We have been rather isolated the last month or so as we recovered from the dramatic downturn in behavior and emotional/mental control Miss Iz took during the last months at school. Her removal from that program has seen rapid progress and improvement but we have spent a lot of time at home and at therapy working through some of the anxiety and defiance and opposition that made a reappearance, especially when it was leading to the extreme aggression and flight we saw at school (and spilling over to home). We haven't been complete hermits--we still went to the grocery store, appointments, etc, but once she started being able to interact with kids in the waiting room without outbursts, we tried kid gym, open swim, all leading up to the big one: Playgroup!
Yesterday we went to our first one and she loved it! She was anxious and nervous and she mostly kept to herself. She did get upset at one point but she did exactly as she was supposed to--she retreated to a place away from other kids to calm down and then she and I talked through what was upsetting and the best ways to respond in the future (practicing what she should do is a big part of her strategy because once it becomes second nature, its easier to put into practice during a high anxiety or high conflict situation). She did awesome! She's looking forward to the next outing :)
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