When we left Nationwide Children's Hospital February 2nd, our daughter's psychologist gave us a list of things we needed to work on between then and her next evaluation at Children's Hospital... One of them was to get her enrolled in a preschool program.
We have been working hard at home with exercises he gave us to work on, but we know in our hearts, greater intervention is needed.
A sweet lady came to visit today and observed our three-year old doing her every-day activities. She watched how she played with toys and how she interacted with her siblings. It is critical at every stage in our journey.. As we meet new people and deal with new schools, hospitals, etc. that they evaluate our daughter for their own records. We have learned that much since beginning this journey almost 2 months ago.
We had a wonderful visit and we learned a lot about the special education programs in and out of our school district. We will know more in a few weeks after our follow up appointment but I feel so excited that we are making progress... All for our daughter.
I don't doubt that she will do great things with her life. I know she will. She has the determination and the knowledge, but one thing I know is that we all need help teaching her how to harness her abilities and use them. We know she needs the capability to communicate her thoughts and needs. It is our deepest desire that she lives a flourishing life... That she thrives in every aspect. We want her to shine her light in whatever way she desires but we want to make sure she has all of the resources at her fingertips to do this.
This is why I am so grateful for programs like the ones we learned about today. I am thankful for people who have the patience and skills to spend time with those on the spectrum and teach them things that they are struggling to currently learn. It blesses my heart.
Our three- year old (and our one-year old and our 4-month old) are our most prized possessions. They mean everything to us. They are the reason we push ourselves. We want them to have the very best-- and for our three year old, this means that we have to be advocates for her. She doesn't know how to use her voice to communicate her needs right now... So we will be that for her.
This is why we ask so many questions.. Why we go to so many meetings... Why I keep everyone updated and share our story so often. We are her voice.. We are her advocates. We want to give her the world... And we know right now, it requires work, time, and effort. And we will do every bit of that for her. She brightens up a room with her smile and her laugh. She deserves everything we can give her.. And we vow to always do that.
I am looking forward to our follow-up appointment. I will try and keep everyone updated as we know more. I love you all and I appreciate you sharing in our journey with us <3
No comments:
Post a Comment