I recently saw a statistic that saddened me: about 50 percent of the people in Pakistan are illiterate. In my mind, that's a greater loss than missing the daily newspaper -- it means those folks are likely locked in their position in life. If you can read, and have at least some access to materials, you can teach yourself anything. You can form your own opinions about the events around you. Ideas and concepts far beyond your own village are within your grasp.
Sometimes teaching Samuel seems like an overwhelming task. But at this stage in life, it doesn't need to be complicated. The little fella needs to be able to read, write, and figure. If he gets that, particularly the reading, he will have the potential for a lifetime of learning.
At this point, I'd have to say that he is most limited by his fine motor skills -- Samuel often tries to sneak his other hand across onto the pencil when he's trying to write. But the very basic skills are developing and he will soon start occupational therapy to enhance those abilities. His reading is coming along rapidly. What a joy it is to see my boys love books and magazines as much as I do. Samuel's math is likely very appropriate for his age: he can count into the hundreds, recognizes patterns, and is getting the basic concerpts of addition and subtraction.
Samuel is truly learning to read, write, and figure. What a blessing!
2 comments:
“Since the implementation of the "Back to Sleep" campaign, therapists are seeing increasing numbers of kindergarten-aged children who are unable to hold a pencil.”
Susan Syron, Pediatric Physical Therapist
“There are indications of a rapidly growing population of infants who show developmental abnormalities as a result of prolonged exposure to the supine position.”
Dr. Ralph Pelligra (Chief Medical Officer - NASA) regarding the impact of the Back to Sleep Campaign
A link to buy my book on Lulu is at the bottom of the following website:
http://sleepdoctor.blogspot.com/2009/10/osa-sleep-deprivation-and-alcohol.html
All the Best,
Tom
The interesting thing about this, is that Samuel indeed had some sleep problems, but they were resolved with his tonsils and adenoids being removed. He was snoring loudly and had brief episodes of apnea. I've long thought that autism takes a couple of factors -- not all premature babies develop it; certainly not every child who snores -- but if you have it in your family and throw in a few factors, and the risk gets much greater.
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