I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by how well my little girl had dealt with the changes that have been thrown at her. In less that one month she moved to the downstairs apartment and started a very regimented schedule with various service providers. She has handled it like a champ.
The move was the tough part. She was confused by the change and by the constant activity going on around her. She did not sleep well at all for the first few days. Eventually though she settled in and did well. She loves her room and her play area in the living room!
I was so worried about how she would react to her new teachers. I worried for no reason...she loves them. There are 3 alternating ABA providers ( applied behavioral analysis) and 1 speech teacher. Her summer schedule has been :
Wake up and eat breakfast. I give her her Omega 3 supplement (coromega) which I swear by. After she started it she began signing "Give me" and "More". We had been trying to get her to sign for months now.
ABA provider arrives sometime in this period. The time varies depending on the day.
Sippy cup of milk and some water then off to Nap Land.
Speech provider arrives (Time varies on the day)
The rest of the day varies on our personal schedules. But she is a late owl and the earliest I can get her to bed is 8 pm (It's usually closer to 9)
I crack up when I see her reaction to the doorbell these days. She lights up and goes "Oh!" and hurries to the door with me to let her teachers in. Usually she leads them to her room and sits on her little chair at her little table with a book in hand so they can get started! She tries to steal their toys when they aren't looking though!
Having cleared this hurdle I find we are approaching another. We are going on vacation soon and again I find myself fretting about how she will adjust. There is always something to worry about it seems but I have been doing well with my promise to myself about enjoying my time with my princess.
ALL of the providers have been wonderful thus far and they are ALL optimistic about her chances. They are great with her and know how to navigate the little fits she has when she does not want to do something. Luckily she is usually easily redirected.
Not all families are so lucky. As a former SE-IT (Special Education Itinerant Teacher...works one on one with children with special needs) I have had students who were self injurious and one who would attempt to injure me! Despite the hardships these children faced and the hardships I faced in teaching them, one of my fondest memories came from working with one of those children.
I came to the client's apartment and worked with the child. We will call him M. M and I had a great day and I was on a teaching high. As I packed up to leave his 9 year old older sister came to me and said "Miss Linda! Thank you so much!!!" With tears in her eyes she hugged me as if I was Hannah Montana! When I asked her why she was thanking me she said, " I played ball with M yesterday. It was the first time he ever played anything with me!" By teaching him how to take turns I gave a brother and sister their first play bonding experience. I kept a cool and professional demeanor as I hugged her back and told her he was lucky to have her for a sister. But let me tell you...I was bawling like a 2 year old as soon as I hit 86th street!
Children like M and like my daughter face varying difficulties. No one can predict their future any more than we can predict our own. I do know that the human mind and heart are resilient and amazing things and are capable of achieving their highest potentials as long as they are surrounded by people who love them. Change occurs...sometimes in quick blasts and other times in tiny ebbs and flows. The ability of adaptation children have never ceases to amaze me.
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