Mood (and Environment ) Makes All the Difference

We didn't go to Summit Centre today because Ryan and I have been hit with an intestinal bug of some sort. Ryan had issues yesterday evening into last night, and I had it overnight and into this morning.

So, I decided we'd discuss the homework, since I just finished today's 5-minute manding session.

Yesterday: 

Ryan was totally uncooperative as soon as I tried anything remotely resembling therapy.  I tried bubbles first, but he was not interested.  Then I tried rocking and pausing the rocking chair to get a request for more. That just made him mad.  So, I followed his lead and noticed he was interested in the alphabet fridge magnets.  I took a handful of those and followed him into the living room, and put a pile in front of me while I sat across from him. I rattled them together and poured them through my fingers to entice him.  When he grabbed for one, that was mand #1.  He played with his for awhile, then lost interest. I rattled them a bit to get his attention, and he grabbed for another one. That was mand #2.  Of course, after he grabbed, I HOH'ed pointing, and modeled saying "more" or "I want one."  But that was it: only 2 mands in 5 minutes.

Of course, I realize now that Ryan wasn't feeling well yesterday, and that's why he was so miserable and uncooperative all day. He didn't even want let me help him eat; I had to do all the work and even then, only got about half his usual dinner into him. I understood better later when the explosive diapers appeared!

Today:

Ryan was in a great mood from the  moment he woke up, laughing and running around the house.  Mommy, on the other hand, was experiencing the discomfort Ryan had last night. Ugh.  So, we stayed home from Summit Centre.

Just now, since he continued to be in a good mood, I decided to try our manding homework.  I tried to get his attention with something new: a little wind-up monkey.  He liked it, and got excited watching it, but wasn't doing any manding for it. So, I decided to try the bubbles again.

The difference today was astonishing.

He gave me 12 mands in 5 minutes! He was totally attentive to the bubbles, and was reaching out to grab the bubble wand, or even kicking at it with his feet. One time, it even looked like he tried a good approximation of the sign for "more," putting his little hands together.  He was reaching out and trying to pop the bubbles. It was great!

Conclusions:

With Ryan, it appears that mood makes all the difference.  When he's happy, relaxed, and feeling good, he is much more cooperative and engaged in whatever he's presented with.

Another variable appears to be environment. Last night, I didn't attempt the homework until the kids were home.  The TV was on. Andrea and Kevin were goofing around and tyring to talk to me while I was trying to work with Ryan, even though I explained we needed some quiet time to do Ryan's homework. Today, I made sure the TV was off and there were no other distractions while I was working with Ryan. The older kids are still at school. 

I don't think it's a coincidence that the changes in Ryan's mood and environment resulted in a much more productive manding session. With manding, it's not just the number of mands, but the quality, too; Ryan was definitely more engaged and even tried a "more" sign today. I think that's pretty good evidence that a happy mood and less distracting environment are important to get the best out of Ryan.

ADD ON: I just caught Ryan exploring cause and effect play on a new toy he got for his birthday.  I have not seen him do this at home yet, or play with this toy yet.  He figured out that spinning the ferris wheel ride on his pop-on people toy makes the music go!  He kept spinning it and spinning it and getting excited!  It's fantastic that he discovered this independently and kept going with it.  Yay Ryan!