Wednesday, 4 September 2013

Kindy letter


June 2013 - A letter I wrote to the other parents of "Kindy Kids"...

Hi Kindy Mummies and Daddies

My name is Connor.  You may have met me at Kindy, seen me playing with your son or daughter or even heard them talking about me.  I love playing with puzzles and the cars, counting and building things and really love transformers!!  Mum tells me I have a beautiful smile and pull cheeky faces.  I also do a few really really funny walks.

What you may not know about me is 12 months ago I was diagnosed with ASD (Autism), ADHD and PICA (strange food cravings).  My family and I are working with an occupational therapist, speech therapist, dietician, staff at the ACES and my Kindy support, Mrs Heywood and Mr Bruggeman, so I can relate better with the world.  18 months ago I did not talk at all, so Mummy and Daddy are very proud of all the words I can say now. 

What this all means is I am sometimes a little bit different.  I need routine, I take things very literally, the sense of touch can hurt me, I eat odd things, I struggle to understand my emotions and sometime do not understand appropriate behaviour. I also get very overwhelmed by all the activity, noises and smells at Kindy – and because I don’t know what to do about it, I do strange or wrong things. 
I really enjoy Kindy and I am learning.

A month ago my Papa, whom I spent a lot of time with, went to heaven. I loved my Papa very much and miss him heaps.  Papa was very special to me and because I don’t know this feeling or the emotions my family are dealing with, I have been using one of the emotions I know - anger.  

Please be patient with me.  Mummy welcomes talking about me so if you want to call her please do.  You are also welcome to talk to Mrs Heywood if you have any questions.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to saying hello to you.
Connor

Hi Mums and Dads.  

Connor’s diagnosis has meant a huge learning curve for us and our family, and I am happy to share our journey and the impact it has had in our lives with you.  If you have any questions or concerns about Connor or his diagnosis please feel free to contact me.  Thank you for your understanding.

Deb Smith

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