The holidays have not been the only reason for my lack of posts. I have been feeling overwhelmed with the amount of information we been learning and the number of tasks we have been trying to fit into our schedules. It seems that the more we learn, the more "homework" we have to complete - all with the goal of improving Leora's vision reception/processing and discovering how Leora's learning abilities differ.
A week and a half before the school break, Leora was prescribed Syntonics Light Therapy. Her optometrist is hoping to primarily treat the newly found issue of reduced peripheral vision but this light therapy has other benefits too.
The colored light used in syntonic phototherapy stimulates the visual system and alters the biochemistry of the brain to improve the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Colored filter goggles are placed on the eyes for the duration of the light therapy treatment— usually up to 10 minutes. (www.optometrists.org)
Leora has been prescribed three different lenses. The first to be worn for five minutes, the second and third to be worn for ten minutes each. Twenty-five minutes of literally staring at a light every other day is quite boring. Leora and I have been trying to make the most of the time by cuddling up together and listening to an audiobook, but it is difficult for me to set aside that much time with all of the other household and daycare responsibilities on my plate. It has made me realize how often I'm actually multi-tasking when I feel like I'm spending time with my family. Do other parents find it hard to completely focus on their child for more than fifteen minutes at a time??
Leora also spends approximately ten minutes per day, about four or five times per week, doing her vision therapy exercises. These consist of a variety of activities, including focusing on a circle at close range while balancing on a wobble board, concentrating on a longer-range eye chart while finding corresponding letters in beads on the table in front of you, and tracking a ball that hangs from the ceiling, which strengthens your eye muscles and the smoothness of that movement. Leora is pretty diligent and realizes the importance of doing the "homework," even though she doesn't always want to do it.
Another thing we are pursuing on our journey to understand how Leora's brain works is psycho-educational testing. We had our initial meeting with a lovely psychologist just before Christmas, and on Wednesday, January 4th, Leora had her first of three two-hour sessions. The full assessment will be completed by the end of this month and is sure to provide a plethora of data and guidance.
It also means that Leora and I will not be able to enjoy our "sit spot" ritual and other Wednesday routines. We were happy to visit the beach with our regular rock offering - draw a design using only circles - a couple of weeks before Christmas. I foresee a weekend trip to the sit spot before the month ends.
Our family did enjoy the holidays. We were thankful for the snowstorm, which meant Chris was "stuck" at home and unable to go to work as he was scheduled on Christmas Eve overnight. We spent time with the kids - I sometimes have to be very intentional about spending time with my other children. Emmet (23 years old) lives in another city, so it is especially difficult to connect with them - for many reasons besides their location. Sebastian (17 years old) is so thoughtful, helping around the house and checking in when he notices that I'm stressed. He is easygoing, and I know that he will be off to post-secondary school in the blink of an eye. Clara (16 years old) is artistic, creating costumes, make-up, and "cosplay" content. Clara is funny and seems to like talking to us still most of the time. I guess the fact that my children genuinely like us and each other - the three that live at home went to the movies together a couple nights ago - is a good sign that we are doing something right.
Despite my feelings of overload, the children seem to be taking it all in stride, and hopefully, I'm setting an example of how to recognize this inundation and how to take steps to alleviate the stress. Leora's Wednesdays are all about creating space for new tasks by taking the day away from school and traditional learning rather than adding to an already busy schedule. To that end, I am going to take another mini hiatus from my blog to focus on the psycho-educational assessment appointments, getting back into the swing of things with Girl Guides and adding some new daycare kiddos to my routine. Thank you for your understanding and patience. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. I will be back in February with an abundance of more lessons to share, I'm sure. All the best, ~K
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