spoon feeding, illustrating the developmental milestones and challenges faced by children with Down Syndrome.

💡Spoon Feeding

Spoon feeding involves using a spoon to feed oneself or others. The script mentions working with Evan on spoon feeding as a current goal, showing the importance of developing fine motor skills and independence in children with Down Syndrome.

💡Communication Goals

Communication goals refer to the objectives set for improving an individual's ability to express themselves and interact with others. In the video, Evan's parents have specific communication goals in mind, such as helping him to say meaningful words and request things, which is a key part of his developmental journey.

💡Play

Play is a crucial aspect of child development, involving activities that are spontaneous, enjoyable, and self-motivated. The video emphasizes the importance of play in Evan's therapy and learning, showing how it can be used to facilitate language development and social skills.

💡Therapy

Therapy in this context refers to professional interventions aimed at improving physical, cognitive, and emotional development. The video discusses the benefits of therapy for Evan, highlighting the importance of a flexible and natural approach that incorporates play and works with the family.

💡Daycare

Daycare is a service that provides care and supervision for children during the day. Evan spends a lot of time at daycare, and the video emphasizes the importance of the daycare staff working with him on the same developmental goals as his family and therapists, ensuring consistency in his learning environment.

💡Inclusion

Inclusion refers to the practice of involving all individuals, including those with disabilities, in all aspects of society. The video script mentions how Evan's presence in daycare is valued, showing the positive impact of inclusion on both the child and his peers.

💡Manual Skills

Manual skills are abilities that involve the use of the hands for tasks such as eating, writing, and crafting. The video discusses Evan's development of manual skills, particularly in the context of learning to eat with a spoon, which is an important milestone in his physical development.

Highlights

Evan is a happy and carefree baby, though sometimes stubborn, and has been easy to care for despite having Down syndrome.

Evan enjoys playing, interacting with people, and playing ball with kids his age.

Evan's parents found comfort in maintaining their daily routine despite his disability.

Evan is good at finger feeding but needs work on spoon feeding, particularly with foods like yogurt.

Therapy sessions have evolved from focusing on bottle and finger feeding to spoon feeding as Evan progresses.

The best time for Evan to work on spoon feeding is during snack time after returning from childcare and work.

Therapists provide guidance and share knowledge with Evan's parents to support his development throughout the week.

Evan's parents and therapists use play as a means to make therapy engaging and meaningful.

Previous therapy approaches that were rigid and did not incorporate play were less effective.

Evan's parents and therapists work together to incorporate therapeutic activities into playtime.

Evan's daycare providers are instructed by therapists to align with the family's therapeutic goals.

Evan's presence in the daycare class is valued and he is missed when absent.

Therapists are working on Evan's communication skills to express needs and desires.

Evan is also learning manual signs to enhance his language understanding and communication abilities.

Therapists observe and provide suggestions for modifications to support Evan's full participation in the classroom.

Childcare providers appreciate therapists' input to ensure activities are inclusive for all children.

Evan's parents and childcare providers are encouraged to share knowledge to support his development consistently.

Transcripts

Evans a very happy baby he's carefree

and flexible but at time T is stubborn

um but he's been a very easy baby for us

Evan loves to to play he loves to

interact with people he loves playing

ball and he he loves playing with kids

his age and don't just being around Evan

was born about a year and a half ago and

at the time we did not know that he had

Down syndrome it's been a real comfort

for us to find that we haven't been

drawn away from our typical day to day

life style routine very much because of

his disability right now Evans very good

with finger feeding but it doesn't work

with foods like yogurt so our goal right

now is to work with Evan on the spoon

feeding yummy yum yum when I work with

children and families the outcomes

continue to change for example in the

beginning Bob and Michelle really wanted

to work on independent bottle feeding

and finger feeding and so now he's doing

really well with those so we've moved on

to spoon feeding best time to work on

this for the family is at snack time

after they come home from childcare and

work

I think you can just kind of go from

right here and you don't have to provide

too much because he's actually doing it

pretty well on his own you just need a

little bit of guidance yeah do it so

with with joy just a little bit more

back by the elbow I don't think there we

go and then i would go ahead and release

it i think you could just gently guide

him up as he's scooping and bringing the

spinach man okay what more is doom or

maybe just give him a better grasp on

this he's kind of towards the hand there

you go in addition to mealtime Evans

parents also had some communication

goals in mind for example even being

able to communicate meaningful words to

request people toys and activities more

more bubbles blow Oh learning definitely

happens best through play Evans a

typical child and loves to play we've

learned a lot of strategies on how to

make his play more rich and meaningful

bye bye bye bye Evan where's mama

therapy can be so much fun when it's

just part of the family's play

activities it's engaging for the kids

and very meaningful for families where's

mama without therapy in the past that

hasn't worked and it hasn't worked

because the therapist came in with a

rigid agenda and didn't incorporate play

into the session the therapy we have now

works very well because the therapists

are flexible and they use a natural

approach incorporating play into the

session not only are they working with

Evan but they're working with us and

sharing their knowledge and their

experience so that we can work with him

for the rest of the week and it's not as

much work but so we can incorporate

things they're doing into our you know

playtime with Evan Evan spends a lot of

time at daycare and so it's important

for us to know that the people who are

spending so much time with him are

working with him on the same things that

we're working with him on it's very

important for us to have the therapist

instructing his teachers with regard to

the types of things we're working on

kino

how long have you been waiting this

morning of it you know I love having

Evan in my class look forward to coming

the days that he comes during the week

he just kind of lights up the room kids

look forward to Mayer on the days when

he doesn't show up and he's supposed to

be there all the kids like where's Evan

you know they go to his cubby and notice

his backpack isn't there and everyone no

it's just a great kid to have in my

class it's nice and he really does have

a good M sound so why don't you kind of

hold them back and see more go ahead and

then just go ahead and reinforce our

production of more along with Evan

learning to say words he's also learning

manual science this facilitates his

ability to understand and use language

and supports him in becoming a more

active and effective communicator

prettypaint shake shake shake shake

shake shake so how was Penny's been

going know what it was a problem when we

were just he's in the greater peace cuz

he did it and then turn the russian

dressing room since we've been using

edible stuff like cool whip and pudding

and miss Carol syrup with the sprinklers

he's uh he's really gotten into it yeah

one of my primary roles when I

consultant Irwin's childcare setting is

to observe the typical classroom day and

provide suggestions around modifications

of the activities the environment or the

materials to support Evan to fully

participate with his peers I enjoy

having therapist like Renee come into my

classroom I have a background in early

childcare so I know a lot about

providing quality childcare and planning

activities it's nice to have an input

from therapists like Renee they help

with positioning a child feeding and

bringing activities to the level of all

the children in the classroom which is

the ultimate goal on a child care

provider can you sit down my keys you're

gonna sit on your boss well it's the

almost yellow it's actually this assume

that Michelle's been using at home and

what we've been doing is because

sometimes he'll grab the screen but he's

having a harder time getting it up to

now so if you just provide a little bit

of guidance around the elbow area just

to help him guys now he's been doing

really well okay is that yeah music you

like cereal yummy yummy yummy in my

tummy lovely Julia loves milk that's

right

that was nice yeah he just needs a

little bit of support I think eventually

we can face in a short time okay let's

put in the fridge to me no we're fine go

ahead oh here we go except you could

just there we are and that was nice yeah

my time with evan is very brief so it's

so important that I share my knowledge

and experience with Evans parents and

his child care providers so that they're

able to support his development

throughout the week this is really when

the progress is made