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You are here: Home / Military Children / Our Special Needs Story

Our Special Needs Story

January 3, 2012 by Julie 9 Comments

Okay, I haven’t blogged about my son’s special needs much at all. I am not sure why. I have attempted to start a post about it every once in a while but never was able to write anything. In this new year, I told myself I wanted to start blogging about. Especially now that we think something could be going on with one of my other sons (which will be a different post.)

Up until the time my son was about two, there wasn’t anything about him that made me think anything was wrong. I had a very normal low-key pregnancy and birth with him. Other than jaundice he never really got too sick. Just a cold here and there. At about two though I started to wonder if something was going on. We were in Germany and I noticed that he was just not talking like the other kids his age. He had said his first words when he should have but he never really progressed past that when he should have. I use to take him to a playgroup onthe post. While there a lady from EDIS (Early Development Intervention Services) use to come by to hand out these quizzes. You would get one for whatever age your child was and filled them out to see if there was any cause for concern. I did this for Daniel and it was obvious he was pretty behind on his communication skills.

MY sonI made an appointment with EDIS since he was still under three. We did a bunch of testing and at almost three his speech was more like an 18-month-old. He was also behind in fine motor skills and social skills. Since he was just about to turn three he was eligible to start at the special needs preschool they had on the post. It took a few months but he started going four days a week for about 2.5 hours a day.

At this time, he was also going to the two-day program and they encouraged me to keep him in that too. That was a lot of school for a three-year-old but he really enjoyed it. He was/is such a social kid that it was great for him. We moved about six months later and then it was summer break. The next fall he started at the same type of preschool at a different school. Right around when he turned four he was diagnosed with having a Developmental Delay for cognitive and communication. Basically, this means that he is behind in a few areas such as speech, fine motor skills, and behavior.

Between the ages of three-five were the most difficult for me. Part of it could have been because Ben was deployed twice during that time but I really think the older Daniel gets, the better things are going to be. He is seven now and although he is still behind an average seven-year-old he has come so far. In May, he no longer needed to work with an OT. His fine motor skills are so much better now. He can write and even read a little bit. His speech is doing so much better. He still has trouble with some words and there are still some things he says that even I can’t understand but he has really grown in the last couple of years.

I remember when we first moved back to the US. He was five and I broke down because I couldn’t even have a conversation with my son. I would ask him questions and he just couldn’t respond the way he should. Now, we have conversations all the time. He can speak in full sentences, tell me stories, tell me about his day, tell me what he learned at school and all that. This is so new to us and I really treasure it.

They told me a few years ago that they think by the time he hits about the second grade he is going to be pretty caught up. I think this could be true as long as things continue to get better. Right now he is in a regular kindergarten class. Last year he was in a special needs Kindergarten. We made the decision to have him repeat Kindergarten in a regular class and now that we have a few months of the school year under our belt we are very happy we made this decision. He seems to be a little ahead academically but socially it is the right place for him.

Last Updated on May 23, 2016 by Writer

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Filed Under: Military Children, Military Life Tagged With: Special needs

About Julie

Owner of Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life. Writer, reader, coffee drinker. Mom to three boys, wife of a National Guard soldier. Living life in Tennessee.

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Comments

  1. Daneilia

    January 3, 2012 at 10:21 pm

    Oh how amazing Daniel is! He will do just fine I'm sure as he gets older. Just stick with him Mama and he'll go far ๐Ÿ™‚ Prayers to continue down the bright future ๐Ÿ˜‰
    My recent post Wordless Wednesday

    Reply
    • juliedanielle

      January 11, 2012 at 10:59 am

      Thanks so much ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  2. Monica

    January 4, 2012 at 7:52 am

    Glad you're able to communicate better with him now! Btw, I thought it was funny bc my son's name is Benjamin Daniel. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  3. Morhia

    January 4, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    I will be praying for both and loving them from such a far distance. My best friend has a son who is going to be four and only speaks a word or two. She had him checked at when he was one but they said he was fine. We know that he needs extra help but they wont listen. She can't even get him potty trained yet. Did I mention he is almost four? He has cried since birth and has little time where he did not cry. I mean ALWAYS cries. I have no idea how to be of help to her.Please pray for her son as well. His name is Johnny. Thanks! <3
    My recent post UPDATE

    Reply
  4. Jessica

    January 4, 2012 at 8:48 pm

    So very glad that he is improving and you can now have conversations with him. That is awesome! I know that must be such a joy for you to hear!
    My recent post New Year…new goals

    Reply
    • juliedanielle

      January 11, 2012 at 11:08 am

      It really is!

      Reply
  5. reccewife

    January 5, 2012 at 3:03 pm

    I like this. I also never know how to write about my son's special needs. I loved ready about your son, he seems awesome ๐Ÿ™‚
    My recent post Relax, the turkey didn't actually kill anyone….

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Our Special Needs Story Part Two says:
    January 9, 2012 at 8:16 pm

    […] you for all the sweet comments you left on my first Special needs post. It was hard to write but glad I did […]

    Reply
  2. To the Military Spouse Whose Child Has Just Been Diagnosed With Autism says:
    February 9, 2018 at 10:00 am

    […] oldest son had been diagnosed with a developmental delay when he was three. We knew about speech and OT and special needs preschool. We were also pretty […]

    Reply

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About Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life

 

Welcome to Soldierโ€™s Wife, Crazy Life! I am so glad you are here.

My name is Julie and I first became a military spouse in 2005 when my husband of 3 years re-joined the Army. Then, in 2014, he joined the National Guard. In January of 2024, he retired from the National Guard after 21 years of service.

During our time in the military, we got to spend 4 years in Germany as well as Tennessee where we now call home.

We have three boys and have been through four deployments together.

I hope that you can find support for your own deployments, PCS moves, or anything else military life brings you through my articles and social media posts.

 

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