Comments on Minivan MacGyver: everything is a pea under miss a's mattress

Have you looked into sensory disorders? Or read th...

2012-01-10T09:20:07.461-05:00

Have you looked into sensory disorders? Or read the book The Out of Sync Child?
Sara

I think that, at home, your job is helping her lea...

2012-01-10T00:39:48.882-05:00

I think that, at home, your job is helping her learn to deal with all the annoyances, rather than eliminating them. As you point out, that would be impossible (and, in my opinion, wouldn't really be helping her, anyway). I do hope that charter school works out, though. It sounds great. That way, she gets some specialized attention; but at home, she still has to deal with real life. Win-win!

Also, I have had innumerable people tell me that eliminating gluten may help with these over-sensitive, over-anxious types. My daughter is too old to impose that sort of diet regimen on and she refuses to cooperate with it. But you may be able to try it with yours. I know! What fun!

Becky -- I was way over-sensitive too, emotionally...

2012-01-09T13:54:51.284-05:00

Becky -- I was way over-sensitive too, emotionally as well as being extremely bothered by small sounds, the way clothes felt, being too hot or cold, etc. I still am way too sensitive but like you were saying, it doesn't get in the way of my life anymore. I feel so bad for her... but then at the same time I have my own agenda of getting everyone from point A to point B, and our house isn't big enough for her to have her own bedroom/controlled environment adjusted to her specifications, and my other kids can't help making breathing noises, etc. So then I get impatient and frustrated with her... I do feel like there is hope for her, though, and I'd like to believe she is just sensitive and doesn't have a personality disorder. But either way there is hope for her and I have to remember that.

Wiley, I'm not sure how likely she is to get in, or how many applicants they typically have. If they have more applicants than spaces they hold a lottery. That sort of thing is a relief to me because I have no control over the outcome and any decision is made for me!

I stumbled on your blog a little while ago and hav...

2012-01-09T13:07:09.124-05:00

I stumbled on your blog a little while ago and have been reading avidly ever since -- especially because Miss A reminds me a lot of myself at that age: I was extremely emotionally sensitive, crying every day in school...my parents considered "special" private schools, including a Free School, but ended up keeping me in public school (no charter schools in my town).

So what I want to tell you is: hang in there, there is hope! It was a long journey and not an easy one, but I just graduated from a prestigious college with honors, am gainfully employed, and consider myself to be a fully-functioning happy human being.

I still struggle with my oversensitivity -- it's part of me and it will never go away -- but I have learned to manage and control it so that it doesn't get in the way of living my life.

That charter school sounds amazing, but as long as you're focused on helping Miss A thrive, there are no wrong choices. And don't feel bad about asking teachers to recommend her for the charter school -- no good teacher should be offended by a parent saying "your school is great but my kid needs this more specialized environment".

-Becky

How likely is admision to teh charter school? I k...

2012-01-09T13:05:49.058-05:00

How likely is admision to teh charter school? I know some of them are really competitive lotteries... Love that you keep your mind open and keep exploring as many options as possible.

Thanks, Amy. Wiley, the online school we tried wa...

2012-01-09T12:57:54.918-05:00

Thanks, Amy.

Wiley, the online school we tried was okay but definitely not challenging for her. They moved REALLY slowly, and much of the material was stuff she'd covered in her regular classroom the year before. A friend of mine has her daughter in another online school that seems a lot better, and I am open to that if we don't get into this charter school. But Jason is not enthusiastic about the online option based on how it went last time, and this charter school offers more than what I think I could offer her using the online school (or home schooling on my own).

You are great parents and trying your best. Someth...

2012-01-09T12:40:10.261-05:00

You are great parents and trying your best. Something has to give for everyone's sanity. Hopefully the charter school is just the thing.

I missed a few months of posts in some craziness, ...

2012-01-09T12:31:27.377-05:00

I missed a few months of posts in some craziness, so I'm wondering what happened with the online school option?