Post by katiesmom on Feb 10, 2008 20:34:49 GMT -5
Hi Ladies, I wanted to share with you our exciting news...and while our families are happy and excited for Katie, I feel like you guys will REALLY understand what an effort this took and what a big deal this is!
So here goes: Katie's area of biggest challenge is her fine-motor skills and lack of strength in her hands. If she is using crayons, she barely has enough strength to actually make a mark on the paper....and if we use markers, pens, paint, pencils, Q-tips, etc then she can make a mark, but has almost no control over them. We and her Occupational Therapist have been working for YEARS trying to get her to the point where she could write a letter or draw a face. Last week I and the OT both evaluated her fine-motor skills at an early 3-year-old level and even though I knew it was accurate, it made me feel discouraged.
Well this past Friday, while the OT and I were discussing some new techniques to try, Katie went over to this paper on the OT's door, picked up a marker and drew her very FIRST independent smiley face!!!! When the OT and I realized what she had just done, we were both speechless for a minute and then we started cheering like crazy! Lol!
The OT then took a blue marker and wanted to get Kate to trace the letters of her name, but Katie wanted none of that, she proceeded to write the letters independently for the very first time!!! Her first letters ever!!!
Yep, I've been crying about it off-and-on all weekend. Lol!
Deane
Here's the smiley face:
The OT wrote her "K" in blue, Katie made a huge "K" in purple beside it; and the OT made a blue "A" and Kate made a lowercase "a" over it in purple.
Kate's "T" and "I" are to the right of the OT's.
Kate's "E" is to the left of the OT's.
So here goes: Katie's area of biggest challenge is her fine-motor skills and lack of strength in her hands. If she is using crayons, she barely has enough strength to actually make a mark on the paper....and if we use markers, pens, paint, pencils, Q-tips, etc then she can make a mark, but has almost no control over them. We and her Occupational Therapist have been working for YEARS trying to get her to the point where she could write a letter or draw a face. Last week I and the OT both evaluated her fine-motor skills at an early 3-year-old level and even though I knew it was accurate, it made me feel discouraged.
Well this past Friday, while the OT and I were discussing some new techniques to try, Katie went over to this paper on the OT's door, picked up a marker and drew her very FIRST independent smiley face!!!! When the OT and I realized what she had just done, we were both speechless for a minute and then we started cheering like crazy! Lol!
The OT then took a blue marker and wanted to get Kate to trace the letters of her name, but Katie wanted none of that, she proceeded to write the letters independently for the very first time!!! Her first letters ever!!!Yep, I've been crying about it off-and-on all weekend.
Lol!Deane
Here's the smiley face:
The OT wrote her "K" in blue, Katie made a huge "K" in purple beside it; and the OT made a blue "A" and Kate made a lowercase "a" over it in purple.
Kate's "T" and "I" are to the right of the OT's.
Kate's "E" is to the left of the OT's.
&
Susan, Proud mom of Michael (32), Justin (25) Emily (22ds), and Jordan (20).
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