From Joseph’s mother:
I just want to share why Joey is an important part of our Jewish Community. Joey was our 10th man today and he allowed us to read from the torah. Joey sat nicely in the last row [there are only 4 rows] through out the service. We called Yosef up for the 7th aliya. he walked up to the torah and with a one word prompt said the set of first prayers. He stood at the torah with me , the reader and 2 other men, enjoying and watching. half way through, he put his hand on the wooden roller. after the reading he said the 2nd prayer and ended it loud and with joy. All the men on the Bimah shook his hand and when he sat down , some of the other men came over to Joey. Bertie, he makes you and me proud. Joey is truly a Jewish soul.
When I observed Joey, I observed the following: Joey for the most part was in a very pleasant and cooperative mood. He verbalized louder and his speech seemed clearer than in the past. He made better eye contact with me. When he needed to use the restroom, he verbalized this clearly to me. Socially, he enjoyed playing ball and reading with his classmates. Academically, he seemed interested in doing his math, and was less enthusiastic about his reading. I assume that different times and days he probably also enjoys doing the reading program. He is very comfortable around his teacher Michelle and seems to be adjusting to Caroline his new aide. I am extremely impressed with Joey’s resiliency in terms of his ability to adapt back to the Aspen school and he seems quite relaxed and comfortable at school. In addition, I was impressed with Joey’s ability to participate in his “base group,” he stayed focused and seemed interested in the content.
Hope this is helpful, let me know if I can be of anymore help.
