Oh Dear!

"What's that on the grass?"

More orthofunction?

Perhaps yes, we can call it that.

This little boy is a wild driver. I had heard from inside our group-room how he had been warned that if he was too wild and fell off then the bobby-car would be given to another child to drive. It took less than a blink-of-an-eye before I witnessed this tortoise-like tangle on the grass.

No harm had been done and it was not long before a slightly more careful driver was in charge of the bobby-car and this little chap was running behind with his rolator.

An orthofunctional black eye!

From the "Pictures-at-the-Summerfest" exhibition, July 2011

Is there such a thing?

There are still so many things that happen for the first time in my life while working with people with disability.

I have written about many of them here. They are the moments that make me “begeistert” by my work. Make me passionate about it, thrilled with what the clients achieve, excited about their future developments and so interested when they talk to me about their expectations, dreams and wishes for their futures.

Lots of firsts

This week I have had experience of a second child going home alone from the group. This child travelled by bike whereas the first one went by foot.

I was recently thrilled by a young athetoid girl when she told me that she thinks it is very near to the moment that she walks independently.

Years ago an athetoid young man marched with the villagers in a summer festival, and another client who I have known since she was four is finishing her second year at university. Both of these are twenty-one years old this year.

I was excited this week by how our three-to-five year olds have suddenly found their independence and continue to play alone and organise their games when we, the conductors, take a few steps back into the wings for five minutes and leave them to it. It is a delight to listen and watch who takes over, usually the three-year old.

I was so pleased when at last, after months of hard work from both sides, a ten year old boy made no attempt to escape, neither inside to his own world or outside the door to the big wide world! He was with me body and soul for two whole hours. He drew pictures that he rolled up and gave to me, he played games with me, he talked to me about his day and most importantly we pummelled life into a two-pound lump of bread-dough that having been thrown up in the air a few times was formed into something resembling a loaf to take home after baking.

When the bread was in the oven we drew pictures in the flour that remained on the table. Clapping flour-covered hands together to create dust-clouds was also quite good fun, causing us both to smile. Luckily I know that the cleaning lady will also smile because when she sees such a mess she knows that it means we have been up to our “tricks” again; having fun!

It was the first time that I have seen this boy smiling as he worked with me and the first time that he has not asked me over and over again to wait a minute while he goes off into his own world. We were having fun together. At last he realises that I like having fun too.

Another first: an orthofunctional black eye!

On Wednesday we all got quite a shock when the children arrived, the gorgeous, fairy-like, petite, extremely tough and very clever girl, who has been with us for most of her eight years, had the best black-eye that I have ever seen. She was so proud of it and so patient as she explained for the umpteenth time how she got it.

She had been running in the playground with her non-disabled friends while her school assistant was still in the classroom. She was in head down, full-speed-ahead mode when a post jumped out into her path. By the time we saw her two days after the event, the pain had lessened and the swelling was down, only the wonderful colours were to be seen. It was by now something that she could be proud of and joke about.

An orthofunctional black eye is another first for my list but I think not the last for this little girl! She has a go at everything and with her new bike she will be travelling even faster than ever.

Transitions in the family

"Another summer storm on the way"
by Susie Mallett, 2011

I am off to work in a few weeks with Laddo who is now twenty-one years old and should really now be called Manno!

Not only because of his age does he deserve to be given a more manly name, more because of the new life-style that he is developing than his age. He is becoming quite a man-of-the-world.

His mother phoned just to check that plans were still as we had made them six months ago as they will be on holiday until the day before I am due to turn up for work.

With business settled I asked about Laddo and his life. Mum was so proud to tell me, and she knew also how pleased I would be to hear that her twenty-one-year-old son travels home from work on public transport, changing buses in the city.

We have practised it now for two years and although I have always believed it possible I also wondered whether, if I was the parent, I should say “OK try it alone today”. Laddo’s Mum has practised this too often meeting him halfway in the city to go for various appointments or shopping. Sometimes they would go home after the appointment in the car together and sometimes Laddo would go alone on the bus.

Laddo has also been making his regular, monthly trips to my conductor-friend in Paderborn and that has really helped to increase his streetwiseness! He can now look where he is going by his feet and straight ahead without stumbling or knocking into too many people.

Mum also mentioned that a lady had stopped her in the village bank to ask if it was possible that she had seen Laddo in the city alone. “Oh Yes,” said Mum, “that is quite possible”. The lady also went on to mention how sad she finds it that she cannot have a conversation with him when she sees him as she cannot understand what he says. To this Mum replied; “Keep asking him to repeat it until you do, he is very patient!”

She is right he is very patient just like Littlie with the black-eye this week, there is something in both these personalities that encourages them to communicate with people.

I first met Laddo and his family when he was six years old.

All of the family not only the parents but siblings, cousins, grandparents, uncles and aunts and also many of the eight-hundred local villagers, have worked all of Laddo’s life for his independence.

I think we all could not ask for more than to celebrate together Laddo’s twenty-first birthday and his freedom to go out on his own.

What a transition that family is going through, yet again.