As I'm slowly reading through "The Sound of Hope", I'm getting sadder and sadder. I don't want Jared to have these struggles. I don't want to learn about this disorder anymore. Where is the happy part? When does the "hope" start in this book?
The Bad Stuff:
~Social communication and conversations with other kids often lead to hurt feelings and fights.
~Complex language and metaphors (aren’t you a busy bee?) are baffling to a child with APD.
~Distraction and inattention become a constant problem.
~Language development – growing vocabulary, grammar skills, sentence structure, and the ability to listen – don’t progress on schedule.
~Spelling and reading skills come slowly or not at all.
~Multi-step directions are endlessly challenging.
~The child constantly says, "What?" or "I don’t know" or "I don’t understand".
~The child with APD performs well in activities when sound info is backed up with visuals.
~Slow development, inarticulateness and inattentiveness of an APD first grader can mimic the symptoms of ADD.
~Poorly evolving social communication skills with other kids and teachers add to his increasing isolation and unhappiness.
~Organizational skills don’t develop in line with other kids.
~He opts out of class discussions or appears lost and gives answers that are not the topic at hand.
Of course, the book also has little stories like this:
Working with Andy, a seven-year-old child with APD, one day, I suggested that we write a story together. “What will we write it in?” Andy asked me.
“In your composition book,” I replied, making sure to look right at him and point to the notebook in my hand.
“What’s a competition book?” Andy asked. Andy was very smart and very sensitive, and I could tell he was already frustrated that my answer to his question made no sense. Andy hadn’t heard all the sounds of the words I spoke, and substituted a word he already knew for the one that I actually said. For a girl or boy who doesn’t have APD, this is a simple mistake in conversation. But for a boy like Andy, this single mismatch of words was one of dozens of mistakes, misunderstandings, and miscommunication he’d endured so far that day. The child with APD is crushed under the weight of all these piled-up misunderstandings and the embarrassment and frustration that come with using the wrong word and not getting the gist of a conversation of instruction. With other children his age, it’s even worse. The eye rolling, tactless comments and impatience these little mistakes provoke all day long from Andy’s peers make it hard for an otherwise perfectly intelligent and sweet little boy to keep up self-esteem, find his way among his classmates, and make friends.
Apart from all these truths about APD, I'm learning a great deal and can't wait to finish all "the bad stuff" and find the "hope" part of the book.
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:5 (NIV)
Kat, after seeing your post on my blog I clicked on your name and discovered you yourself had a blog so I started to read it its wonderful, I have found myself wanting to say something on all of them. I know exactly what you mean about "where is the good part"? I have so many days where I wish I didn't have APD and how hard and stressful and embaressing it can be sometimes and I feel just like that BUT...there are days when I feel like its all worth it. When I get a comment from someone on one of my blogs(like yourself) who tell me that I have helped them or their child who has apd and it truly makes me ok with my apd. Yes, I still have days where I hate it, but the good days make it worth it. Its a long process but slowly im learning to accept it as being apart of who I am and writing my blogs and meeting people online such as yourself going through it makes it that much easier! I Wish your son all the best as well as yourself and I hope you find the answers your looking for. I wil leave you with one thing, you are very lucky you caught on early because in my case I didn't get a confirmed diagnosis until grade 6 however it wasn't until grade 12 that I really knew that it was my APD affecting my accademics because we were told when I was diagnosed it was just a hearing thing and once I had a quiet envoroment for test and an FM system all would be better. They were wrong but it took me until grade 12 to discover that because I had to do it all on my own. It took me to be close to failing things to get to the knowledge I have today. Thank-you so much for sharing your experiences it's so comforting knowing that there are other people going through and understand what I am going through, even though I would never wish APD on my worst enemy it helps knowing im not alone.
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