Preparing for Thanksgiving Part 7
This is part 7 of a 10 part series leading up to Thanksgiving by our parent contributor, Beth Lattime. Beth continues with her advice on best ways to prepare for the big holiday. You can read part 6 here.
Ask your family and friends open-ended questions before events take place.
This goes back to being careful not to assume that your family or friends “get” your situation with your child with special needs. Open ended questions will help you figure this out and might put their minds at ease. Pick up the phone. Let Aunt Jackie know that you want to answer any questions she has about little James. Start by telling her that you are really excited to see her for Thanksgiving. Then ask very simply, “What can I answer about James that you might be wondering about these days?” If she is nervous, expect that to be the case. Continue by asking her if you can share some of his latest accomplishments/setbacks with her. Hopefully she will welcome the opportunity to learn more about your child. If not, don’t beat yourself up. You are advocating for your child, and it is good practice for future conversations that you will have with more accepting people in your child’s life.
*Beth Lattime, M. Ed. is a developmental specialist and intervention specialist. Her professional experiences span over classroom, clinical, home-based, and recreational environments. She can now proudly add her own natural environments to her list of experiences. Ethan was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms in 2012 which is a rare type of epilepsy and had a former diagnosis of dysphasia. He is currently undergoing intensive therapies at LLA for apraxia and deficits in the arenas of physical and occupational therapy as well. For more on Beth’s story, visit www.lattimeinterventionservices.com