If you’ve ever watched your baby fail to meet the simplest of milestones.. If you’ve sat in meetings and offices and were told things like 1% percentile If you’ve felt a pain you can’t describe that is only eased by hope.. You know why regression hurts so much. If you’ve ever driven your child back and forth to countless therapies.. If you’ve ever felt a mix of pride, happiness, grief
I never knew before I had a child with an IEP (individualized education plan), how awful these meetings can be for parents.
I thought about how swings go up and down and up and down and how Ashlynn smiles and giggles through it all. I thought about how swings are a lot like life in that way.
Please, if you are a therapist reading this please have compassion and understanding for the parents. We are fighting daily battles and crying tears no one ever sees. Please be kind and attempt to be understanding. Please.
It was there, I would finally know why Ashlynn had apraxia, dyspraxia, hyptonia, ADHD, dysarthria, SPD, CP, and learning disabilities. The answer was housed in a small set of letter and number combinations called:
BCL11A
This is how inclusion is supposed to look. Every human whether they have differences or not all want the same thing. They want to feel useful, included, and loved. Her smile says it all.