3V0358.01 Over the Head — body awareness (1/15/79)

Peggy has been passing objects behind her for some time (this appears in notes and on video tape). One early attempt with her rattle on a string was to get it over her head. She now does this regularly with whatever is remotely suitable – e.g. the pulling strings of her toy cart and noisy dog. Last night we played on the bed. Peggy found, atop a pile of laundry. her orange suit with duckling decorations (two plastic ducks over the heart). she first fingered and mouthed them then began pulling the suit over her head — with a permanent hand grasp at various extreme points. Although she paused occasionally to play “peek-a-boo” her main focus was on pulling the clothes-string over and past her head. she did so with considerable vigor and (I believe) confidence in the outcome. She, in fact, ended by going through a double dislocate several times to bring the clothes-string down to her bottom (This was done repeatedly.

Relevance: Here I see the completion of Peggy’s definition of her back parts that are beyond her sight and touch (In a way, she has proven she has no hump). Another way of looking at this is to say she is using the material to extend her tactile exploration of her body — even though she must interpose a ‘cognitive’ certainty of contact for the sense that her hand would return on a body part more accessible.

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