The bunny trail

Ah, the Easter egg hunt! This year in Ohio, we will once again be wearing winter coats for the event. A few days ago our temperatures were nearing 80 degrees, but today it is snowing. Such is life... We will be going to our local egg hunt for kids with special needs. This is a great event! It is held in a park where a regular egg hunt happens at the same time. The special needs kids do their egg hunt on a fenced-in tennis court. The hard surface means that kids with walkers, canes and wheelchairs can maneuver about without a problem. Once the eggs are all gathered (which takes about 3 minutes, LOL) each child receives an Easter basket with candy, trinkets and a small stuffed animal inside. It is really nice and my daughter gets excited about the whole event. May you have joy and laughter in your celebrations this weekend, regardless of the weather!

Local resources

Oh, the sweet feeling when you discover that a valuable resource for your child, one that measures up to or even outshines what other communities have to offer, is available to your son or daughter and it is local! Like most parents of special needs children, I find that my quest to find the best possible treatments for my daughter takes me ever farther and wider. I have made a 3-hour round trip weekly for 6 weeks so that she could participate in hippotherapy (therapy on horseback with a licensed PT or OT). My husband and I have each used vacation time from work to travel 4 hours to Michigan for a 2-week intensive therapy program there. And I have met parents who go far beyond what I was willing to do - participating in programs that last for months or are in other countries or require taking a second mortgage on their house.

But this week at my daughter's eye doctor appointment, we were told that she is being put on the list for the "low vision clinic" at our local children's hospital. When her turn rolls around, a team of professionals (including said eye doctor) will spend 3 hours with her, using fancy computer programs and pieces of equipment and special testing materials to figure out how her vision impairment really affects what she sees. Then they will write up an explanation in layman's terms and a detailed recommendation for the school system! I plan to delay my daughter's kindergarten enrollment until she is 6, but when the day finally comes we need to have given the district plenty of advance notice about her needs and how they can be met in the school environment. I've been dealing with IEP's (individualized education programs) since our daughter turned 3, but somehow it seems more crucial and intimidating when you're starting kindergarten. It's stressful to think about, but when someone says "I have experience with this, and here is what you need to do to help your daughter reach her potential - let me help you," it truly is a wonderful thing.

Followup edit: Having been to the vision clinic now, and having talked with other parents who have taken their kids to clinics in other states, I realize that while ours may not be "the best of the best," it IS really good. And sometimes - make that usually - really good is good enough and reason to be thankful!