peace out!

The doc was floored by Elsa’s progress.  And she says it’s clear I have a somewhat different set of challenges on my hands now.

Last year, I had a kid with ADHD (severe) and sensory issues who was probably going to need special ed services and who was going to struggle in a “regular” school environment because should could not self-regulate and had no impulse control.   Public school was probably the way to go, because the services were funded by the state and we were really gonna need those.

NOW, I have a kid with ADHD (moderate?) and sensory issues who is pretty good at self-regulation, and who can now be identified as gifted.  As a result, she may struggle in a “regular” school environment because she is going to be bored stiff.  Public school is probably NOT a good way to go, because she needs some accommodations but won’t qualify for services, and (per the pediatrician) she really needs to be surrounded by smart kids and in an academically rigorous program.

Holy cow.  That is a much more fun challenge to address.  And I’ve been doing a bunch of reading to see what I can learn.  Here’s the most striking thing so far, from a paper about giftedness in the adopted population:

“Gifted children have emotional as well as cognitive needs that vary from the norm. They are more intense, sensitive, perfectionistic, easily frustrated, questioning of authority, and reactive to criticism than their average peers.”

Oh my – that’s Elsa to a T!  She is Every Single Thing in that description.

So now, I gotta find the right school.

And also figure out how to pay for it.

Elsa LURVES her teacher Dana.

We have come a long, LONG way.

Elsa is doing astoundingly, amazingly, wonderfully well.  Her teachers (same as last year, thank goodness) say she is a new child.  I have to agree.

We have none – NONE of the explosive traumatic meltdowns anymore. This drama and crisis is gone.  The heartache and fear is gone.   She is not on any meds.  She goes to OT twice a week, and takes fish oil.  And she has an environment at home now in which she is cherished, given room to be herself, accommodated for her differences and sensitivities.

She gets lots of second chances.  Because she needs them.

And guess what?  She TAKES them – and is so happy to be able to be GOOD, and to comply with expectations.  She’s longer living in a hyper-controlled environment where her presence was perceived as a threat, and where she was consistently treated as The Problem.

Sure, we have the occasional crying fit and the defiant moment. She still has ADHD and she still has SPD.  But I’m telling you, there have been maybe two times since we moved back home (in May) when I’ve seen her really lose it.

And those times were predictable (she was either sick or ridiculously tired – in both cases, I saw it coming, but either didn’t have the energy or ability to prevent it).  She’s much MUCH more in control of her impulses, she’s more able to communicate her frustrations, and she’s learned how to control herself to a huge degree.

She back to her sunny, energetic, strong-willed, hilarious, sensitive, loving self.

Thank you God.

Posted in the hallway outside her classroom were each child’s “All About Me…” project – the first project of the school year.  I am absolutely in love with Elsa’s.

Here it is.  (Don’t miss the closeups below, because you really need to see that pose and read the text).

Best line:  My favorite colors are  Magenta and Rainbow.

That’s my girl.

Look at that.

If there was ever one photo that captured Elsa’s essence, it is this one. She is bold, fearless, bursting with enthusiasm and unbridled joy.

I am head-over-heels for this child. She truly takes my breath away.

Dear God, please let me walk through the world just a little bit more like Elsa does.

Happy birthday to my little box of sunshine, the greatest gift in my life.