Family Busy-ness: Su Update

As I attempt to do my best at being a through blogger, I have realized a number of my failings.  Instead of fixing them all, I'll just move on and try to do better.  One thing that was left unsaid is about my youngest daughter Su.  I mentioned last summer how my family was at our wits end trying to help my little Su.

She sees everything, but cannot figure out what she should be looking at.  She hears everything, but can't listen to what she needs to hear.  She has difficulty motor planing, which helps us figure out how to move our bodies to complete tasks.  She has memory issues - in five minutes she'll forget what she was doing and start something else.  She has little knowledge of her body in space.  She doesn't feel movement properly so she bounces off walls, spins, orbits, swings off anything and everything.

Worst of all, she's a perfectionist with low self image and she's four.  It's hard enough being a perfectionist, imagine being 4 and beating yourself up because you can do everything the way you want it?

She started occupational therapy in June.  She was prescribed two weekly visits at one hour each which we could not afford and insurance did not cover.  This would go on for 6 months and then we would reassess and possibly move to once a week.  Our insurance covered OT but not with pediatric specialists.  We trudged on with once a week with 45 minute visits.

I worked Su at home to make up for our bad financial choices (taking my unemployed brother into our home).  I grieved over my failure as a parent and struggled to help my Su to be kindergarten ready and able to cope.

Six months after starting OT, she graduated out.  She made amazing strides.  She still has a few issues but we know how to cope.  Su is happy and talkative again.

Right now, her asthma is flaring, her body is growing, and she needs to nap.  Things are pretty good.