Come Together, Right now !!!

This is not the John Lennon song !

As I've written earlier, we are practicing various things with DS. We know its helping, however,my biggest thing is to have clarity on how these things work together. As a person, if I fit things into a framework (or the big picture), it typically helps me to execute better (even at work); and at the same time the framework allows for continuous improvement, which is what we want for our DS...

So been thinking, been thinking... Here is where we are at this moment in fitting everything we do into a framework.

As with any development, there are two variants at play - inhibitors and enablers. To me "inhibitors" are those that does not allow that something to get to the state of "normal and acceptable baseline". Enablers are those that helps push development above the baseline. So we need to eliminate the inhibitors and introduce the enablers in the mix.

So applying that to DS, I see thus:

• Inhibitors – that does not allow the body to function in a certain way, due to some chemical hormonal imbalances
• Enablers – That takes a steady-state being and then adds capability to it to make the being better and/or move towards the goal (in our case normal, independent living)

With that, this is how I think all that we do come together:

1. GFCF – takes away the inhibitors, sets the body free of yeast, sugar etc that induces certain behaviour. The body is more ready to receive input
2. SI – Sensory integration – eliminates the noise in the head and the body; does away with the sensory overload. The body and the mind is more ready to receive input
3. RDI – Enabler – Once the body is ready to receive input, it enables the pathways – develops functional thinking; ability to abstract a specific occurrence/observation to a generality/principle
4. Academics – Enabler – As the functions are established, provides the content and the skills. Teaches the basics that is required to live independently in the world – like arithmetic; also beyond the basics, provides an opportunity to shine in one specific area

However, there was the 3^rd element/variant beyond body and mind – I believe that is the spiritual part of it – that eliminates inhibitors and introduces enablers at the same time

• Spiritual: The Link between the body and the mind
• This is where I believe movements such as Enki (or the ones we went to) help; it abstract both the body/brain to the spirit. It is more than taking away physical/intellect inhibitors or enabling those – it is spiritual – makes the “chi” flow well and distribute the energy.
• I believe this is where we need to go with a leap of faith – is the link proven? Not sure, but I know when I was practicing Karate and Tai-Chi actively, my learning and ability to work in an uncertain areas was much greater than ever before. I also know when DS went for aura healing, he was looking forward to the sessions – he said he felt good in those sessions...

(click to on the picture to see it better)

Yet another RDA done...

We are back from a visit having done another RDA and lightened our purse significantly :). We had actually gotten off the RDI bandwagon due to the transition and transfer to the new country; but continue to have faith that its appropriate for DS. We believe RDI is an essential piece of the puzzle for the overall development (will write about that model in another post).

The RDA itself was uneventful; but we do work with a consultant who is pretty resourceful and think of actions outside the box; she is quite good with her perspectives and also look at our actions from a dimension that we aren't even aware of; and also have very subtle variations that helps DS to overcome some of the (mental) inhibitions.

So in our RDA, we ended up having two categories of things that we internalized. One is a set of child objectives that we need to work with - designing labs for that. The other is the set of actions and behaviours (kind of parent objectives) that we need to be aware of - these are things that needs to be woven into each of the labs. I call these as foundations. So, the RDI labs has to be a cross between Foundation x Objectives. The model is as below:
(Click on the picture to see it better)

Given the above framework that we have decided to adopt, we also decided that we need to design the labs prior to their deployment with DS. Here is a template that we plan to use as a part of lab-design and also document our video-reviews.
Ok, framework's done - now to actual work !!

Entering his world !

DS would usually take two pieces of paper, fold it in strip of paper, fold the strips at angles and make several polygonal shape. That was something that completely absorbs him and he hates to be disturbed during that time. Also, to limit him to slip into his world, we have given certain times when he could do the "suruttu" (as we call in our native language)...

A few weeks ago, he allowed me to enter his world. I feigned incompetence and asked him if he'd teach me the suruttu techniques. He said yes, and proceeded to show me three of various things that he does:

1. He showed me that he made two "e" (but at not smooth curves, but at angles), then he changed one of the "e"s to be the mirror image of the other and brought them together and showed that its (an house with) windows
2. The second technique was: Made a Square box of one and the "e" with the other. He said that the "e" entered the box and the box became the space-ship and flies away
3. Then the third was a (once again an angled) "C". Two "C"s. But once again, one is inverted as a mirror image of the other. They come close together and one gets into the other, then the overall imagery is that of a box. So there is a new box !

It was interesting to see that how he has chosen to convert the imageries in his mind into shapes in this "suruttu" game. We did try Origami with him, but he has some issues with it (arising out of basic core deficits). Nevertheless, the interesting aspect for me is two things (1) He allowed me to enter his world and explain what is happening there and (2) The seemingly nonsensical activity that he does is not so - it does seem to have a method and a meaning.

I'm hoping that he'd continue to expose me to more of his imagination.