The Sweetest Candies In The Jar
Mayah loves eating Marquesitas with Nutella and cheese filling. Everyone has a favorite sweet treat. What’s yours? Is it chocolate, ice cream, cookies, cake? There are just too many to choose from. I love them all. Whenever you need a lil pick me up or comfort, something sweet usually hits the spot. Whenever I take a drive along the Corozal Bay, I pass the man that sells the giant colorful cotton candy on a stick. The bold pink, purple, and blue colors call to me every single time, but I never stop to try it. My mind is just screaming, “Toooo much sugar!”
One day, my husband buys one to surprise Mayah. She comes running, “Candy, candy,” with a giant smile on her face. You can imagine me giving my husband “THE-EYE” as he hands Mayah this bag of sugar the size of my head. Anyways, I take a chill pill and decide to let her have some. At least I’ll finally get to taste this awesome cotton candy I’ve been eyeing for some time. I take that first big bite. Yum, it’s soooo good. Melts in your mouth. Then another bite and another bite. Before you know it, the entire giant bag is gone, and its like I ate only a spoonful of sugar. I WANT MORE!
On my journey with Mayah and autism, we have had some awesome sweet treats that helped us out along the way. Here are some of my experiences with them.
The search for information
Mayah was about to turn 4 and everybody was pressuring me about sending her to kindergarten. I dreaded this moment from the day she was born… sending my baby into the scary world all alone. Yes, I know I sound dramatic, but I had some really bad experiences as a child, and I wear my hidden scars. I started searching online about sending my child with special needs to school. I came across a Belizean news clip talking about all the different societies in Belize in place for children with special needs. I was so shocked. I didn’t even know we had organizations like these in Belize. I went to the Autism Belize site and asked some questions, and, in no time, I got a reply. The first person that reached out with very helpful information was Christy. She listened to my concerns and helped me find answers to my questions. She steered us in the direction we needed. Before you know it, we were enrolled in a program for speech therapy. Thanks to Christy, I now had a firm foot ready to start running my race. Christy asked me to keep her updated on Mayah’s progress, and I did. It’s not everyday you find someone with genuine interest that wants to help.
Project Speech
We were paired with a therapist, Miss Anna. She is an angel, but I must admit, at first, I did not think an online program would help at all. Mayah didn’t like interacting with people she didn’t know, especially if someone was demanding her attention. I had to put Mayah in a high chair and keep her in there every session just so she didn’t run away from the computer. Miss Anna was very patient with us and kept encouraging me on techniques to try to get Mayah to use her words. She used songs, games, and a whole lot of positive encouragement. Miss Anna might not have always seen the immediate fruits of her labor, and I was concerned she might get discouraged and quit on us if Mayah didn’t magically improve. But not miss Anna. She was no quitter. Every session, she tried and tried again. Mayah didn’t always show it, but she enjoyed miss Anna’s company. One day, at the end of our session, when we were saying goodbye, Mayah said, “Bye bye, teacher!” Oh, how it melted my heart to hear her after months of following all the great advice from Miss Anna. Little by little, Mayah started engaging more by singing all the lil songs Miss Anna taught her. Slippery Fish and the goodbye song are now favorites in our house.
Time for school
I went to NaRCIE to ask for information on options for sending Mayah to school. I was surprised to learn that Mayah would receive abundant help and personalized lesson plans in school to help her grow and improve. I was told her teachers would be trained, and I would be allowed to stay and help out in the class to ensure Mayah would be taken care of. I was assured that Mayah would improve and be talking in no time. It all sounded so sweet. I could picture it so bold and vividly in my mind. So, we registered Mayah for kindergarten and got everything ready for school to open. We went school shopping… tennis at Dibary, school and snack bag at Brodies, school uniform from Lydia’s, school supplies from A&R… the whole enchilada. We went all out. Days before school was supposed to open, the government decided it wasn’t safe enough to return in person. Instead, school would be distance learning. No problem, though, I was still excited to see Mayah start school. Thanks to her online sessions with Miss Anna, Mayah wasn’t afraid of the computer, so she adjusted perfectly to Zoom classes.
Short-Lived
Do you remember the cotton candy I talked about earlier? Well, turns out, I was eating it up and after a short while, it was all gone. All the big bold promises I got from NaRCIE were sweet as candy, but it was a short-lived snack. Let’s just say the school experience was the very opposite of what I was told to expect, but I’m not going to hate on them and be negative because I don’t believe its anyone’s fault. I do know they mean well, and if they had a magic wand, they would fulfill all they promised. I still appreciate NaRCIE even if the candy was just full of air. Looking at the bright side, they gave me a goal to look forward to. I will continue to work harder than ever being both mom and teacher on our journey.
Thanks to everyone who has so far been a vital part of our journey. I’ll continue looking out for more candies to collect in my jar.
