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Monday, February 13

Make that two referrals to Doernbecher's

I've been wanting to give an update on Elias. Most people know that three years ago, we had him seen by a children's behavioral pyschologist who diagnosed him with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (a disorder on the autism spectrum) and with Sensory Integration Disorder. At the time, Elias was four years old. He rarely spoke intelligibly, did not respond to his name and was constantly engaging in risky behavior (checking out electrical outlets, running away and into the street, climbing on top of things and jumping off). The diagnosis was a relief (more information is always helpful!) and frustrating (now what do we do--we were living in a third world country after all.)

God provided, as He always does with just what we needed right when we needed it. He was able to receive weekly help with a special education teacher at Natasha's school. We were able to find an English speaking Occupational Therapist nearby--who even came to our home at first, a real help since he did not transition well at the time. Over the next two years we focused on building up his weak arm and hand muscles, challenging him to speak, working on letters and numbers, getting along with his sisters and maintaining eye contact among many other skills. He was unable to write more than one or two very poorly constructed letters before becoming fatigued and melting down. We continued to homeschool, thankful for a curriculum that was based on auditory learning.

Zoom to current day. Elias is now attending first grade in public school. He entered this year a full grade level below his classmates in regards to reading, writing and math. I struggled with feeling like a failure as a homeschool parent. But when I remembered where he was two years ago, I knew we had focused on what he needed at the time. This year we, along with his two wonderful teachers, have witnessed an incredible growth in areas which formerly seemed impossible for him to grasp. Literally. He couldn't grasp a pencil correctly. Now he writes out self-composed short compositions (Why I want to be an Army Man when I grow up) and is working happily addressing 44 Valentines for his classmates tomorrow.

In October, we met with the special ed. team at his school to approve testing to see if he qualified for special help. We met with them last week after they finished his evaluation. Not to brag, but he's a smart kid! His results were impressive and encouraging. The team decided, and we concurred, that he currently has NO learning disability. His teachers both said that reading the report from three years ago, they both thought, "this isn't the same kid!"

I am so thankful for his progress, for his OT in Bolivia, for the opportunity to homeschool and focus on where he needed help most instead of him getting frustrated with academics. He still has a bit of a way to go before being at grade level in all academic areas, but he loves school. He is making good progress. He has two great teachers who see his potential and invest in him every day.

Some may look at where he is currently and think, "if this boy had been in formal school the last two years, he wouldn't be below benchmark." But I know that is not true. I looked at last week's evaluation report as a badge of honor. It took, sweat, prayers and tears to get to where we are today. I'm thankful and optimistic.

That said, we are still looking at getting Elias help with some medical concerns we still have. So, we will be making an appointment for him soon at Doernbecher's Children's Hospital. Just another aspect of his health, but we are hoping for more answers and more progress.

For those of you who pray for us and especially for Elias, thank you! God has done so much for us. Thank you for lifting us up in regard to Elias's health!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

How exciting to read your post, Molly! I find it super neat that even in Bolivia you found the right help right when you needed it! (a God-thing!) And now, it's so neat that again He has put the right people in the school system to continue working with Elias! God has given you the strength you need through MANY hard days ... and this is a badge of honor for you! Praising God with you, Carolyn (formerly from Bolivia)

Lea said...

Praise God! What a wonderful update to hear! You are exceptional parents!!!