Special Needs

The doctors said she would never walk, talk or interact with other people. In the beginning they had no real diagnosis. She spent a lot of time in doctor offices, hospitals and therapy centers. But she did learn to say some words. And, because she couldn’t walk or crawl, she rolled. She rolled to the TV and by the time she was two she could operate a VCR to play the videos she wanted to watch.

As time progressed, the diagnosis came to light. She had a very rare syndrome. There are only a couple hundred others in the world. There is no treatment.

But, there is the human spirit. Today, she walks, but does not like to walk very far, especially if it is hot weather. She talks, not in sentences but in words that communicate what she wants or needs and how she feels. It is interesting that when she is really tired, she speaks in sentences. Her brain slows down and she can communicate.

She went to school and a teacher noticed that she loved books. She can read and does for hours at a time. If it is electronic, she probably can operate it. Her favorite entertainment is a computer.

She has social friends developed from school in the Special Ed class, and from just about anyone she meets. She always has a hug.

Bad days are few. Her attitude is always, "everything is okay." I wish I could say that.

Society has given her and millions of others the label of "special needs." I would argue that it is not them, but us that have special needs. We need to see them succeed, play, laugh and push harder to do anything that we take for granted. It is us that can learn more from them than they can learn from us. We don’t think we have time. They have all the time they need.

My granddaughter is twenty one now. She stays with me during the day sometimes. I know and she knows that she rules me. That’s the way it should be. I have special needs to be more understanding, more patient, more loving, more determined, and more focused on the things that are really important. She shows me how.

I am a slow learner, but she is patient with me.

©2011