Casey

Well, I guess Nurse Julie, Mel (aide at school) and Casey were looking at this blog and thought that there were too many posts about Colin--well, how about not enough posts about Casey!

Casey has been working hard at his communication.  He's had his DynaVox for years.  (Actually, he's on his second one!)  He has most used phrases that we've put on for him.  We're truly not sure of what he can read and spell so it's tough trying to figure out the best way to help him communicate effectively. 

This year Mel has been working on getting him to put single words together to make a sentence.  No, it's not grammatically correct but it can make what he's trying to say more definitive.  The first time he put two words together it was pretty amazing. 

Tonight Casey is at a home basketball  game at the high school.  He went with Dada and Nurse Brooke.  I guess he really wanted me to go because he said, "mom-basket ball-game."  When  I explained to him he'd have more fun with Dada because he knows more about the game, he said, "my heart is in the gutter"  (That's a one-button phrase that we put on there).  I think he amazes himself sometimes about how he can say things and we respond.  He finally is 'getting' communication. 

On a different note, Casey is in 9th grade and many of his classrooms are upstairs.  When he was upstairs s at the elementary school they had an evacuation sled that they used for drills (never had to use it for real!)  But the way the stairs are at the high school the sled can't make it around the turns.  So, he's using the 'real' evacuation chair.  I really didn't think it would work for him but I guess it does!  Julie sent me these pictures from a practice they had. 

Isn't he so handsome!

I think he looks pretty good in the chair!

Hanging out in the evac chair.

So there are some Casey stories!