Just got back from a divine vacation at a family resort in Vermont where everyone goes to camp - parents and kids. (If anyone is interested email me off line - its a great place and I’ve seen them accomodate children with downs syndrome)
Why am I telling you? because my son was in a group this year of 8-10 year olds, and they are allowed to arrive and depart independently. So we let him ride his bike to and from camp alone! And he was great! He didn’t get lost, forget his backpack, or do anything else you’d expect from an NLD type of kid. He was really on the ball. Other than a small obsession with how sad it is when grownups kill bugs he was very on the ball.
Also, as I chatted with the parents during our many childfree dinners (!) I discovered that everyone has a kid with an issue. It was amazing how often the words “OT, speech, aspergers ” were uttered. It made me realize that the happy kids I saw making friends and running around and looking so normal weren’t different from my son. And that maybe his issues aren’t so obvious to other people …
Now if I can just hold onto this happy feeling during the school year….
Re: My vacation : )
Highgate springs. Its called the Tyler Place, and its really not a resort - its more like an alternate life for one week a year. I could go on and on. Despite the fact that the kids are very busy all day with a bunch of unfamiliar kids and counselors, there are many aspects that I think work well for an LD kid. Their day is highly structured, the counselors are well trained, and the whole resort is pretty intimate. People tend to come back year after year, so the routine becomes very familiar.
There is something special about Vermont - I’m telling you, I think about moving there every year around this time.!
Re: My vacation : )
We like it- haven’t had any urge to go anywhere else- except I do need an ocean hit every so often to ground myself:)
I like working here too- I swear if I had to teach in some of the systems you folks have to work with I would have gone to private practice MUCH sooner. It isn’t perfect but it is a far cry from some of what I read here regularly.
Glad you had a good time!
Robin
Vermont therapy sounds nice.
We love Vermont.
I watched my son at the beach and couldn’t help wondering if riding the waves on his boogie board was helping to integrate his senses and improve his timing.
Re: My vacation : )
Glad to hear it!
Come up further north of Vermont and visit us in southern Quebec some time. Beautiful scenery and great people, and a new culture on the same continent. Hope to see you.
Reality check: those of us who live in northern and rural areas are generally neighbourly because we have to be. When the nearest services are 50 to 100 miles over a mountain road in an ice storm, you learn to take care of yourself and to help others in need because it’ll be your turn next. Hardy independence and make-do is no accident.
Before you decide to come here permanently, remember the other fifty weeks of the year — us natives enjoy the beauty and challenge of the five-foot snowdrifts and the spring melt and the heat wave with no air conditioning (over 90F the last two weeks …), but it’s a bit of a shock to a newcomer.
Great area and we love it, but heaven on earth is where you make it.
Vermont is a very special place:):)
Seriously, I am delighted that you had such a great time- where was the resort?
Robin