Maria in November 2017

Four years have passed and I haven't written in this blog. A lot has happened since then. Let's give you an update. This will give you some idea of how Maria has progressed since 2013, when I was concerned about Maria's communication (she was five years old at that time) and thinking about signing as a long-term solution for Maria if she never learnt to speak properly.

Well, the good news is she has learnt to speak, not fluently. Here English is broken up into short phrases but she can express herself quite well.

What's even more surprising is that in the last year she is starting to show signs of being able to read. She brings home simple reading books from school and can read them to us. Just short simple words but at least she now knows she can read and it gaining confidence. When you consider that Maria has been flicking throught books since the age of two, wanting to read the words, then this is a most welcome development. Like me, she loves her books.

Physically, Maria is a remarkably healthy young girl. She is nine years old and developing physically. When she reaches the age of 11, she will go to a secondary school in Britain. We are busy selecting the best school for her.

In Britain, a child with "special needs" has a Statement of Special Educational Needs. This legal document describes Maria's condition and what help she must have from her school and supporting services (e.g. Speech & Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy). The system in Britain is changing. England has changed the system and no longer has a Statement; they have a new way of doing things that I haven't yet understood. Wales, still uses the old Statement system, which is lucky for me because I know how that particular system works.

I'll tell you more about what has happened in my next posts.