Laila's Journey (Part 2)

So we had the official speech assessment through Alberta Health Services today and we pretty much got the same results that we received with the private therapist.  She is severely delayed with all aspects of speech and comprehension.  This is where it got tough for me because the last few months we have seen such big improvements with her speech that I'm not going to lie and say it didn't crush me when they presented the results.  It was everything I could do not to cry right there in the office.  But that was not going to help Laila so I managed to hold it together.

Now with this official assessment Laila qualifies for some fairly significant funding for services.  That is good news although cost was not an issue for us it is definitely welcomed.  Through the funding she will be able to attend a preschool that is specially designed for these types disabilities and where they have speech & occupational therapists on staff in the classrooms.  The only question was if they actually had a spot.  They said they would call them and let us know this afternoon.

I received a call and they do in fact have a spot in their afternoon program.  While I'm sad she will not be able to attend the preschool Hayden attended I know this other school is exactly where she belongs and they can help her blossom.  I have called the lady responsible for admissions and we have an appointment to see the school next week.

We are still hoping that the hearing test on July 18th will provide us with some answers but the positive thing with this new preschool is they have a section that specifically deals with hearing impaired children.  When we first started to suspect this problem I had actually bookmarked this school as a possibly.  Funny how things turn out.

So we need to take few days to digest everything that has transpired as it seems to being moving very fast now.  I'm sure I will have a few more cries but it will all look brighter soon.

I guess ultimately as a parent we only want good things for our kids and we never want them to experience pain and suffering of any type.  I would take this for Laila in a heartbeat but I can't so I will be there to hold her hand and help her.  Once again I know we could be dealing with something so much worse so we grateful for that.

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3 comments:

Soshayna said...

Your tears are valid...your heart is broken, no parent wants their child to face additional challenges...just being a kid today can be hard enough. As parent's, we always feel that it is our job to "fix" things for our kids (or at least I know that I do) Laila will certainly get all the resources she needs to blossom just as you hope she will. Sending you and your family hugs as I am sure this journey will be enlightening and beautiful all the same!

Keli said...

I would be crying tears just like you. The hardest thing about being a parent is when we cannot fix things for our children. You will be surprised at how well she will deal with this, and you will be so proud of her. I will be watching for updates when you get the hearing test results, I am sure that will shed more light on the situation. I will be thinking of you and your sweet Laila.

TheFitHousewife said...

I can imagine it would be hard not to just break down and cry in the office! At least she has such caring parents like you who look out for her and give her the best options available. I'm glad the preschool has worked out!