May 2008
Kavin recently finished the MYART production of
"Annie" and will start rehearsals for the summer show of
"Oliver!". Kavin really enjoys the MYART productions and
looks forward to each rehearsal! Kavin also enjoys live
theater and recently went to see the play "Annie" at the
La Mirada Theater. Next month Kavin will get to see
"High School Musical" at the Orange County Performing
Arts Center.
Kavin will be graduating from elementary school in June.
We can hardly believe it! It seems like yesterday that
Kavin was in preschool. We are looking forward to Kavin
going to middle school. We think he will enjoy walking
to school with his brothers. Kavin has made amazing
growth academically and continues to develop socially as
well. Next year Kavin will be in a special day class and
will be included for P.E. and an elective.
February 2008
Kavin has been rehearsing with the Shane's Club Choir recently. He enjoys this group and has already performed at the Children's Orthopedic Hospital in Los Angeles. Kavin definitely loves to sing and dance. Next month Kavin and the rest of the choir will perform at the Shane's Inspiration Annual Gala. Besides the Shane's Club Choir, Kavin is also rehearsing for the MYART production of "Annie." This is definitely one of Kavin's favorite shows! Kavin is also looking forward to seeing a professional performance of "Annie" and "High School Musical" coming up in the next couple of months.
November 2007
Kavin had the opportunity to go to "Turkey Camp" three full days during Thanksgiving break. This camp program was sponsored by Camp James which Kavin really loves. Turkey Camp had the same type of activities that Kavin enjoys during the summer at Camp James. The only activity missing was Wild River which is closed until next summer. Kavin loves going to any camp. Kavin's social skills have improved so much that he no longer requires one-on-one support while attending camp. If we could just get Kavin's toileting skills down, he could attend camp programs with his non-disabled peers without any additional adult support. Besides attending the day camp, Kavin continues to rehearse every weekend for the MYART production of "The Sound of Music" which will open in January 2008!
September 2007
Kavin was happy to return to school this month. He is now a fifth grader! Kavin is fully-included with instructional aide and resource class support. While he is significantly behind his peers academically, Kavin has grown leaps and bounds socially since being fully-included in school. We don't believe that Kavin would have such great social skills if he hadn't been around his typical peers in the school environment. Kavin is able to participate in summer camps and other recreational programs with his typical peers with only minimal support and maximum success! This month Kavin started playing on a Special Olympics volleyball team. Even with a disease that causes muscle weakness Kavin gets out on the court and gives it his best! Kavin will also begin rehearsing for the next MYART production, "The Sound of Music." Kavin still loves musicals and this in one of his favorites!
August 2007
Kavin has enjoyed the various camps this summer. He has attended both day camps and sleep-over camps. We have been very fortunate that the camps have been willing to continue to help Kavin work on his toilet training. He is very close to finally being independent with his toileting skills and we really didn't want Kavin to lose the progress he made over the past year. Kavin will also start practicing on a Special Olympic volleyball team this month. Between all of the summer camp activities, Special Olympics, and musical theater and dance Kavin continues to gain coordination and strength. His occupational and physical therapists commented during his recent annual check-up that Kavin is making many gains in despite his Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy. We continue to be amazed with Kavin's progress and development.
April 2007
Kavin recently booked another commercial. This commercial is for AARP and will air nationally. Kavin will work one to two days filming this commercial. Kavin loves working on commercials, movies and TV shows. He is very professional on the set and often is a favorite among cast and crew. Depending on the situation with this commercial, Kavin maybe required to join the Screen Actor Guild (SAG). Pretty cool, Kavin with be a member of the actor's union!
February 2007
Kavin has started rehearsing for the new MYART production, "Seussical." With only three rehearsals under his belt Kavin already knows most of the songs and dance steps. Kavin is an "old pro" when it comes to participating in community theater. He has participated with MYART since he was four years old! That's at least twelve shows he has been a part of throughout his theater career. While a participant in MYART, Kavin has gained incredible self-confidence and awesome social skills. Kavin is able to follow group instruction, learn the dance steps and songs, and often he is even the line leader. Kavin has made many friends over the years and is a well-excepted member of the MYART family. Besides acting in plays, Kavin also enjoys attending theater productions.
He has season tickets to the La Mirada Theater and the South Coast Repertory children's theater series thanks to a generous donation from David Shaffer.
We believe that participating in theater productions and attending theater shows is a great hobby that Kavin can participate in for the rest of his life.
December 2006
Kavin is going through serial casting on his feet and ankles again. Kavin has to wear casts for three months to see of his muscles will stretch to allow him to walk with flat feet rather than on his toes. Kavin also broke his arm and has to wear a cast. So at the moment three out of four limbs are casted. Kavin has taken it all in stride. The heavy foot casts aren't even stopping him from dancing in the MYART production of "Peter Pan." Kavin should have the arm cast removed before Christmas and the leg casts should be off by February 2007.
October 2006
Kavin is getting so much more coordinated on a skateboard. He goes to the skateboard park twice a week and takes riding lessons with a professional skateboarder. He has been taking lessons for little over a year. Kavin is now able to go up and down the big ramps. He is able to walk up to the top of the steep ramps carrying his skateboard. Last year Kavin did not have the balance or strength to do that. Kavin is also able to notice when other skateboarders are moving up and down the ramps and he is able to move out of the way quickly enough not to get hit. Last year Kavin simply did not have awareness to keep himself safe at the skateboard park. Kavin is also talking to the other kids at the skate park. This is also a big improvement for Kavin who rarely talked to peers other than his brothers.
We are delighted to see the overall progress Kavin is making physically and socially in this social recreational setting. This just reminds us that professional physical and occupational therapy is not always the answer and some times subscribing to the philosophy of "it's okay to play" benefits a person overall physical health even more than prescribed "treatment plans."
July 2006
Kavin, along with Jordan, continues to spend the night at Grandma Sue's house almost every Friday night. Kavin has his routine with Grandma Sue which includes having Grandma Sue make special snacks for Kavin while he watches his favorite movies. Kavin also enjoys having Grandma Sue do his nails in between movies and Kavin loves "fighting" with Grandpa Jim. Kavin loves all of the attention and he enjoys the opportunity to be in charge of the DVD player!
Update: March 2006
Kavin (9) is starting to get to be such an athletic boy! Kavin can now roller blade, do a forward roll, and bounce a basketball! Kavin is often seen roller blading all over the house and even on the smooth sidewalk in the front yard. Kavin can even make several laps around the roller rink with only minimal assistance. Kavin is also started gymnastic classes this month and has joined a basketball team through the Special Olympics. Its awesome to see Kavin motivated to get physically moving. In the past Kavin preferred to just watch the others play sports. Now he is even asking to take skateboard riding lessons and tells grandpa Jim to get his bike ready.
We don't know where this sudden boost of energy comes from but we suspect that Kavin feels somewhat in competition with Jordan, who is an amazing athlete. Whatever the reason, we are delighted. It is unusual to see a child with muscle dystrophy actually make huge physical gains. Everyone is really encouraging Kavin to "go for it!" and to attempt any sports he is now interested in trying.
Kavin continues to participate in MYART. He is deep into rehearsals for "Alice In Wonderland." We can hear Kavin singing the show tunes throughout the house. Kavin is also a member of the Shane's Club Choir. He has been rehearsing on the weekends for an up-coming gala and fundraiser for Shane's Inspiration. Luckily Kavin can't get enough singing!
Update: January 2006
Kavin just finished his performance in "The King and I" with the MYART Theater group. It was so amazing to see Kavin on stage performing. He was able to sing all of the songs and do all of the dance moves just like the other children. It was very hard to tell that Kavin has significant developmental delays and muscle weakness by watching him act. Kavin has been participating in community theater since he was four years old. Through this experience he has changed from a shy and quiet little boy to a talkative and outgoing pre-teen. Kavin's speech has improved so much. Not only is he able to better pronounce words but his vocabulary has increased tremendously.
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Kavin in "The King and I"
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Finally, Kavin is proving himself to be a leader. He can often be seen redirecting some of the younger actors when they need support. We believe this great improvement in Kavin's social and communication skills can be attributed at least partially to his experience in community theater. The directors of the MYART program have the same expectations of Kavin that they do of the other performers. During rehearsals the music director makes each child sing loudly and enunciate well. This forces Kavin to work some of his weakened facial muscles. The children practice the dance moves over and over each rehearsal learning a little more. The young actors learn how to focus and to behave on stage and to pay attention to what they are doing as well as to pay attention to the other actors around them. This style of teaching and the high expectations have helped Kavin grow as an actor and as a communicator. Kavin is excited about up-coming rehearsals for "Alice in Wonderland."
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