October 7, 2004
Auditory Comprehension:
I believe he is able to follow simple commands but it is inconsistent at this time. He was able to move his head from side to side, following my instructions, that is a good thing! He did not always follow through, I don't know if that is because he CAN'T or if he is not focused in that moment. I would like to initially try to set up a yes/no communication system, if possible. I will need Michelle's help and lots of carry over with family. I believe I would have both. Beyond that, I would have to take each week as it comes.
Verbalizations:
Definitely vocalizing. He did not shape those into partial sounds, but he seemed to try to vocalize when I asked him, more work needs to be done on that.
Attention:
Able to visually focus on the task at hand when sitting at the edge of bed. More difficulty while laying down (understandable). Focuses on auditory stimuli initially (calling his name etc), more work needs to be done here. Alertness is key to any therapy.
SWALLOWING
He has some difficulty with oral control noted by his difficulty with his saliva. Does a lot of tongue pumping to get the secretions back to swallow. Once he gets them back, he does swallow with a delay. It is not an efficient enough swallow to get him to eat at this time, but we would have to see how he responds to therapy. More work needs to be done here.
GOALS
1. Establish a reliable Yes/No communication system
2. Vocalizing on command
3. Attention to task (visual or auditory) 2 min. periods
4. Tolerating own secretions in all positions