Quiet Time

I haven't written in here for so long - there's not been much to write about.  The little boy I was LSA to went on to special school last September - a very difficult decision to be made by his parents, but definitely the right one.  I would be the first person to champion a child with Down's Syndrome staying in mainstream schooling, but sometimes it just isn't the right placement for that child's needs.  It felt like a bit of a failure, but we did our utmost and know that we did help his progress a lot, but we just weren't qualified to take him further.  Last I heard, he was thriving at his new school!

It's been a difficult time in some ways with my daughter - she has calmed down a fair bit, but I still feel she is going through some kind of late adolescence as far as behaviour is concerned.  She still gets cross when I brush her hair, but at least she tolerates it now.  We don't have as many disagreements, but she is proving quite strong willed which is fine, but sometimes can be detrimental to her wellbeing.  She hasn't worn her glasses since last year and nothing I say or do can make her.  Today we have an eye test so it will be interesting to hear what the optician says about that!  Her eyesight was never that bad, she can function without glasses for everything but close work, so I am hoping it's OK!

She is still painting pictures in her spare time and that is great - we have had a foray into paint by numbers which I don't feel is as creative as her previous work, but on the other hand it does require a lot of thought and concentration in order to find the numbers and use the corresponding paint - so swings and roundabouts there!

The care company have finally started to send my daughter's favourite careworker on a more regular basis which has made her happier - I think half her behaviour problems were a protest against having someone she didn't like very much taking her out each week.  It didn't matter how much I pointed this out to the office that arrange it all, they were adamant that we should only have who we were assigned, rather than someone who we liked, and that it was inconsequential how much upset it caused.  Yet another example of the views of someone with special needs being ignored - however, for the time being the status quo has been restored and life is far more pleasant.

So, life goes on with it's ups and downs and we are just carried along!