Kindy has helped Amy connect with other adults

Amy is just blossoming at Kindy. It is now her third term at Morning Kindy with an ESW. She has been supported and encouraged in her social interactions with the other Kindy kids with her ESW and Kindy teachers. This has resulted in some strong bonds with the adults at Kindy as well as a noticeable growing confidence in socialising with children at Kindy. This term she has formed what has been descibed as her first "reciprocal" friendship with another girl. We plan to invite the girl round to our place for a play-date sometime soon.

Most days after Kindy Amy has an activity planned to help her decompress from her busy Morning. It has been lovely watching her make some strong adult connections with teachers outside of Kindy - something that would not have happened had Kindy not being such a positive and supportive place for her to be.

On Mondays she goes to RDA (riding for the disabled). It is her third term and she has gotten to know the staff that lead her around each week on either Cherry or Comet. There is a twelve year old girl in the same class that Amy is quite interested in.

On Tuesday after Kindy Amy goes to gymnastics. It's her second term this year going to gymnastics and she's doing really well. With the help of a social story she has learnt to follow instructions and keeps close to her group (as the class is split into two groups) understanding that her reward for partcipating in her class is free-time towards the end of the class. Amy sticks like glue to her instructor Karyn. She has a little joke each session where she hangs by one arm on the bars "like a monkey". She giggles in anticipation everytime that she is about to do it; making sure that Karen is watching!

On Thursdays this term Amy started swimming lessons. These are one-on-one sessions that are also going really well. I had been in the pool for previous swimming lessons so recognised the importance of a social story explaining that I would be on the side of the pool watching her. Her reward for concentrating in her class every week, as told in the social story, is a swim with Mum. Amy has developed a great bond with her swimming teacher Karen after just four short weeks. She has the willingness to try things in the pool she'd previously had a lot of angst around now. Just last week she put her head under the water to retrieve some toys from the bottom of the pool - both Karen and I's mouths dropped at that!!

In August we appointed Danielle as our respite-carer and that has been working out really well. Danielle is a trainee teacher at Amy's Kindy so it was great to have Danielle come on board as they obviously already knew each other. Kev and I go out for a "date" once a week which is about two and a half hours long while Danielle looks after Amy in our home. At first Danielle looked after Amy while she was asleep but with daylight saving we shifted our dates forward so that Danielle looks after Amy from 5pm. We are slowly weaning Amelia into having Danielle put her to bed at night by introducing Danielle reading her stories. We will use backward-chaining so that in a few weeks (hopefully!) Danielle will actually put Amy completely to bed.

Amy is a child who needs adults in close proximity to feel safe and secure in her world. Her Kindy have always acknowledged and appreciated this and so Amy has just increased in her confidence as the terms have gone by ; slowly needing less support in some areas such as toileting and eating at Kindy. Without a doubt the strong bonds she has with her ESW and Kindy teachers have assisted her in forming relationships with other adults in her life. This is truly remarkable for a child who just a couple of years ago was very selective around who she could be left alone with.