ajjkt Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 That's it. I just feel like I'm sinking. I'm nearly at the end of the road with my first child's speech therapy and just starting with my second. I feel too overwhelmed. I'm too scared with the 'what-if's'. I've seen the struggles my son has had, the discrimination, isolation and bullying ... the assumptions of other people that he must be stupid when he's actually academically advanced. I feel sick that my dd will most likely go through the same, if not worse. I feel guilty that I've got four kids when two have already been diagnosed with dyspraxia, and hoping the baby is going to be fine. I really want that crystal ball to tell me my kids will be OK and they will all be able to communicate effectively and articulately. I wish I knew other families where the kids had similar issues, even though I wish that no kids had to go through this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui in mo Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I'm sorry you and your dc are having to struggle with this. Dyspraxia is difficult. Does your Therapist know other families with this? Maybe she could help you set up a support group so you & other families could see they are not alone. (((ajjkt))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Wisc Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 That's it. I just feel like I'm sinking. I'm nearly at the end of the road with my first child's speech therapy and just starting with my second. I feel too overwhelmed. I'm too scared with the 'what-if's'. I've seen the struggles my son has had, the discrimination, isolation and bullying ... the assumptions of other people that he must be stupid when he's actually academically advanced. I feel sick that my dd will most likely go through the same, if not worse. I feel guilty that I've got four kids when two have already been diagnosed with dyspraxia, and hoping the baby is going to be fine. I really want that crystal ball to tell me my kids will be OK and they will all be able to communicate effectively and articulately. I wish I knew other families where the kids had similar issues, even though I wish that no kids had to go through this. :grouphug: My older son translated everything his younger brother said for the 1st 7 years of h is baby brother's life. For some reason, older brother was the only child who could understand him when he was young. Same younger child didn't learn to read until he was in 4th grade. I sure worried, prayed, and fussed over him! This same child had a spine deformity, and he just had spinal fusion done on 11 vertebrae. He was extremely strong and determined to get through the surgery--I think his strong character was formed in those early years of struggle. My story ends with a bright rainbow. I have a child whose reading skills took off beyond expectations. No one would know he had a speech problem--he has several lines in the homeschool play this year. And now with his surgery, he stands tall and confidently rather than having the appearance of bending over, shyly avoiding the world. My advice? Deal with the struggles of today and do not carry tomorrow's unknown fears on your shoulders right now. Perhaps hard decisions will have to be made down the road, but then again, your tunnel may have a bright light at the end of it, too. Just make it through each day, adding some fun and cheerfulness to life whenever you can grab it. Learn to laugh and find pleasure in whatever you can. It will not always be like this. :grouphug: Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becki in IN Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I wanted to give you a hug. I have two special needs kids and we're in the process of adopting our third. It is overwhelming at times. Get whatever help you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajjkt Posted March 15, 2009 Author Share Posted March 15, 2009 Thank you for the kind words. Thanks Cadam for that link, it's just going to be a long road. The support group here is for parents only, kids aren't allowed to attend so since I've chosen to hs we aren't welcome :( Also, they won't tell me where and when it is unless I pay to be a member of the association first :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Bear Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Thank you for the kind words. Thanks Cadam for that link, it's just going to be a long road. The support group here is for parents only, kids aren't allowed to attend so since I've chosen to hs we aren't welcome :( Also, they won't tell me where and when it is unless I pay to be a member of the association first :( I'm sorry to hear that -- it sure doesn't sound like much of a support group! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 ((ajjkt)), our SLP told us last week that she thinks our ds has dyspraxia. I had never heard of this before. I felt like the wind had been taken out of my sail. My ds has other learning difficulties so this just made the burden that I carry even heavier. I have wondered many times this past week what the future will hold for him. This lies heavy on my Mama heart. Jean is right, though. We just need to focus on today. Also, we need to celebrate those small steps that our children take in their improvement. We can't let the cloud of the future stamp out those little steps. Jean, thank you for your words. They have encouraged me so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 I know how you feel. Sometimes I feel so discouraged about my 7 yo who is severely dyslexic. She had 3 years of ST for articulation issues; I'm glad they didn't tell us she had apraxia until it was mostly remediated, because I think that would have just made me worry more. She still has speech deficits, but is not in therapy because at her last evaluation, only one of her scores was below the 18th percentile, which is considered within the normal range. It's been almost 6 months since her last evaluation, so we'll be able to have another done and covered by insurance next month. To make matters worse, the SLP who last evaluated her acted like it was a mistake that she was dx'd with auditory processing disorder and said that she didn't see any problems with her phonemic awareness. Well, she would have seen some problems if she had been more thorough. The only p.a. activity she had dd do was pulling apart compound words like cupcake. When dd was evaluated for APD, she could not pass any of the tests. The audiologist could not even administer one of the tests, because dd did so poorly on the pretest/sample questions. Needless to say, we'll be looking for a new SLP for her next evaluation. DD is nearly at the end of 2nd grade and still struggles to sound out CVC words. We are using LiPS to remediate her lack of p.a. before starting Barton Reading, but it's slow going. She is still learning the basics of handwriting. She can do some copywork, but no dictation or composition. She is smart, but academics are just not clicking for her at all. I know she's only 7 and we have plenty of time. But some days, I am almost in a panic thinking about how hard she's struggling to learn the most basic things. I have a 15 yo nephew who is also severely dyslexic. Even though he struggles with academics, he is very smart (academically gifted) and it shines through in spite of his difficulties. My 7 yo is so much like my nephew - their personalities and diagnoses are nearly identical. I try to remember how far he's come and it gives me hope that my dd will get there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschool_mom Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I can also relate. I have a special needs child with several diagnoses. There are definitely ups and downs. Hang in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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