Friday, January 16, 2015

Hello, 2015

As Q was having another layer of foam triangles applied to his tray today, I was thinking about how alienating equipment can be. It's such a good thing to have access to and use of so much excellent technology, and yet... As I was watching the magical OT work, it occurred to me that the rest of the world is experiencing ever-shrinking devices and ways of acheiving access. While Q's chair looks more and more like a small armored vehicle. Well, not quite, but I do wonder how much it weighs with the Accent, the support arm, the tray, and the various foam supports and/or universal mounts.

I've been saying for a few months that Q is in an amazing place of balance for meds that work but don't have wretched side-effects, for equipment that's working for him, and for growth and medical trajectories. It really is amazing: no seizure activity since starting meds, better everything for his tummy (it's kind of fun to see a truly dleighted pediatric GI doc), botox working well for those pesky upper extremity issues, and more. It's a place we've been enjoying.

After the summer's bizarre path to obtaining the Accent (a delightful combination of HIPAA violations and a frightfully persistent SLP who earned her halo), we've been working to learn new stuff - like how to incorporate Q's voice into every day, when we haven't been used to hearing such big words from him. Today, he played the ice cream cone color game with his SLP, building a cone by taking turns identifying the colors she hinted at and picking his own. He's terrifically vocal when he works with the Accent, frequently throwing a word into the mix, and it always makes my head spin for a moment, watching him transform into a kid who expects to speak and be heard. The learning curve with this is steep, and I always feel like I should be doing more - like pushing harder for the one to one I asked the District Special Services for during his school days. Have to make another phone call next week.

The girls are doing well. E wrapped fall quarter of her second year of dual enrollment with a 4.0, and works a few hours a week. K and S are swimming along through their respective school years, filling binders with writing, maps, and outlines, practicing music, and discovering new material across their subjects. All three continue with orchestra - tour in the spring, and running - 11.57 miles this week. And as of January 5, G is in the Navy. Amazing stuff, this growing up business.