Unlocking Luke

A common theme among parents of children with communicative disorders is that there is more going on inside their child then what others think. I believe that about Luke. I watch him as he crawls around our house and I notice that he motor plans. Yes, the things he wants are not what other children want, but he can figure out what he wants and how to get it.

I think there is a certain brilliance in Luke. It may not be conventional brilliance, but there is a gift in him. I wish we could unlock the gift. What would help him communicate? I watched a show about a grown man with autism. He is non-verbal, but when given a certain software on his laptop, he was able to type out what he wanted to tell people. It was pretty phenomenal. I hope there is something like that out there for Luke. I would love to know what is going on in the beautiful little head of his.

An Update

An Update:

Luke is having a great year at his school. He has only missed a few days. His teacher has him walk with his gait trainer every day. He is walking stronger. In fact, when our church had their preschool parade, Luke led the crowd with his church teacher. He finger walked (held the fingers of his church teacher and walked). He pulls up all over the place. I think he is figuring out that there are some pretty cool things on counters.

We have not pursued further testing to find out what is going on with Luke. We don't really have the time or the money. Also, having a name for his disability does not change anything. I feel that worrying about the future is a waste of time. We will take each day as they come.

Luke is happy. He only gets grouchy when I won't allow him access to my bedroom and bathroom. We live a busy lifestyle and he just goes along with whatever we are doing. I guess that is why the focus is kind of removed from him. Sydney takes Ballet I on Mondays and Jazz I on Thursdays. Logan has RA's on Wednesday nights. Gracie has gymnastics on Thursdays. Luke and I have our time for 20 minutes each night after Marty leaves for his second job. I am trying to give each of the kids some undivided attention. We have never been a family that revolves around Luke's disability. Of course, Luke's disability is not life-threatening and we all have come to a point of acceptance.

Sydney has turned out to be a girl after my own heart. She has a love for children with autism. She helps Luke and protects him. She also helps boys in her grade. She sits next to them during lunch and guides them. Gracie and Logan love Luke, but Sydney is different. I am so thankful that she has a sweet heart.

Our family is just so precious. We have our weaknesses, but all together, we are awesome.