March 5, 1999: I'll start the "Cajer pages" part of this site by telling a little about him. He was born on May 7, 1993. So he's just recently had a birthday! Hard to believe he's 6 years old! If you're wondering why this site is covered with "Cajer" everywhere--LOL!--he loves to see his name. When I'm on icq chatting with my brother, Cajer likes to hijack the keyboard and type "cajercajercajer" at his Uncle Wes.
He attends preschool three mornings a week. His speech therapist works with him twice a week (we're hoping that will increase once he starts kindergarten in the fall). We've been told we're lucky Cajer is verbal. He's actually VERY verbal! Talks up a storm when he feels like it. He's starting to converse more, but there's still quite a bit of echolalia. Especially when he's tired (sometimes the only "answer" we can get to a question is the question right back at us).
He's fond of quoting from his favorite books and tv programs. He loves fans--something about mechanical things just fascinates him--and he'll inform you that something he absolutely loves is "fan-fan-fan-fan" (this really makes sense somehow, doesn't it?). Lately there are days when we have actual conversations! Brief conversations, yes, but this is a major accomplishment and gives us a great deal of hope for the future.
Attending daycare/preschool has been wonderful for Cajer. When he first started there he would rarely look a person in the eye. He never actually played with the other kids--but recently we had some friends over and Cajer walked up to Kris--carrying a toy truck--and said, "Do you want to play?"
He's come a long way in the past couple of years and I just have to say that I'm grateful we've been fortunate enough to find such a caring and supportive environment. Special thanks to Miss Shirley and Miss Shari for everything you do!
Sept. 24, 1999: Finally getting around to an update! Cajer started kindergarten this fall. We just had an IEP meeting this week (Individualized Education Program). We met with his teachers (regular kindergarten and special ed.) to go over his progress, etc. Over this past summer Cajer's made some tremendous leaps in his communication skills. And now he's even beginning to socialize with the other kids. We mainly discussed how amazing these changes are, but we also discussed the need for Occupational Therapy. Cajer has problems with small motor skills. Cutting paper and writing his name are just downright difficult for him. So an OT is coming to his school to do an evaluation. I'll try to keep more current with his progress in here. So far, so good!
Something we'd noticed when Cajer was about age 3 is that he started to exhibit an above average ability to recognize logos. He'd be watching tv and he'd read things like "HBO" and "Budweiser" (though Budweiser came out more like "bus-a-weiser"). Now we're realizing he can read quite well. His speech therapist has been using word cards when they work together and is surprised at how much he actually knows. His kindergarten teacher says he reads things that pop up on the tv when the class watches videos. I always knew he was a smart kid! At the IEP meeting we were asked, "What do you want for Cajer in--say--a year from now?" At the time I simply sat there and couldn't come up with the right words. Now that I'm not sitting there with his teachers waiting to hear what I have to say--well, I just know I want my son to do the best he can. I want him to feel pride in knowing there are areas where he can truly excel. And--most of all--I want him to be happy. More soon.
August 16, 2002
Just wanted to write down some observations of Cajer at age 9. He’s in 3rd grade now. A year older than most of the kids, but he’s small for his age and fits in fine (actually, he’s smaller than many kids who’re younger).
Language: Skills in this area have started to pick up amazingly. I was once told by a speech therapist not to expect to ever have conversations with Cajer, but he's gaining more confidence in this area all the time. Conversations! There are still problems, yes. Ideas he has trouble expressing or things he doesn’t understand (abstract notions still largely elude him—though if taught a certain concrete way he understands and does well with math!), but to some extent, back and forth exchanges are definitely getting better. He’s beginning to show that he comprehends everything—at least everything on a physical-world level. Like I said, the abstract is difficult for him to grasp. Still doesn’t really get “why” questions, but we’re working on it by asking him, “Why—this?” And prompting him to say, “Because…” And sometimes he’s starting to fill in the blank after “because.” Quite a lot of accomplishment for a boy who was 6 before he ever said, “I love you.”
Appetite: Still a problem. Has been a problem most of his life. The doctor who performed his school physical not long ago said he’s underweight (obvious, but I hadn’t stopped to think just HOW underweight. He weighs only 50 lbs. and is just under 50 inches tall). At this point in time he’s starting to eat a little more of a variety—pizza, chicken Mcnuggets, french fries, Pop Tarts (the dr. said to encourage him to eat. Doesn’t matter WHAT he eats, but THAT he eats). Even so, he still mainly subsists on a diet of toast, waffles and macaroni and cheese. And drinks milk mainly, but will tolerate water on occasion (another step up—he used to never drink anything but milk and that in massive amts.). Would like to see him eat fruits and vegetables. Will eat the occasional banana or peaches (canned and cut up small), but rarely. And I don't think he’s eaten a vegetable (besides the potatoes used to make french fries) in a few years. When he was younger he liked vegetable soup, but he seemed to develop an aversion to it. Still hates anything with a creamy or semi-creamy texture. Pudding, ice cream, mashed potatoes. And doesn’t care for Popsicles (maybe too cold?). One wonderful thing is that this spring I finally convinced him it’s okay to take vitamins. He only wants Flintstones vitamins. If I take him to a store and tell him to pick out any children’s vitamins he wants—Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo or whatever—he’ll always choose the Flintstones kind. And he likes the kind that contain The Great Gazoo best (: He usually takes his vitamin and then takes one to his big sister. He likes things to be ritualized, though I’m noticing he’s not always insisting his “Sissy” has to have a vitamin anymore.
Motor Skills: His grandfather got him a bicycle with training wheels for his 9th birthday. He loves it and does real well on it. I’d hesitate to let him try it without training wheels. At least for quite a while yet. He only figured out how to peddle a Big Wheel and/or tricycle around age 6. Took him a while to get good at peddling. So the bike is a big step up for him, even one with training wheels. His handwriting has improved, but he sometimes has problems making his letters or numbers small enough to fit in boxes (like on some school assignments). He still turns his left ankle in sharply when going down stairs. I’m not sure why. Had a dr. check him out one time and he thought there could be a possibility it was a physical problem, but didn't detect anything. He didn’t seem to think it was any big deal, as it doesn’t impede Cajer’s ability to walk at all. He’s a little clumsy at times, but not significantly. He can run and jump and climb up the ladder to playground slides.
Physical: Underweight, as I’ve already mentioned. His arms are very thin and seem to lack muscle. Not sure what, if anything, can be done about this. Otherwise, he seems physically fine. School physical went well and his last dental checkup he had no cavities. He just had an eye appointment and everything checked out fine. His eyes still look good (straight)—something I always look at since his eye muscle surgery back when he was 4. They seem a tiny little bit “off” when he’s tired, but Dr. R (eye specialist who did the surgery) said that was normal.
Mental: He’s smart as a whip. I’ve watched him play video or computer games and he figures them out fast. He says he likes math and science in school. Though he doesn’t always understand everything it’s not due to lack of mental ability. Any lack of understanding appears to be language-based.
Social: This is where he has the most problems. Even if he knows someone pretty well, he often hides his face when he sees them out of context (a teacher not in school, but at Kmart, for instance). I don’t think he understands most gestures. He’s only recently begun to point to things. This is a stage he never went through as a toddler. Conversations with people (aside from family members) tend to be focused on subjects he knows well. And they’re pretty one-sided. He’ll discuss traffic lights, for instance. Or school buses. I wonder if this is something he does when he’s just not sure how to relate. I’m not sure how he does in school. Will ask his teachers and aides if there’s any improvement there. At the school he attended last year he would play alongside of kids, but not actually with them. He doesn’t understand social boundaries: what’s appropriate and what’s not (will reach out and touch someone who's standing ahead of him in a line, for instance).
Other items of interest: Cajer never went through the attachment phase when he was younger (as in attachment to a particular toy). Other than loving trains and traffic lights and traffic signs there was no particular interest in things like teddy bears or a favorite blanket, etc. Just recently he started to ask for his “friend.” His friend turns out to be the empty video case for “The Little Engine that Could.” On the front is a picture of Tillie, the little switch engine. I’ve been telling him Tillie bedtime stories for a while (he requests them every night now) and once I’d bought him his own video he developed an attachment to this video case. Now the video case goes with him nearly everywhere. If we go to the store, he wants his “friend” to come with us in the car. He carries it around with him from room to room at home and even sleeps with it. Interesting.
September 13, 2002: Latest obsession is going to Barnes & Noble bookstore. Why? Because B&N keeps a huge Thomas the Tank Engine track in their children's section. A great place to take your child, by the way. You can find a good book, sit down right near the tracks and read while your child plays and plays. Only problem I've had is that sometimes when other kids want to play, my son tries to explain everything about the track, the roundtable (I think that's right) and give details about each train car and its function. Other kids aren't always interested in the details--they just want to play!
(Cajer named these--why "Cajer Mom"? I'm not sure!)
Nice Cajer Picture
Cajer D.
Cajer Mom
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