So the other day this week I had to work with a program to save some articles I had written. It was one where you can save them and then others can share your folder and edit them etc.

Now I KNOW how to do this as I had done it many time before.

But that was just it.

BEFORE!

So even though I KNEW how to do it, I had to ask my 15 year old son, Michael the steps to doing it again.

And as I suffered through the requisite comments about how cute it is that I am trying something new and how proud he is that I am not afraid to use the internet, he went over it all.

So after the teasing was done, Michael helped me learn the steps and I did it a couple of times while he stayed there just to be sure that I processed the steps to do it as well as making sure that the notes I took on how to do it worked. And yes, I got teased for writing it down as well.

This got me thinking about our special needs kids and their skills. I know that we have a list of things we are always working on with Elizabeth, either they are skills she knows or skills we are growing. But the list is always there.

When Elizabeth was young and REALLY struggling with her disorders and even attempting any skill, I know I wanted her to learn something and move to the next things because the list was so long. I also know that that thinking was both good and bad. Good because it gave us push to keep going and bad because the skills aren’t simply mastered for her, like a check list. They need attentions often to be current skills, we are never really done with them.

Kind of like me and my story above, the skills they have for anything, in my opinion, can grow rusty and even if they KNOW it, the rust kicked off of the skill for them to be successful again.

In other words, they need to go over the skill, practice it again and become fluid in it again.

I have noticed this for pretty much all things with Elizabeth in her life. Her dyspraxia and SPD ( Sensory Processing Disorder) have made learning new skills such hard work and have given her a great deal of anxiety in learning them and using the skills. She has been typing a lot, as that is, if we all remember, one of her self made goals but where does that leave her cursive signature and printing? Well?, not in a pretty place that much I will tell you.

So I chose to see these rusty skills as ones that need attention and rehearsal, ones that need to stay on the list of things to work on. And the big take away for me and hopefully for you, is that…

Really, it is okay.

It is okay to have to rehearse reading again or writing again or how to wipe the floor or, or , or.

Because the skills are there, learned but a bit tucked away and rusty.

Other typical kids may have different goals at the ages out children are, but I look at the hard work our kids put in to almost everything they do so if I need to de rust Elizabeth’s cursive signature, I will.

This is just something to encourage us all as we see the new school year in front of us and as we see the work our kids need to do.

I just kicked the rust off of my skills and that was okay.

Why not for them as well?

I wish everyone a peaceful week.

Michele Gianetti author of I Believe In You

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