Gretchen #

Gretchen walks with an unsteady gait. She can go up and down steps, squat and throw a ball. She can put together a puzzle with large pieces, but has difficulty manipulating smaller objects. She can feed a doll with a spoon, transfers balls from one box to another with a spoon, knows how to push buttons and flip through books with thick pages, and can nest rings along a vertical axis. She holds a pencil and is working on using a proper grip, she colors within lines, knows how to color with a brush and water colors, can apply, uses glue. She can unbutton and button and use zippers, but it takes her awhile. She responds to her name, can identify colors, objects, body parts, animals, fruits/vegetables, etc. She can currently count to 5 and is working on counting to 10. She can identify some letters of the alphabet. She has a passive vocabulary and currently communicates mainly using single words. She understands what is said to her and can answer yes/no questions. She follows verbal directions. She is social and seeks out contact with other children and adults. She can dress/undress herself and is toilet trained.

Update Sep. 2024

Wonderful update on 6 year old Gretchen from our team’s visit with her yesterday. She is physically active; she walks independently, climbs and descends stairs, overcomes bumps, jumps, sits, squats and runs. It is noted that the child uses both hands, but the left is more active. Her gait is with her knees slightly bent and her body bent forward. She can put together puzzles, hold a pen correctly, perform many movements requiring fine motor skills /such as sorting small pieces, sticking stickers, grasping with tweezers. She understands everything that is said to her, follows instructions, answers questions with yes and no and tries to repeat almost every word. However, her speech is difficult to understand by a person other than the foster family, she uses syllables and sounds, tries to imitate the words she hears. When she is calm and in a familiar environment she relaxes and talks more. She holds pelvic tanks, goes to the toilet by herself, knows how much toilet paper she needs to tear off, knows how to flush herself with cold and hot water. She brushes her teeth independently, is willing to bathe herself, under the supervision of the foster grandmother. She needs help washing hair and brushing. She loves to bathe and play in the water, she is not afraid. She can put on and take off her shoes and undress herself, still needs help getting dressed. She helps with household tasks, collects and arranges her toys, does not like to be messy. Assists in setting and clearing the dining table, participates in food preparation. She feeds herself, is not capricious and loves all kinds of food, fruits and vegetables. She can drink from a cup and with a straw. She likes fish and sweets. She eats clean, does not get dirty, looks for a napkin or a wipe and can wipe herself. She likes to watch children’s movies ” Blue’s clues” and “Paddington”. She likes to play with dolls, distinguishing between baby and older dolls and feeding them differently. She assembles puzzles from large pieces, loves to cook in her children’s kitchen, play in the yard with other children. She interacts well with the other children, she is not aggressive. She is used to having younger children around her, she is caring and kind to them and helps take care of them.