The programs of support, offered to these special needs children, and their families, by this foundation, translated…
Even though I’d known, that the center will pick up some handiwork for the students at the factories, to help them earn some reward money and raising their level of self-confidence, I’d felt, that this was, too far from my own child; but one day, as I was, signing my son’s assignment books, I’d found there to be a zipper compartment in the book, with forty-one-dollars………
Facing a Child with the Special Needs
Toward the normal developmental milestones, the idioms gave a fitting timeline, “one month look, two months hear three lifting head, four hold, five grab, six turn around, seven sitting up, eight crawling, nine start growing the teeth, ten clench, a year old, standing on ones own steadily”. My son is in the developmental milestone of seven sitting up, eight crawling, but there’s, still yet, any signs of him, begun to speak yet, and so when he was ten-months old, we’d, taken him to the pediatrician. The assessment of the pediatrician, was like thunder and lightning striking us down, I got so dizzy, but I’d, adjusted myself quickly enough, believed, that we deal with what we’re, given, complaining, blaming the fates, wouldn’t do us, any good.
For this, my son started attending the rehabilitation sessions at the hospitals since. Due to the rules of the law, the daycare early intervention programs had only three requirements, the child needs to be three years or older to be int the program, and so, as soon as my son turned three, I’d, signed him up, until he was school age, then, I’d, transferred him to the elementary schools, then, all the way from elementary, to middle, sufficiency of the special eds courses, along with the high school special eds programs, to date, the daycare centers for adults.
The mentally decapacitated are ill-adapted to changing of environmental settings, before switching we’d had to, announce to them the changes about to happen, so they’re able to, get ready for the changes in the environment, so there wouldn’t be, negative emotions that came with it. For my son’s elementary years, he’d been taught by one solitary instructor, for all his courses, it’s no problem, but once in the middle school years, there would be the arts instructors in those, special courses, plus the teachers aren’t robots, couldn’t set their rewards and punishments exactly the same, or treating the students exactly as the same, and the teachers are dealing with a class full of students, couldn’t announce the changes beforehand, and my son started having, adjustment issues, and would start, interrupting the classes.
This continued all the way into his high school years, until he’d gone to the developmental center in Zhonghe to be in the daycare programs, because the teachers are stationed for his classes, and the instructors’ professionalism, and would give the students a heads up before switching to something else, so the kids would be, better prepared mentally, everything improved. And, the teachers at the daycare center are very kind to him, would give praises, to help him build his self-confidence, used the rewards cards, the prizes, the good man cards, and handing them out to him on a job well done. This sort of positive reinforcements, it’d made my son more than willing, to comply with his teachers’ requests, and his moods became, more, stabilized.
The Very First “Paycheck” My Son Ever Earned
My son’s coming to the Zhonghe Developmental Center brought yet, another surprise to me: in the past, I’d known he had lowered levels of concentration, couldn’t sit still, hated doing the repetitions, and so even as I’d known, that the center would pick up some handiwork at the local factories to give to the pupils, so they can earn the reward money, and boost their own self-confidence, I’d felt, that my son was, too far from that; but, until one day, as I signed my son’s assignment books, I’d found that there was a zipper bag, with forty-one dollars inside, the instructor wrote, that it was what my son earned from his handiwork.
illustration from UDN.com
I was very moved as I saw that, I’d believed, that my son couldn’t earn his own way, but, with the instructor’s help, using the equipment, although he’s only, a small part of that, production line, but how incredible, my son can actually, participate in working, and I received, the very first paycheck that he’d, ever earned!
Since I’d learned of my son’s status as a special needs child, I’d never locked him up at home, instead, I’d taken him out for walks quite often, so he could have more physical contact with the outside world. Of course, his special needs received the attention of onlookers, from before, I would try my best to explain to the people, later on, I’d thought, if they don’t have a special needs child in their home, they couldn’t understand the trials and tribulations of parents with special needs children at all.
Because of work schedule flexibility, I’d become, the primary caretaker of my son. Surely, I’d, faced, many trials on the way, for instance, I couldn’t predict what sort of hard to tackle challenges my son was going to throw at me the next moment. But, if I don’t challenge him, he will use that set method, to get what he wanted. And, all of these sudden-onset situations are, quite tiring to me, but for the sake of my son, I’d still, breathed in deep, then, accept whatever challenges he throw at me.
It’d not easy, caring for a child with special needs, I’m grateful for the development center’s accepting my son, grateful for the professional teams of experts, when I’m in need of support, they’d not made me feel I was all alone in this, and are more than willing, to communicate everything with me about my son. In these past few years, I saw my son’s change, and felt that weight lighter on my shoulders a bit, I hope that my son will become, more stabilized in the future, so we can get along, with more ease.
And so, this just showed, how important the resources are for families with special needs children, and knowing that you’re not all alone, that you have some place you can turn to to get the advices, the resources you are in need of to take care of, to raise your own special needs children is very important, and that, is what this foundation provides.
Life, the Obstacle Course 