A Walk Worth Taking......

This last year has been a whirlwind for us. Ups, downs, highs, lows and at the end of the year we sat back and realized just how much growth and progress took place from age 4-5. Not only has he learned how to communicate better, he has learned to make better decisions, process what he has learned faster, try new things and laugh a lot more. 2 weeks before his 5th birthday he said, “When I turn 5 I am going to ride my bike and stop sucking my thumb. He also said he would stop doing one other thing but it hasn’t happened yet. 2 out of 3 ain’t bad  The fact that he had the ability to make those conscience decisions is a HUGE step forward for him. I couldn’t be more proud of my 5 yr old son!

It’s funny to me how many people are “non believers” in that there is a lot going on behind the scenes with our kiddo until they see it happening for themselves or read/hear about all of the early intervention we have done with him over the last 3 years. I have numerous acquaintances/friends that think other options would be better. Some even think that I should just let him be a kid and he will eventually figure it out. My response to them is this, “another option may be best for your child, but this is what is best for mine”. I will continue to fight for my son, advocate for my son and stand up for him for as long as it takes for him to do all of those things for himself. I believe that it is my parental right and duty to offer all that I can to my kids at a young age, so that they have a bright, happy and successful life in whatever they choose to do.

My son got a card from a “mentor/teacher” that worked very closely with him last year. The words he wrote moved me to tears. He said “he has never met another little boy as courageous as our son” He even let him know that the word Courageous means that no matter how hard or scary something is, that you always try and always believe in yourself. He said that he was proud of our son and believed in him. If it wasn’t for this person, our child would not be where he is today, interacting normally in society, without the high level anxiety and behavioral issues we have been working on for the last 3 years. This is not to say that we are “out of the woods” just yet, but instead to say that early intervention with the RIGHT person for your child sure does work wonders! I would do it all over again, despite the amount of money we had to put into getting the services. Our “shadow” was worth every penny and I will forever be grateful for the specialist who referred us to him and for the time and dedication he gave to our son. Always giving 100%, always open minded and always supportive.

As the years go by there will be many more highs and lows, successes and failures, yet through it all we will continue to move forward. A very wise “mentor” told me once that each time we take a few steps forward be ready for a few steps backward as well. He talked about how each time a new skill is mastered and the brain takes on more information there is always a good chance that an old behavior may resurface or a new one may come up. As we keep working with early interventionists we continue to see more happy times than sad, more smiles than tears and many more successes than failures. Any way you look at it - this is not a walk in the park BUT is a walk worth taking!