First Day of CUBS Class!

Oliver had an AMAZING first day of his CUBS class. There were 6-7 adults present (SLP’s, OT’s, Special Educators, and ABA teachers), as well as 3 other sweet toddlers. The schedule consisted of: Hand washing, 1 hour free play, 20 minutes in the motor room, hand washing, snack, self clean up, seated circle group time with a song, and then packing up and leaving. For those who don’t know what Oliver’s CUBS class is, you can read my blog post about it here: http://healingoliver.com/2015/10/18/cubs-class/. When we pulled up, Oliver had bitten the nipple off of his green protein smoothie filled bottle and ruined the adorable outfit he was sporting. Then we went in and he shut his finger in the door. Then we were told there was a fire drill, so we went outside to avoid the loud noise. Then, as he ran around happily, I had to pick him back up because the fire drill was cancelled. All of these things sent him into a panic and he was crying hysterically. After he was able to calm his body down, we opened the doors to the CUBS classroom and he was immediately entranced. He ran towards the soft play stairs, tunnel, and slide, where he played for quite a while. I sat near him as he got more and more comfortable and then the woman who was working one on one with him thought that I should try and sit near the wall to see if he can get comfortable with her, as we fade me out of the classroom and into the waiting room. I got to see him laugh with other people who were enjoying his company, play in a tub of beans, play at a sand table, conduct his first arts & crafts project (aside from coloring at home), play with new toys, play near another child, engage with several adults, swing in their sensory swing (at one point, with another child, who he attempted to make eye contact with!!!!), ride a rocking horse, eat snacks alongside other children (using a fork at one point), and much more. I was really nervous that he wasn’t going to do well today because of how the day started (i.e. slammed finger, going outside/coming back in immediately, etc.), but he didn’t even need me because of how amazing his environment was. He very obviously felt safe, supported, and cherished and I couldn’t be more grateful to have had the opportunity to get him into this program. I will be writing about the progress he makes, as time goes on in his CUBS class. I can’t believe how incredible it all was and can’t even wait to go back! P.s. the third photo was taken minutes after we left– they sure wore him out.