Kindergarten. What a fun experience for Jessy and I! I did the usual volunteering in class several times a week, I was a stay at home mom and we made lots of friends! Jessica’s school experience was not typical, she attended a dual language immersion school. It was exciting to see her learn a second language. Interestingly enough, as I share more of her school story, she picked up Spanish very easily. She loved her Kindergarten teacher which made starting this program so awesome for her. Deficits at this time, as I said in my earlier post, were most noticeable towards the end of the year and were primarily fine motor and social skills. But I wasn’t too worried, because we had all summer to practice and like I said, I normalized much of what I saw…”That’s just Jessica…”. Kindergarten year also was the year she won her first public speaking award. There was a local event called “The Almond Blossom Festival” which was an opportunity for kids to learn and recite poetry, skits, etc. Jessica memorized a poem in Spanish and recited it in both languages to a panel of two or three judges. First place!
First grade didn’t present with many other challenges, except MATH FACTS. Remember those? How many facts can you answer in two minutes? The first semester was a little bit of a transition and Jessica struggled with those math facts. Math is not my strength either…that’s why I am a therapist! Hahaha! But we practiced every day. As you get to know Jessy through this journey, you will see that one of her biggest strengths is her perseverance. No matter what the challenge, she just works at whatever it is. She rarely complains and she maintains the most positive, kind and patient outlook. This was her first real hurdle and she learned those facts so well that she received the monthly recognition for most improved math in that second semester! Whoo-hoo! We celebrated her and we celebrated as parents. That was hard work! Oh and “The Almond Blossom Festival”…this year not only did she get second place, but she was chosen to get up on stage in front of all the parents and kids with a microphone and recite her poem! She rocked it!
Being Jessica's Mom: Growing up on the Autistic Spectrum 