A Full, Fun (and Wet) Day!

Hi everyone!

I spent the afternoon writing notes on the children I have seen , but here is how I spent my morning...Crazy busy, but so crazy rewarding. I marvel that the small things Sarah and I do and say and how that seems to be so lovingly received and appreciated.

Sarah and I are in good health and are sleeping well! The whole team seems to be adjusting to the time change and keeping healthy. There are some children with staff infections. So we are being careful.

Today, I spent the first part of the morning modeling speech therapy in the preschool activities. When I was a speech therapist in the schools I worked with preschool special education. I would take children out of the classroom sometimes to work on their language/speech goals, but mostly I worked alongside the special education teacher in the classroom. So the thought was that I could model speech therapy in the classroom today. Well, we had a huge thunderstorm today, and the preschool planned to go outside to experience the rainy day. So with boots, raincoats, and umbrellas we headed out. We had a wet and wonderful time talking about getting under the umbrellas. We jumped in the puddles, and saw and felt the rain on our heads, hands, legs.... As I got soaking wet, the therapists could watch me interact with the kids using signs and working on their newly developed speech goals.

I then spent an hour with several nannies and the therapist to discuss two very speech delayed children and give ideas/model language stimulation techniques. I got Sarah out of the baby room to help demonstrate. We had been wanting to find a way we could do something together. She was a great help and the nannies enjoyed seeing the two of us playing together and acting out situations. We had some good laughs together!

I then spent over an hour with the New Day preschool teacher and her staff. It was fun to talk about our time outside in the rain and explain what I observed in the children. I presented to them a sign language DVD for the children and a sign language music program. I also showed them the communication board system I brought for nonverbal children. We shared how that in the American school system we get together as professionals with the parents to discuss goals and plan ways to implement them in the classroom, in therapy and at home. From what I am learning/observing is that there is little to no communication between the therapy team, the preschool teacher/staff, and the nannies. That is a new concept here, but one the New Day staff hope to develop. Therapy is done in the therapy room, school is done in the preschool area, nannies take care of the basic needs of the children in the orphanage. It was fun to see the Chinese preschool teacher/staff meeting with the Chinese therapists talking together about the children and ways they can work in a team model. I am hearing from the New Day staff that the these ideas are being received well. The Chinese here love these dear children so much and are eager to learn new ways to help them. I am letting the staff at New Day lead on what is best to share, how to be culturally be sensitive, and I really am excited to see how just sharing what I did in the United States seems to be impacting.

This time here in China is just incredible and we are so very thankful to have this opportunity to be here and see and experience these little moments to bless orphans in China. Thank you so very much!