In August when our three year old came to live with us he had very little ability to communicate. When ever he wanted something or was upset he banged his head really hard on the floor and he had a permanent huge swollen knot on his forehead. He wore a helmet and we were told he needed to have his environment padded and he would do best contained in a playpen during the day so as not to hurt himself. He was a sad little guy and we were sad/frustrated.
We have a organization in our area called, "Birth to Three" that comes into the homes of kids with special needs and works with the parents to teach them ways to deal with and help their kids. When we got him they came to our home and gave us much hope that with a lot of work and patience (emphasis on patience) we could see him progress. And did we ever!! Trent is now signing as many words as we can teach him. He signs, "eat", "more", "thirsty", etc. and he waves "hi" and blows kisses. He has started to vocalize which is really exciting. He has said, "Poppa" and "Good boy", "Da Da" and "Thank you". The head banging has completely stopped and he has a smile that lights up the world (our world, anyway)! Being a foster parent doesn't get much better than this!
4 comments:
I was so amazed by his progress last time I visited that I came home and told Richard all about it. You guys are miracle workers in his life - just think where and how he would be if it hadn't been for you being willing to take him on. You saw his potential when no one else did, and he is just exceeding expectations, isn't he?
That's awesome.
God bless you for making such a difference in his life. Love goes a long way in healing little hearts.
How encourageing to read this! The fact that you put forth this much energy into a child that you will only keep for a season takes my breath away. What a labor of love. Your good works are an inspiration to all of us! ~Karlie
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