Nathaniel's medical conditions stole time from being a student this week. He has recently experienced some complications with his trach stoma, and we think he might have a respiratory infection. Thankfully, we've managed at home, which is a huge improvement for this kid who used to need ICU support for minor viruses. But we've been to the doctor a number of times and have added additional treatments to our routine. He hasn't been sleeping well, which means I haven't slept well.

This week the augmentative alternative communication (AAC) activities in our homeschool focused on the words SAME, READY, IS, WITH. I selected these from the PrACCtical AAC's list of core words for July. My goal is do one fifteen to twenty minute activity per day that allows me to model the words and motivate Nathaniel to use his device and learn new language skills. I am currently trying to model three to five word utterances. In my examples below, I model all the words except those in parentheses. I have put this week's core words in all capitals to draw attention to them. Simpler modeling option would be to only model the targeted core word.

When I posted My AAC Immersion Homeschool Kindergarten: Week 2 on Nathaniel's Facebook page, I said something like, "I can't promise these will be weekly..." But then I received a message from Laura in Texas.

Her daughter has complex communication needs and was under served by her public school district last year. Laura is hoping to use the summer to boost her daughter's AAC exposure and use. "Can I buy your curriculum?" she asked. Problem. I don't really have a curriculum. I have made eclectic selections of other people's stuff and supplement it with materials I own or create depending on Nathaniel's needs. Often an idea on how to use a core word in tomorrow's math lesson occurs to me at two in the morning when I'm awake checking on Nathaniel's oxygen levels. I have nothing to sell to Laura.

Last week seemed idyllic compared to how this week felt as I moved through it. We got off to a weird start on Monday due to a mid-morning physical therapy appointment. The appointment went fantastic, but morning appointments derail our day. Monday morning appointments can derail more than a day.

When I planned our kindergarten homeschool schedule, I purposefully put bible, math, phonemic awareness/phonics, occupational therapy/fine motor work, and our augmentative alternative communication (AAC) lessons in the morning. These are my highest priority for Nathaniel right now. I placed enrichment lessons - literature, science and culture, music, and art in the afternoon. For the last few months, I have been gradually moving all our appointments to after lunch. There is a natural break in our day if we spend the morning at home learning and head out after lunch for a PT, OT, speech therapy, or doctor's appointment. If we don't return to school after we get home, the enrichment lessons are easily accomplished after dinner or on the weekend.

This week, our augmentative alternative communication (AAC) activities focused on the words THEY, BEFORE, LATER, MUCH. I selected these from the PrACCtical AAC's list of core words for July. My goal is do one fifteen to twenty minute activity per day that allows me to model the words and motivate Nathaniel to use his device and learn new language skills. I am currently trying to model three to five word utterances.

I just completed the first week of my twenty-five year homeschooling. That is a sentence I didn't expect to ever write. Our seventh child, Josiah, graduated high school in the spring of 2016, and I anticipated for over a decade that his graduation would end my homeschool teaching. Decisions about our son Nathaniel's education have been a long (mostly kept private) wrestle over the last few years. Perhaps in time I will share more about the small decisions that landed us at last Monday - Nathaniel's first day of Kindergarten in our homeschool. But for today, I just want to share about that first week.