so, how'd you do?

on friday, jasper, sela and carys had another of those nailbitingly awful OT tests over at the duchess of kent.

the duchess of kent, where carys and i faithfully visited twice a week for so long, is now a location i am only at occasionally. i still remember it, but walking through it's doors, standing in line at the shroff, heading over to the kids unit ... it don't shake my head to clear it of memories each time i'm there. or more pragmatically  --- i don't know the number of steps from the shroff to the ot/pt offices.

carys and jasper and sela were evaluated to see where they were with manual and dextrous tasks like buttoning, zipping, drawing circles and crosses, stacking blocks, etc. last time they were there all three scored a rather unspectacular 34 or some sort score and we were instructed to do lots of threading, stacking, etc at home. easier instructed than done.

i haven't followed through on those instructions exactly. i've tried, and i know that small world christian kindergarten has lots of excellent dextrous toys, etc. but i can't force the kids to do them, either at school or home. so.

the testing. agonising at times because you are certain your child can to better and you want to force them TO do the task you are certain they are capable of. biting your tongue trying not to insert when your child refuses a task, "i know he can do that..." i am much better in high pressure situations and crises than these sorts of things.

i am happy and proud to announce that carys scored 62 per cent, to be graded as AVERAGE on her testing. keep up the work and bringing out the blocks at home. fair enough. sela, unsurprisingly, scored a lovely 79 percent, and was graded as being above average. i think she feels this is deserved and although she does not know she is aa, she has that "was there ever a doubt?" attitude.

jasper scored 27 per cent.

you read that correctly. 27 per cent.

so why am i writing this blog instead of frantically making appointments with every ot in the sar? because i am convinced that jasper john jingleheimer schmidt failed so spectacularly because he wasn't paying attention. if he was actually listening and gave a ding dong double damn, i am pretty sure he would be your average bear in the woods. but he didnt, and wont, and so 27 he is. which means a lot more work for me.

previously, 27 was a good number. i moved to hong kong when i was 27 --- 'nuff said. however, the gloss has dimmed slightly. i am not so impressed with the jay and his 27. i mean really. saying "i can't" when asked to draw a circle without trying first? give me a break. that's not 27 per cent, that's laziness, where jasper is definitely in the top percentile.

27 per cent indeed.

Comments

[knobody]

*sigh* i know all about above average in laziness (and it's only gonna get worse with sagan unable to walk at the moment). after meeting with teachers their main comment is that he's *so slow*! yeah. and then there's el. the doctor thinks he needs more tummy time because he can't lift his head up yet. i know he can lift his head up, but he has already figured out he doesn't need to because someone will do it for him.

unfortunately i have no idea how to cure laziness. i haven't found out how to fix myself, and i haven't found a reliable motivator for the short people. do post if you figure it out.

[Alison]

Too bad there's not an instant cure for laziness (or at least something you can say that is always a motivating factor). It sounds like your trio is doing well (especially since you know that Jasper is well above the 27% if he would actually try).

[joeinvegas]

But, saying you can't and not trying is the same as not being able to. What happens in upper grades when a test comes, and he says 'I can't'? He'll still fail.

But it does seem a little early to be pushing him.

[lyns]

There are times when Noah does the same thing...he'll say "I can't" when I know very well he can b/c he does it ALL the time. We had to go to a "Parent/teacher" confrence for his preschool... and they were saying all this stuff that he's not doing yet... and im sitting there saying "you've got him all wrong...he's doing all this at home all the time!!!" Its a shame that they don't belive you or look at his age etc and take that into consideration... I also realized that not all "tests" are objective... maybe he really didn't want to be forced to draw a circle... maybe he felt like he was on stage and hated it... can't blame him... still its frustrating... im with ya... but GO SELA and CARYS!!!!! xo lyns

[SheilaC]

Hooray for Carys and Sela!! Those scores are terrific - what great progress they have made. I have to chuckle at Jasper's refusal to cooperate. It's very frustrating for all of you, but surely he's not the first toddler they've had trouble testing???! Is there any possibility of scheduling a repeat of the tests, perhaps at a home visit where he would be more comfortable? Sure, a little therapy won't do him any harm, but it would be helpful to get an assessment that you feel is more accurate.
My sympathies, and best wishes,

[Louise M]

Maybe he didn't want to draw a circle, but if it was phrased differently, such as "Jasper, do you like _____ (insert any round object in here that he is interested in)? Can you draw me a _____? (round object inserted above)" he might actually draw it...

[Tertia]

That is SO boy though. Boys are just like that sometimes. Living in la la land.

WAKE UP JAY!! (ala wake up jeff)