New year’s holidays as a history of development of a disabled child

Dear friends, I congratulate you on the upcoming year 2020! On new year’s holidays, you always want to believe in a fairy tale and miracles! And I wish you that miracles will happen in your life! I want your nerves to be safe and sound, your children to be healthy and happy, and you to be happy and happy!

Today I want to share with you an example that we never stand still, that no matter how small our achievements are, they eventually add up to big victories. My daughter has several diagnoses (sensorimotor alalia, autism, mild mental retardation and ADHD, you can read more about this here and here) and new year is her favorite holiday. Most likely, the new year is the only holiday that she is really waiting for. And since at the end of the year it is customary to look back and sum up the results, it is at this time that I analyze what new skills Alice has.

The very first of her new year she was 1.5 months old and she was like a new year’s gift — very welcome and beloved. For the second new year’s holiday, Alice pleased us with her success, we put a small Christmas tree, a large one did not fit at that time, we lived in odnushka. She liked the Christmas tree, she was happy to pose for photos, looked at toys, in General, was quite happy.

When Alice was 2, we went to the Christmas tree for the first time. By that time, the first worries had already appeared, although she had no diagnosis other than” everything is fine, wait, she will speak”. At the festival, she and other children were happy and had fun for the first 15 minutes, then she ran to the next room (and it was in a private kindergarten, where I took her, so that she slowly got used to it, since she planned to go to work). In this room there was a pool with balls, in which she spent the entire performance. Several times I tried to bring her back to the gym, to the children and the General holiday, but she persisted in returning to the pool. In the end, I spat and decided that the child should be happy at the holiday, and if she is happy here, then let her sit. At home, her Christmas tree was not particularly interested, but she looked at it a couple of times, touched it, but that was all over.

The fourth new year tree we dressed up together. By that time, she was already diagnosed with sensorimotor alalia, zprr, and ADHD, and her behavior was already different. She had almost no curiosity, the world around her had almost ceased to be interesting. Therefore, her interest in Christmas toys for me was akin to a new year’s miracle. She didn’t dress up the tree herself, but she watched me do it.

The next new year we met together in Anapa (we planned to go with the whole family, but my husband changed his job, the eldest son wanted to celebrate with friends, and I already had a planned vacation and we rushed together). This year we dressed up the tree together, she brought me toys, I hung them. Then we lit a garland and our then half-empty room became fabulously beautiful. The garland beckoned to her, and the multicolored flashing lights held her attention for a long time.

We celebrated the sixth new year together in Anapa, and by that time we were already in the process of moving. Alice and I moved back in may and were almost indigenous, my son came in December and stayed with us, and my husband had to go back to Surgut and work on it until February to get an annual bonus. Alice didn’t wait for 12, she fell asleep, although I really wanted her to wait for fireworks, because she loves them terribly.

And for two years now, Alice has been waiting for the new year since November. She looks for a Christmas tree on the balcony, gets toys from the dressing room and hangs them around the house. We put the first Christmas tree in the entrance, in General, on 4 apartments in the vestibule, all the neighbors dress it up, all the kids are happy — the tree was put, the parents are happy, after all, on December 1, not everyone is ready to put a Christmas tree in the apartment. And if last year Alice took toys from the tree, brought them to me and we went to hang them back, then that year she decorated the tree herself. However, our toys wander from the big tree in the room to the small one in the kitchen, then to the window handles, then back to the big tree, and so around the circle several times a day. This year, she made me very happy that she took an active part in the new year’s matinee in kindergarten. The children prepared a small performance for us (Alice goes to the “Special child” group) and, if last year I was always with her and helped, this year she was quite independent. She was genuinely happy about this holiday, it was just a holiday, last year there was no such joy, she did not understand this yet.

So, for 7 years, Alice has celebrated 8 new year’s holidays, every year she is more and more included in this atmosphere, has learned to really enjoy the approaching new year, has learned to dress up the Christmas tree and I believe that she has many more amazing discoveries and tricks ahead of her!

Believe in new year’s miracles and, of course, in yourself and your children! Happy New Year!