Welcome to Our World
Welcome to our world.
I have said that a lot lately.
While the world has stopped in its tracks not much has changed in our world.
This is our life.
Isolation.
I was thinking about it yesterday and, the special needs community is far more prepared for this. We have been preparing for this for years.
We are isolated all the time.
For years, the only time we left our home was for work school or therapy.
We worked hard on leaving our home.
There was a time when Kya would not turn down unfamiliar roads or go through doors, she was not familiar with.
Leaving our home was hard and eventually we stopped trying.
She struggled so much it did not seem worth it.
But I knew she needed to exist outside our home so with a lot of hard work she conquered not only leaving the house but going anywhere I took her.
In fact, she began asking to go places.
And this past year she really began to enjoy doing things.
And with other people. She craved it.
Now those things and people are gone.
I see her slowly unraveling.
She is still eating and trying new things, but meals are becoming longer.
She is staying up late and sleeping in (for her.)
And she is even more attached than usual. She is literally on top of me all day. She will not go to the bathroom alone or sit on the couch alone. This is a behaviour caused by anxiety resulting from a routine change. But I am so proud of how well she is handling this.
Our kids thrive with structure and routine and right now we have none of that.
It feels like I am watching our lives in slow motion.
And it feels like time is standing still.
I do not want my daughter to regress from this.
It terrifies me.
And I am very aware that everyone is struggling on some level.
Being confined to your home is hard isn’t it?
Not much fun is it?
Imagine that being your everyday life for years on end but add in screaming aggression a child that does not sleep and a whole lot of anxiety.
I see people complaining about having nothing to do but watch T.V. and I cannot help but laugh and get a little annoyed/envious. I cannot imagine having that luxury.
So, while this virus is temporary, and life will eventually return to normal remember that our lives do not pick up and carry on.
This can and will undo years of therapy and hard work for our kiddos.
Isolation sucks, right?
Welcome to our world.
On we go.
Written by, Jennifer Dunn
My name is Jennifer Dunn, I am the mother of a beautiful 10 year old girl with ASD. Kya and I live in Vancouver, Canada. I work full-time and also manager her team of therapists. Our weekends are mostly filled with therapy, but I am happy to be on this journey with my Bug. I share our journey at https://www.facebook.com/keepingupwithkya/
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Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook, subscribe for exclusive videos, and subscribe to our newsletter.
