Gattiland!

Ryan got not only a GREEN card yesterday, he got a BRIGHT GREEN card! (Again, that means he did something especially nice/good/helpful, etc). We had told him that when he gets bright green cards, he can either have 2 poker chips or a poker chip and a weeknight session of Wii. He came out of the school building and immediately told me "MOM! I got a bright green card today! And I know what I want! I want a poker chip and Wii!!" So he got a poker chip, which gave him enough to go to Gattiland this weekend too.

Mrs C called me on Wednesday night because he had two really bad days this week. On Wednesday he was so defiant with his music teacher, and he ended up throwing a carpet square at another student, getting her in the eye. And then he hit her in the face later in the afternoon (the girl, not the teacher). So Mrs C and I decided that it was time to separate him as much as possible. I didn't want to do this too soon, as I didn't want to make him "stand out" to the rest of the class, but I guess he's doing that to himself. So she brought in a desk for him, where he sits right next to her. It's one of those desks that you put books in from the open-ended front, rather than a lift-top. So inside the desk he now has two stress-ball type things, that he can use when he feels the need and miraculously he is using them and not *mis* using them! She thinks it's making a difference in his ability to do his work without disrupting the others. He seems to be fine on the playground. He got the "bright green" yesterday because he was able to walk, in line with his classmates, all the way down to the cafeteria and back without bumping, pushing, etc. She said that she can really see that he's making an effort! She also told him that he could have the little car prize that he'd chosen as an incentive, if he got just 3 green cards this week...and he did! She had let him keep it in his pencil box the last 2 weeks, just so he'd know it was still there. He gets to choose another incentive on Monday. I am *thrilled* that she is working with him "where he is", rather than expecting him to behave as well as the other kids are able to right now. And that she is able to see his improvement and comment on it. His academic work continues to be top-rate....and his writing is really improving.

I am back on hopeful end of things!