Hi Everyone,
Today was a very interesting day of firsts.
Unfortunately, Corey developed a headache at lunch yesterday. It escalated as the evening wore on and by 4am this morning, it registered an 8 out of 10. It was a full blown migraine that lasted most of this morning and afternoon. Needless to say, we called out of therapy and stayed home.
By evening, Corey was feeling better. She asked what we would be doing tomorrow. I shared her schedule and she asked to get on the Ipad. She opened the Notes App independently (she has been writing lists for a few weeks now). She created a new page and wrote a small paragraph then asked me to read it. I assumed it was a new list.
She wrote;
Mom I do not want to yell at you but I am not happy. I do not want to go to therapy. I do not like that word. I want to call it Bryn Mawr or working out. Please ask some one when we can stop going. Please do not be mad at me, I am not quitting but I want you to know I am not happy about it if I go.
For the first time she initiated the process of using a journal to express herself!
We talked about her note and she remained calm until she didn’t get the answer she was looking for; when can we stop going…then she began hitting and screaming. We made it through the tantrum and moved on. (She could kick and scream all she wanted, I was secretly thrilled with another new first!)
Corey asked to see a calendar. She has been working with Kate on recognizing the year, Month, Date and Day for almost a year. We write each day’s itinerary and Corey is typically in charge crossing off the completed days. Corey hasn’t recognized the month, season or year. She can now read the days of the week and follow the graph down to the date if given verbal ques.
She asked me to write down everything she was going to be doing for the rest of month. She specifically asked me to write down all the days she didn’t have therapy. I was happy to write as many details as she wanted because for the first time, she was aware of what the calendar meant as well as asking to be informed of what was planned for her…another new first.
She then asked me what time it was. The analog clock on the Ipad is difficult to see because of it’s size and she has trouble discerning the hour vs. the minute hand; she also forgets the 5 minute intervals between numbers. The digital clock’s numbers are difficult for her to differentiate the numbers. (5’s look like 2’s etc.) We found an app that represents a digital display with rounded numbers. She can now tell us what time of day it is ~ another new first!
She moved onto the Ichat icon to text Caitlin. She began her text with a childhood nickname she created for Caitlin. Tonight was the first time since the accident that I saw her affectionately address her sister as “Catalina Bon Bon”…she giggled as she typed the salutation! She remembered…
The brain is amazing. How does she remember Caitlin’s nickname but forgets she ate any meals today? How can she remember digital numbers but doesn’t recognize an analog clock? How does she remember how to speak in Spanish but when she looks at the picture of an Apple she can’t recall it’s name or recognize that it’s a piece of fruit?
I often watch her as she concentrates and imagine thousands of wires haphazardly crisscrossed and tangled in her head. I picture random wires flailing loose, wiping back and forth, sporadically touching the ends of it’s knotted companions igniting sparks until they finally connect to a mate. The connections can be a match and/or cause a misfire. We never know until we discover another new first.
Recalling the day, I can’t help but smile. It not important how the connections are made; the only 3 words that truly matter are ~ another new first! xoxo