Ever feel like life is flowing along at an even pace and then suddenly... bam! the rug is pulled out from under you!?!
Well, welcome to my world this past month. Granted, with all due respect, our trials and tribulations are nothing compared to some, and I recognize that, I empathize with others and what they are experiencing, and yet when my world gets rocked, ever so slightly, I feel like the sky is falling!
As you know we have been struggling with speech and verbal articulation for... well, forever it seems; but at least for the past couple of years. I feel like we are on the right path now with our current therapist, Lynn Carahally the founder of the Speech E-Z program, and the owner and director of Foundations Developmental House. She is a specialist of verbal apraxia, as well as oral apraxia (the latest diagnosis)!!! So yes, I do feel like Lynn is the pathway to our continuous search for that Holy Grail of speech.
Then there is our every day academics... Noah has been attending the same Montessori school for the past year and a half. There is always the question in the back of my mind... am I doing the right thing by my boy? Is he in the right environment to encourage his unlimited potential? However, every time I question this, I am quickly reassured when I see the alternative choices...
Last week I heard of a supplemental option for Noah a couple of days a week. This other program promoted the opportunity of one on one speech encouragement, which was six hours a week of a speech induced preschool. So, in my search for that infamous Holy Grail, I took him for a day of observation.
Well, it was quite a day of enlightenment... the class had a student/teacher ratio of 1-3, a wonderful ratio. However, spending about half the day there, I quickly realized what a fabulous environment he is currently in at his Montessori school. The supplemental school was very chaotic... lots of outbursts from the other kids, one child crying inconsolably, and a whole lot of crazy energy that neither Noah nor myself were used to! It didn't have that easy flow of his Montessori class. It made Noah very uncomfortable as I saw him shutting down, emotionally and socially. I'm so grateful that I took the time to observe the class vs dropping him off and expecting the best, as this was not the right environment for my little man.
We continue with our 3x weekly therapy and intense home encouragement with the hopes of successful conversation.
Noah isn't maximizing his potential while at his Montessori classroom. This is a primary class of approximately 30 kids ages 3-6. Noah isn't completing tasks nor moving on to more intense studies.
The suggestion was to have an "aide" to attend school with Noah to work with him one on one and help him to advance to the next level of his expected skills and cognition.
I think that this will be the best option as I want to keep him in the Montessori system as I truly believe this is the best for him, yet with someone working with him one on one and encouraging him to select and complete his tasks, this will help him gain both confidence and mastery of his skills.
By the Grace of God, all has worked out and we have found the perfect solution! Noah will have Amy attending school with him, M-TH and Friday he will go independently. (Amy currently works with Noah at home a couple of days a week and we she is working on her masters in special education. We love Amy!!!). My hopes is that by having Amy there daily for the majority of the week, he will know what it is he needs to accomplish throughout the day. On Friday, he will hopefully have the confidence from success earlier in the week that he will try to complete his work vs using his adorable good looks to charm the teachers to get what he wants!
Breathe... school seems to be on track, for today at least ;-)
Somewhere in the midst of all this chaos we have dealt with the holidays which includes lack of enthusiasm from my husband; daughter home from college (which I cherish) yet accompanied by her adopted cat, many transient friends and lots of 20 yr old girl drama (not cherishing so much); my mom and her husband John visiting (which I also truly enjoy, but having recently downsized to a much smaller home, it took a little... ok, a LOT of adjustment to accommodate so many people in one tiny abode). Oh, did I mention that my mom brought her dog, which liked to chase my daughters cat, which just worked up my two dogs... oh Lord, where is Calgon when you need it!!!
Post holiday's, after surviving the ever loving, soon to be missed chaos, came the infamous sicky bug. It began with Jacques being sick and in bed for a few days. Then it was Noah's turn. His ended up being an ear infection (first infection even though this is our third set of tubes, which have all been preventative for hearing issues) and he was on two different antibiotics and home from school for over a week.
So Happy New Year, a bit delayed but filled with the genuine intention.
Yes we are exhausted, however on the road to peaceful recovery and looking forward to a year filled with love, confidence and our continuous journey on the path to finding the Holy Grail of verbal language for our amazing little man!
