Summer Break

It's the school summer holidays, when everything slows down and we get time to catch our breath before the chaos that is September begins.

Happily, since my daughter is now an adult, although her college days are paused until late September, the other two activities she takes part in carry on regardless throughout all school holidays.  This has been a blessing for both of us - it means she has two days a week when she gets out of the house and away from my company to spend time with her friends and doing something constructive.  Whilst she is very capable of amusing herself at home, I do get quite concerned that she gets herself into a bit of a dull and repetitive routine.  Each day at home has a very similar pattern and if I am not careful, she will spend a great deal of time up in her room listening to the same cd's over and over again and not doing an awful lot.  I do try to make sure we go out at least once in the day and that she accompanies me on one if not two dog walks out in the countryside as well as the odd special outing, but it is impossible for me to play entertainments officer from dawn to dusk and get on with the day to day jobs that need to be done.

So this has worked quite well - with the added bonus that I get two days to myself per week as well, something unheard of over the previous 21 years.  I get no other respite - I think we could apply for more, but my daughter is not difficult to deal with and we get along very nicely...most of the time!

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In September I will have a new little boy with Down's to work with, starting in Reception class.  It's been a while since I worked with the 'littlies' - I worked with one little boy for three years until he went to junior school and then last year my target child came to me in year 1 but didn't stay the whole school year as mainstream was not the right setting for him.  So I am quite excited to go back to the beginning - I love the challenge of a new child as well as being able to see the progress being made as we go through the years together.  I think I'm going to need my running shoes with this one though...

N.B.
Following the previous two posts, my daughter's HC2 form came through very quickly, approved and all correct, which meant that the prescription charge and fine that we inadvertently incurred has been wiped clean.  Yesterday I received a letter informing me that her Incapacity Benefit is about to be changed to the Employment & Support Allowance, which means more forms to fill in and possibly an intervfew at some stage, but the end result will be that she will get the correct benefit and once again be automatically entitled to free health care.