Special Kids, Special Needs

Amy and I took the kids to their annual developmental pediatrician appointment.  Both kids have some special needs that continue to require extra attention.  They are old enough now that, were they just temporary quirks, they would have dissolved away by now.  The fact that they aren’t means, at least for us, that we’d prefer diagnoses and even “labels” so that (1) we know what extra help we need and (2) we can get clearance to get that extra help.  For us, that trumps whatever scariness comes from diagnoses and labels.

Both Aaron and Jada continue to be high-functioning, happy, and delightful.  Diagnoses and labels don’t change that.  But they do remind us that there are some things they struggle with that we ought not leave unchecked, even if they require additional finagling and effort on our part that we scarcely feel we have space for. We have our work cut out for us.  On the other hand, with help, some things we have perhaps taken as unchangeable weaknesses of our kids are perhaps areas that they could see real change and progress in.  Which would be wonderful.