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Wanting to be like other kids
Wed, 06/21/2006 - 12:39Topic: Living With Epilepsy - Youth
Hello,
I am new here so please bear with me:)
I am an Aide for a 8 year old girl with Cerebral Palsey and seizures. Her vision, fine motor and gross motor are affected as well as memory.
She is going into 3rd grade and is starting to refuse to use anything that makes her look diffrent. She will not use the enlarged pages and has even begun to "forget" to bring her brace to school. I understand her frustrations and it breaks my heart.
How can I help her? Does anyone here have experience with this age of awareness and transition?
Come next school year she is due to get a new desk and chair and it will cause a huge amount of attention to her. This concerns me as well.
Thank you for any help you have to offer.
Love and light,
Healer
Comments
Re: I know very little about
Submitted by Healer on Wed, 2006-06-21 - 18:15
You are very sweet to reply and thank you. Next year will be my 3rd year with her and I look forward to it. We have grown together:)
I would love to see her on a special olympics team or play tee ball but her parents have their own issues unfortunately. There is alot of guilt there and with it comes denial. So we play tee ball at recess and I let her try anything she wants to. I give her the independance to run and catch her when she falls. She is my little angel and has taught me so much.
Thank you for your post and I will keep your words.
Love and light,
Tracey
Re: Wanting to be like other kids
Submitted by maggie on Wed, 2006-06-21 - 22:05
All I can comment on is that this little girl is so lucky to have you.I was working as an aide for the elderly until I couldn't drive anymore because of the seizures.I loved my job and felt so rewarded after a full day.You are so special and have so much to offer this child.God must have sent you to her as her sweet angel.I will pray for you both.God bless you and child.HUGS
I know very little about
Submitted by fzMousie on Wed, 2006-06-21 - 12:50
I know very little about what it is like to suffer from such an illness. However, I suspect she is beginning to "find her own feet". Inside herself, she probably knows she is as capable as others, but is frustrated by her body's inability to keep up with others. I would direct her to positive role models who have learned to get along with debilitating diseases. For example, Josh Blue. Josh Blue is a BRILLIANT comedian, and is currently on "Last Comic Standing". He happens to also suffer from Cerebral Palsy, which is the source of a lot of his jokes. joshblue.com She needs the same thing as every other little girl her age: Positive reinforcement and validation as a person. She needs to see other people who have grown up and integrated into society in spite of their limitations. I wonder if there is a special olympics sports team she could join? She seems to crave "normalcy". If you can find something, anything, that will give her the sense of being normal and capable I think that would be a big help. Good luck. I have a feeling you are this little girl's angel.