4.27.2011

An Update...

Our first day was a success!  C put on her belt right as she walked in the door and wore it throughout free play at the beginning of the day.  Her usual M.O. at this time is flitting from one activity to another, never really sticking with anything, having difficulty figuring out exactly how to join in her friends' play, and leaving a mess in her wake.  Today, she sat on the rug and quietly played with a circus set with one of her friends FOR TWENTY WHOLE MINUTES.  She stuck with it, engaged and happy.

C took her belt off when it was time to head outside, but when they came back in for circle time, she put it back on.  Usually, this thirty minutes or so is extremely challenging for her.  This is when the class listens to stories, has show and tell, learns new things, and reviews directions for the activity that follows the lesson.  She is wiggly and fidgety, and this can sometimes be distracting for her classmates and teachers.  She often chooses to get her fidget toy (which is only moderately successful for her these days), or sits in a rocking chair or bean bag chair alongside the group, in case she needs to move a bit.  Sitting still and quiet in the circle is usually just too much for her for that length of time.

Today, C sat WITH THE GROUP ON THE RUG.  She didn't need a rocking chair or fidget toy.  She was still a bit wiggly, but she sat.  Just like everyone else.  And when it came time to complete the activity for the lesson, she asked if she could go first and chose the most challenging option within the activity.  She completed the activity relatively independently, and stuck with it.

Her teachers seemed (cautiously) thrilled.  Could we have figured out another piece of the puzzle?  We don't know what tomorrow will bring.  But for today, we will celebrate this small success, and hope that it continues tomorrow.

Late this afternoon, one of my dear friends (who has twins in C's class and are her good friends), sent me a message.  At pick-up today, her son told her, "C wore a new PINK belt at school today so that she won't be so fidgety.  I guess God makes people different and perfect like C, right Mom?"  Up until that moment, I hadn't really pressed C to find out how she felt about having her belt at school.  I didn't want to make too big a deal out of it, just in case she was still trying to figure that out.  But when I told her what her friend told his mom, she got a big smile and said, "Really?  He liked it?"  It was the biggest gift that we could have received today - the gift of acceptance.  

3 comments:

  1. Great...now I'm tearing up at my desk. So happy to see progress and so happy that C has such supportive friends.

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  2. SUCCESS!!!!

    What an amazing and sensational child! She is so lucky to have such amazing FRIENDS who really understand her and her awesomeness!!!

    May I ask where you got the belt???

    Thank you-
    Kristin

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  3. Thanks for your kind words, Kristin! We think she's a pretty great kid, too! She does have some great friends - we are very lucky. We got her belt and pink cover at www.miraclebelt.com. Their site has a good deal of information about the product and its benefits. They also have a 30-day, money-back guarantee, so I felt like it wasn't a huge risk - just in case it ultimately doesn't work out. Today was an okay day at school, but there were several changes to the class routine because of some really rough weather here in the DC area this morning. Her teachers said that the whole class was a little off, but that C's belt did definitely seem to be helping her to sit. We are going to keep at it, and I will absolutely be updating everyone. If we find something that works, it just might help someone else, too! Good luck, and thanks for posting!

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