Every new school year brings new expectations of and hopes for new achievements. My oldest started kindergarten this year and by the end of the year I am expecting him to have an excellent grasp of the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. I also expect him to be able to write, identify and count his numbers up to at least 20. These are reasonable expectations for his developemental level. By the end of the year, I hope he will be reading. My hope is a possibility but it is not for certain.
Expectations and hopes for schooling change when you have a special needs child. You can't expect the same achievements in the same timeline. It is more difficult to hope because your hope often remains just that. Allowing yourself to compare your special needs child with neurotypical peers is not a fruitful exercise. A seeming lack of progress can cause you to miss the achievements that are there. At times, it seems like moving one step forward only results in two steps backwards in another area.
Today's piece is written for the parent of a special needs child in need of encouragement.
