For right now we are in limbo.

Limbo is hard. Limbo is filled with "I don't know"s and "I hope"s and"Well maybe"s. It's been that way for over a year now and there are times that it is still a jagged pill to swallow. It's hard because I can remember when he was younger and he acted like the other children, and then something happened and he changed. Something was made different within him and it's stayed that way.

He is still Kael and he will always be Kael, but it can be scary and so, so hard. I could never fathom having a different child, but I wish Kael didn't have to endure this. I worry about what will happen when he is older, when his childhood innocence is gone and he realizes other children mock him because they don't understand why he acts like he does. I wonder what I will say when he realizes that he really is different.


Today, however, I am not dwelling on those things. Because today I have good news. In his quarterly report there has been improvement in every goal and objective that was created back in August.

Every. Single. One.

He no longer needs to work on gross motor skills and they have bumped him to what his current age group is doing with his work in fine motor skills. He is becoming more social and playing with others independently. He can sit for Circle Time and not be overwhelmed by the children around him. His cognitive skills, such as recognizing himself and others, have improved tremendously.

It is so amazing.

The most awe-inspiring thing though? His speech has improved by over 60% since last August. SIXTY PERCENT!!! He can follow 2-step directions (involving spatial, quantitative, and qualitative concepts) easily. He is prompting conversations with others all by himself and creating 4-5 word sentences with near-constant frequency. He's answering "Wh" questions (like "who is that?", "where is ____?").

HE'S STARTING TO USE ACTION VERBS.

I know that not everyone who reads this knows Kael's history and why this is so monumental. You see, Kael was not talking a year ago. He was grunting and using one word sentences to convey what he wanted. He would scream and bite instead of saying what he wanted/felt because he didn't know how to form the words even though he could understand some of the things spoken to him. To have him go from that to initiating conversations with a steadily growing vocabulary is miraculous.

I cried the first time I read the report because it made me so happy. In the past few months he has finally learned how to tell me if he is scared, if he needs to be held, what he wants. Him having that ability has truly changed everything, because now I can help him.

The only thing I can think of saying as I look over his report for the umpteenth time is thank you, God. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

2 Responses to “Big things”

1. 
   --Sharon
   February 15, 2011 at 10:34 PM

   I don't have words. This is so glorious. God is good, all the time.

2. 
   Anonymous
   February 16, 2011 at 1:07 AM

   I'm so happy for you to get some good news! Early intervention is the best thing ever for kids like Kael and I'm glad to see it's working amazingly!

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