“Growing Trust and Friendship.”

Max, featured in a previous blog, continues to grow and flourish, especially as it relates to experiencing new environments.  The June session of Dynamic Duals, a collaboration between the Madison Area Down Syndrome Society and GiGi’s-Madison, was held off site at Country Creek Learning Center, a preschool located on a 5-acre site about 30 minutes from the Playhouse.  It features classrooms with an abundance of learning activities and great visual access to the outdoors, as well as many outdoor amenities, including a picnic shelter, fenced-in play area, barn with friendly goats, and nature trails that open into a large meadow.  Although there was some concern that Max might initially experience sensory overload, he sought out both Co-Leaders Wendy and Sue upon arrival, offering hugs to both before moving on to explore activities.  Max and adults in his community are starting to work on expanding the strategies they can use to express different degrees of trust and friendship, to incorporate waving, hand-shakes, high-fives, and the use of social greetings through an electronic communication device. Max’s evident rapport was a delightful surprise and evidence of growing confidence because last year, upon arrival at the Playhouse, he was reluctant to participate and eagerly used his communication device to say “goodbye.”  In contrast, it was wonderful to see him relaxed and playfully interacting with Speech and Language Pathologist Carrie using his communication device while building structures with wooden blocks and Legos.