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May 2010
Phillip has been working with our friend, singer and song writer, Dave Nachmanoff, on a CD of Phillip's own songs. Phillip has been writing songs recently as a release from the day-to-day stressors of being a teenager. Phillip, who usually struggles with written assignments at school, has come up with more than a dozen original songs mainly with a teen angst theme. Dave has been working with Phillip in person, over the internet and on the phone to put Phillip's words to music. As the songs come together I have had the privilege to preview these wonderful songs. Phillip hopes to have his CD out by summer. This CD will feature Phillip's words put to music and sung by Dave Nachmanoff. Drop us a line if you would like a copy of this original CD!
November 2009
Phillip changed school this school year. The new school has a very small student population. We thought this might help Phillip with his self-control and reduce his behavioral challenges. Unfortunately after a short honeymoon Phillip was back to his impulsive and aggressive behaviors. Just this week he was suspended from school for three days. He aggresses towards students and teachers alike. Despite our work with a therapist and psychiatrist Phillip's mental health issues continue to challenge the people who support him. Many of Phillip's aggressive issues seem to be in response to a paranoid perception that others are "staring at him" or "teasing him." It is difficult to convince Phillip otherwise. While Phillip can be delightful sometimes, his poor impulse control can get him in a lot of trouble very quickly. At almost 17 years old, I worry about what will happen to Phillip when he behaves like this as an adult.
May 2009
Phillip continues to struggle with his
behavioral challenges related to his bipolar
disorder and head injury. After getting into a
serious fight at school, Phillip was transferred
to another high school. It is unfortunate that
the new high school is a 25 minute drive from
the house. Phillip originally attend our
neighborhood high school where he has friends
and could easily walk. Phillip's mood swings can
be a very difficult challenge for those of us
who try to help him in a daily basis. It is
definitely a feeling of three steps forward
immediately followed by two and a half steps
backwards. In school we are trying to give
Phillip a schedule with an emphasis on
vocational training. Initially Phillip was quite
successful in an ROP Class focused on learning
the various components of the construction
trade. Unfortunately after severe months,
Phillip started demonstrating unsafe behaviors
which required that he be removed from the class
permanently. Next school year Phillip will try
auto shop. Like always Phillip is excited about
taking this class but, of course, if history
repeats itself, Phillip in the long run will not
be able to handle this class either.
The good news is that Phillip joined a health
club recently and has been steadily working out.
He enjoys the idea of "going to the club." Often
he goes with one or more of our family helpers.
This allows Phillip enough behavioral support to
have a successful experience working out. I am
keeping my fingers crossed that the health club
will continue to be a positive venture to
positively exert some of his excess energy.
November 2008
Phillip has made some good progress with his anger issues, especially at school. Within weeks of starting school he was suspended for fighting with other students and being verbally aggressive with some of his teachers. After many meetings with the school staff it was determined that some of Phillip's anger was generated by other students teasing him about his speech impairment. Although Phillip's speech has greatly improved since he joined our family at age seven with an unrepaired cleft palate, he still makes articulation errors that are common among people born with cleft palates. Despite numerous surgeries and years of speech therapy Phillip still has a way to go to be able to produce clear speech. These issues along with Phillip's significant learning disabilities put him at a disadvantage in the classroom. School staff have worked with us to put Phillip in more vocational training classes as it is clear that Phillip will thrive more on a vocational track. Phillip was very successful in a wood shop class in middle school and has been a wonderful helper to Henry, our contractor. Starting next semester Phillip will be enrolled in a ROP construction class where he will have opportunities to learn about plumbing, framing and electrical aspects of the building business. We are hopeful that Phillip will be successful in this class and begin to find success and friends in the educational setting.
September 2008
Phillip continues to make cognitive improvement following his traumatic brain injury this summer. Phillip still has problems with his short term memory and his frustration level with getting through normal day-to-day activities has increased. Phillip has also had some increased mental health concerns since his accident. All of these challenges has made parenting Phillip quite intense. Phillip is insatiable when it comes to demanding attention. His behavioral challenges wax and wane throughout each day. Even the high school staff have found Phillip to be quite difficult at times. The doctor is considering a diagnosis of bipolar disorder based on Phillip's extreme mood swings. Currently we are trying to help Phillip adjust to high school. Some days most things go well and other days we don't know how he can continue make it on a comprehensive public high school campus. Phillip is still restricted from contact sports and other such activities while his brain heals completely from the head injury.
July 2008
Phillip was in a bicycle accident on Father's Day. In the late afternoon two police cars showed up at the house to tell us that Phillip was hit by a car while riding his bicycle in downtown Huntington Beach. Apparently Phillip, who was riding without a helmet, didn't look and rode his bicycle into an on-coming car. The result of the accident was a trip to a local emergency room by ambulance, followed by two weeks in the hospital in ICU and then two more weeks at a children's rehabilitation hospital. Phillip is now home with a diagnosis of a mild head injury. Phillip definitely shows signs of a head injury in his short term, lack of motivation, and word finding problems.
We are very thankful that Phillip can still walk, talk and feed himself because for the first few weeks we weren't sure how much function he would get back. Currently Phillip is getting outpatient services in rehabilitation medicine and speech therapy. The doctor does not want Phillip doing any physical activities while his brain heals. We will have a better understanding of the long term effects of Phillip's traumatic brain injury after several more months of rehabilitation services. We are keeping our fingers crossed for a complete recovery.
May 2008
Phillip enjoyed a recent trip to Las Vegas
with his dad and many of his adult brothers.
Even though Phillip wishes he was old enough to
gamble, Phillip says he still loves Las Vegas.
Phillip saw a couple of shows including "LOVE"
which was developed around The Beatles music.
Phillip and the gang also went to many buffets,
walked up and down the strip, and enjoyed
swimming in the large pool at the Treasure
Island Hotel. While most of the group drove the
four hours to Las Vegas, Phillip flew in with
some family friends. Phillip loves flying and
can get impatient on a long car drive so this
plan worked out best for everyone! Phillip had a
great time on this trip and, the best news of
all was, by all reports his behavior was
perfect! This summer Phillip is looking forward
to his first cruise with Grandma Sue. As long as
he can keep up with this great behavior, this
opportunity to see the East Coast and Canada
will be a wonderful experience for Phillip.
February 2008
Phillip continues to struggle with his mood disorder. There are times when he is the sweetest teenager on earth on other times...well lets just say he is quite the opposite! Compounding his mental health issues are his learning disabilities. Middle school has been such a challenge both academically and emotionally for Phillip. We are hopeful that high school might help Phillip with the maturation process.
Phillip continues to worry about his brothers. He often the first person to notice when one of the little kids aren't feeling well. Phillip also worries about Viktor and wants to make sure Viktor has enough food in his apartment and enough gas in his car. Phillip often displays this caring side of himself which is really wonderful. Phillip definitely has a special way with some of our family members who are the most disabled. I hope that Phillip will find a job as an adult which will allow his natural caring side to shine through.
November 2007
Phillip has been very helpful with his younger brothers lately. Phillip has been more than willing to help with Justin during his recent hospitalizations. Phillip has also been helpful during the recent visits we have had with young children who have been matched with our family. Phillip relishes the role of big brother and protector, especially with his more disabled brothers. We will soon be welcoming a four-year old and a set of 11-year old twins to our family. During the transition visits, Phillip has really shown his loving side. The new brothers seem to cling to Phillip right away, and Phillip gets very emotional when the children have to return to their current placements. Phillip continues to amaze us as his loving and compassionate nature shines through more and more every day.
September 2007
Phillip spent three weeks at Pali Adventure Camp before the beginning of school. He really enjoyed the Leadership program he participated in while at camp. All reports were that Phillip had perfect behavior while at camp. Phillip seems to do the best when he participates in activities without his brothers. Most of the other boys are quite the opposite. Phillip does especially well with his peers when he doesn't have any competition from his brothers of about the same age. We try to provide maximum opportunity to allow Phillip to "do his own thing" at home, school and in the community. On the other hand, Phillip is excellent with his younger and more disabled brothers. He continues to willingly help with their care and supervision. We are proud of Phillip for maintaining excellent behavior at camp and improving his behavior at home.
April 2007
Phillip has been a big help around the house. Now that Jim is back in bed with yet another pressure sore, I am relying on the boys to even be a bigger help around the house. Phillip is especially good with his younger brothers, Shawn Daniel and Justin. Phillip will play with the boys for hours at a time. This is very helpful to me so that I can get projects accomplished. Phillip has also been trained in his brother's medical care and can be a second set of hands when he is needed. Although Phillip tries to be a tough guy, he is really a loving and kind person. Despite our daily struggles, it is so great to know that Phillip has such a big heart.
February 2007
Phillip is now part of the Color Guard with the Young Marines. He will perform his first drill at the San Clemente Little League later in the month. Being assigned to the Color guard is considered an honor as these individuals present and carry the symbols of their unit and country. Phillip is excited to be selected for this position. Phillip continues to enjoy the Young Marines and is looking forward to an encampment in June and possibly participating in trip to Washington DC later in the year.
December 2006
Phillip is excited to have passed his First Aid and CPR training. He took the class earlier in the month with two of his brothers and two of our family helpers. Phillip worked very hard to pass both the written and hands-on part of the test. Besides learning these valuable skills, Phillip will also get a special badge from Young Marines when he shows his official Red Cross First Aid and CPR card.
 
October 2006
Phillip just received the rant of Private First Class in the Young Marines. He was very excited to get his first rank advancement since joining the Saddleback Young Marines. Phillip continues to participant in this program on a weekly basis and looks forward to April when several of his brothers will attend boot camp so they can also join the Young Marines program.
Phillip continues to be a big help around the house especially with Daniel and Shawn. He helps with their care and is always available to play with the boys when we need some extra eyes-on supervision. Phillip even helped provide some training to school staff who were unfamiliar with Daniel and Shawn's care. Phillip is an awesome big brother and a wonderful son.
August 19, 2006
Phillip has graduated from the Saddleback Young Marines program. As a recruit he spent almost a total of two weeks in boot camp including two encampments. We are very proud of Phillip's commitment to complete this very difficult and strenuous program. As a Young Marine Phillip will continue to go to Camp Pendleton every Saturday to participate in further training and activities. He is looking forward to moving up in rank and he improves his skills.
 July 2006
Phillip has been learning how to take care of
some of his younger brothers. He is very
interested in caring for children so he is
practicing at with family!
Phillip really has a
soft spot for Shawn and for Justin. He is
extremely helpful with both boys. Phillip spends
extra time help Shawn learn to walk and to drink
from a cup. Phillip also plays with Justin who
gets very bored hanging out around the house.
Phillip has also been
very helpful with Jim who is now in bed at home
trying to heal another pressure sore. Phillip is
always asking Jim if he needs any help and often
just hangs out in the bedroom with Jim to keep him
company. We are proud of Phillip and his kind and
caring attitude toward the family.
Click to view Phillip's
grades
 
 
March 2006
Phillip (13) continues to do an awesome job academically. He has done a
great job keeping up with his homework and studying for tests. Phillip continues
to struggle with making good choices about his behavior in a few classes.
Generally Phillip has been in agreeable moods at school which is always nice for
everyone around him. Phillip is working toward a straight "A" report card by the
end of the school year.
Phillip had another surgery on his cleft palate in
late February. This was an out-patient procedure and the tenth cleft palate
related surgery Phillip has had since joining our family at the age of seven.
This month, Phillip also received the good news that his braces will be
coming-off very soon. The best part off getting his braces off, according to
Phillip, "is not having to sneak around to drink sodas!"
 
 
January 2006
Phillip started middle school this year and he is loving it! Phillip has really improved his attitude this school year and as a result is maintaining an almost straight "A" average. Phillip's behavior at school has been much better as well. Mr. Todd has proven to be an excellent match for Phillip and the small classroom size seems to help Phillip's ability to focus.
Academically Phillip is doing much better this year as well. Phillip recently discovered the Internet and is starting to write and receive e-mails. This opportunity to practice his witting skills has made a big difference in his literacy level. We hope to see continued academic growth through out his middle school years.
After school Phillip is hanging out with his friend, Mitchell. Its great the Mitchell lives so close to us. Both boys, who come from similar backgrounds, seems to be benefiting from this friendship. Mitchell recently encouraged Phillip to join the DeMolay program. Phillip is excited about some of the activities in which the boys participate. Phillip is even willing to dress-up with a shirt and tie to attend the meetings.
  
   
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