11/17 and 11/18-BIG week for Kenz :)

This week Kenz made me cry but not out of frustration or anger but of her accomplishments. At therapy we decided to walk over to English Gardens, its a small nursery next door that was all decorated for Christmas. The goal was just to walk around the store and the dr and I take to Kenz and see how far we could push the limits before she pushed back. Kenz was in awe when we walked in! There were Christmas trees, lights, ornaments, fake animals, and other decor all around the store. We would ask her what things were and see how close we could get to strangers before she wouldn't talk. I learned more about her comfort hierarchy being there. Kenz loves animals so talking about the animals that were throughout the store made her feel more comfortable. She did great and continued talking about things through the store. Her dr was so proud as was I

I knew after therapy that this week at dance I really needed to work on moving away from Kenz. With therapy I have learned way to help make Kenzee more comfortable in a room. Little things that I would never think about before. Such as not being by a door because seeing people pass by or being in the front of the room because seeing people pass by or look at her will create more anxiety. So when its time for her to find her sticker she always picks the back corner sticker. As we were warming up I would slowly inch by inch step away from her. She noticed after a couple minutes and came to me. So I took her back to the sticker and waited awhile and then started again. I was able to get almost to the other side of the room without her. She loves doing somersaults at home but is not as interested in them at dance. So when it was time for the mats I told her to stay by the wall with the other girls who were waiting there turn. I again slowly inched further away. After a while two other girls sat by Kenz and started talking to her about her leotard. She smiled and pointed to a heart that was on it. She was nonverbal with the girls but was smiling away and laughing with them. She instantly brought tears to my eyes. She was making contact with the girls that she talks about nonstop at home. I even took another girl to the bathroom and Kenz was so content she didn't realize I was gone. The teachers even recognized how great she was doing.