Debs I think that many p[rofessionals don't get the imagination thing. Your bottom of [ile SENCO for example may have done (or even skipped- I know the local Uni find its the most skipped session) a single 3 hour session on sn. Now,many willl have topped that up but the base requirement is ridiculously low,and even a few courses won't do it.
Things like imagination and what that really entails is likely to be not coverd in enough depth.
There's also a problema ssessing imagination in kids with language issues. Yesterday's experience with ds3 was indicative of that.
basically, he is walking around cardiff ciry centre car park at 5pm with his arms behind his back shouting be an . It sounded like Owl.
I asked him 'Oh are you an Pwl?'
'No not opwl'
Me persevering ashe wears earmuffs and there is background noide: 'DS3 is being a great owl there'
'Not Owl!'
Now, thining that through after 6 years experience of DS3 I can see three possible scenarios:
- He wasn't being an owl and I didn't understand his language. He is phonologically unclear due to scarring and general SLT issues so happens very often.
- I phrased it completely wrong- DS3 is extremely literal, of clourse he wasn't an owl! He can get very upset iof you suggest he is anything (in play) other than ds3 becuase plainly he is not. 'Is ds3 pretending to be an owl?' may have been better, but sometimes you just want to get back to the car LOL.
- He couldn't hear or process what I was asking him due to the repsence of an awful lot of sensory information about at that moment.
My generale xperience of kids like my boys is that very literal language can indicate a rpesence of very limited imagination generally, but am no researcher so can only suggest that, not evidence it.
I am also aware that as I personally don't have much abstract imagination, it could be that I never taught it very well. Or that becuase my Mum has very limited imaginative play (see the link LOL....) she never ytaught it...... how can anyone know for sure?
Today we have a barn out on the floor,with a few cows out and also cars and dinosaurs to replace the missing farm animals. DS4 seemed happy with that but none of the toehrswereinterested, so ds4 lost interest also quite quickly, ds1 and ds3 never were bothered but ds2 is not asd..... is that a learned thing, is it because he just thinks it is uncool now, or becuase he knows full wellfarmers do not farm small hybrid t-rex / motorbike toys? Who knows!
So what