Diego, 2011

In 2011, we witnessed some important progress as well as some major milestones for Diego.  He graduated from preschool in June, was enrolled in kindergarten in September and by the end of December had shown just how much he was learning in his new school program.  Despite a rather ominous start to his elementary-level education (a negative encounter we had with a school official at his Turning 5 meeting) we were both relieved and impressed to witness the effort by his teacher, aides and therapists.  This year’s teacher has done well with handling his transition issues and has made us feel comfortable with his placement.

So what has he been working on?  I included some shots of him practicing his handwriting (Handwriting without Tears worksheets!) and counting since I happened to be home for a few days at the end of the year while he did his homework.  It’s funny because I don’t remember having homework in kindergarten but we feel the continuation of the lesson at home is always helpful.  Also, you can see a shot of his newest PT / OT toy, his safety trampoline (handlebar attached) where he practices his jumping to a workout video… 

Adding his name at the top

The Buzz toy helps him think

Go Diego!

I sometimes refer to Diego and his younger brother (now 2.5 years old) as the Bash Brothers.  They will quickly go from playing together to fighting and then right back to laughing within minutes.  Just yesterday, after I intervened during one of their fights I decided to bring the little guy downstairs since they weren’t getting along.  As I carried him down he shouted “Bye Diego…I love you!” Their pretend play is really helping Diego practice some of the work he does during his group speech therapy sessions.

I know as we move forward and start preparing for his yearly IEP review in the spring that last year’s experience will only serve to help us as we continue to advocate for Diego.  All of his work and playtime at home that I described has made a really big impression on me.  I browse through his current IEP and see that he has already met and exceeded a lot of his goals.  He consistently surprises us with comments or some new skill or habit.  There is no limit to his potential and now we have to make sure we do not get in his way…