And their off…the mad dash to find the most sparkly, candy filled egg is on. Happy Easter everyone!
Every year we head over to mom and dad’s house for the annual Easter festivities. J is always excited about finding that perfect egg stuffed with money or chocolate. He and his cousin race through the wooded acre lot trying to collect the most colorful eggs they can find. Since J thrives in the outdoors this is {usually} a great experience for him.
That got me thinking about how our journey, as the parents of SPD kids, is much like that of an Easter Egg hunt. As parents we are in constant search for the right doctors, a great OT {still working on this one since J aged out of the free program}, discovering food sensitivities, figuring out what triggers meltdowns, and identifying the right diagnostic code for insurance.
I remember the first time we found the FIPP program. That was very much like finding the perfect colorful egg full of tons of bright jellybeans inside. They gave us a great sensory evaluation and many tools to utilize with J. This started our journey in the right direction. We finally had a real diagnosis, something that made sense was tangible. It brought us closer to another exciting egg, the much needed IEP. That IEP has assisted us with having J placed at the right school at the right time. He is thriving now because of that very first egg leading us in the right direction. My favorite egg is Team Access at our Church. Team Access is a program designed to serve children with special needs and their families. J is provided with a one-on-one buddy while we attend a weekend service. This buddy works with J on individualized goals and in a way that best fits little J’s needs.
Unfortunately, we have also picked up a couple of empty eggs, like taking our little J to the wrong {private} school. Ugh! That was like hunting for the perfect egg, picking it up and realizing you wasted your time when you open it to find that its empty. J’s last school was a great example of this. It was just not a great fit for him or us. Being a Social Worker for 10+ years has taught me to be proactive with the school system. Usually, kids tend to have better transitions if you do. That is why our OT, Hubs and I met with the school several times before J started. Unfortunately, promises were made by the school that were not honored. So we added that {empty} egg to our basket as a reminder of what the wrong egg looks like. Our Hunt lead us to a good public school {so far} with an IEP and a preschool teacher with experience with kids with special needs including SPD.
No matter where you are on your {SPD} Easter egg hunt remember some eggs are perfect, they have exactly what you are looking for. Other’s are not and you will have to stay on the hunt until you stumble across the right one. But what a great feeling when you have a basket full of colorful eggs that match your expectations and you child’s needs. I don’t have my basket full yet but I am working on it! How about you? What does your SPD Easter basket look like?
{Thanks to Michelle Woods for this idea}
