ABC... easy as 1,2...

My youngest, Little One, started preschool this fall.  After 10 years, I have a blessed two and a half hours to myself every other morning.  Bliss.

Her school is a co-op though, so twice a month I help out in the classroom.  I didn't do this with my other kids, but I thought it would be a good idea this time around.  She has some issues and received Early Intervention services for developmental delays when she was younger, so I want to see how she compares to the other 3-year olds in her class.

The first thing I noticed was on the playground.  She is not as good of a climber as the other kids.  But after just a few weeks, I can see progress.  She is gaining confidence and slowly working her way up the play structure ladders.  I was also worried about her size.  She is small, but seems to fit in with the pack.  And the pint-sized furniture and bathroom fixtures are perfect for her.

We had some issues with behavior early on.  Mostly, she was attacking one kid.  For no reason.  Her best friend, in fact.  I agonized over what to do.  I talked about being kind until I was blue in the face.  One night, she woke up from a deep sleep and told me that she was not going to hit her friend any more.   God must have spoken to her in a dream because she has not had any issues since.  (I wish all of our problems could be solved that way!)

So I was feeling pretty confident that my delayed little preschooler was not so delayed any more.  And then, one day, I helped out at the art table.  And I realized that the other kids in her class know their colors.  And their letters.  And many can write their names.  And they can all count.  Some well beyond 20.

Well, of course they can.  Even though this is my fourth child, I guess I didn't realize that Little One was lagging behind on these skills.  She doesn't know her colors.  Not a one.  She can count to 2.  Yes, two.  That's it.  She doesn't know her ABC's at all.  Where have I been?

I convinced myself that many of the kids in her class are firstborns, and first children, in my observation, are often advanced.  My oldest could name most of the bones in the body when he was three.  (Thank you, Leapfrog.)  I'm part of an online group of 60 moms who all have a 3-year old who was born around the same time as Little One.  So I polled them.  Surely in a larger group there would be a greater range of abilities.

Uh.  Not so much.

Houston, we have a problem.

I didn't ever sit down and teach my other kids these things.  They just came naturally through talking, singing, playing and reading together.  I haven't done anything different with Little One.  But she's not getting it.

I mentioned my concerns to one of her doctors the other day.  She told me to call Early Intervention again and have her evaluated. 

My 10-year old overhead me talking about it and said, "She can't count, but she does know every character on SpongeBob." 

Little One was playing nearby.  On cue, she started to recite, "SpongeBob.  Patrick.  Mr. Crabs.  Squidward.  Gary.  Sandy."  She's probably the only one in her class who can do that, right?

While I am waiting to get her evaluated for special education services, I have been working intensively on teaching her these things.  After two solid weeks of Color University, she doesn't know a single color.  Not a one.  I sometimes use laundry as a teaching aid.  "What color is THIS shirt?"  She can't tell me the color, but she can take the shirt and pull together a completely coordinated outfit with it, including matching jewelery and purse (from the dress up bins).  And get herself into the outfit.  She's got some skilz, they're just not the typical ones.

I've been singing the ABC's in the car as we drive around.  She hasn't learned anything beyond B, but she can sing almost all the words to Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

I know that Early Intervention can help her.  And I know that I need to work with her a lot more than I did with my other kids.  I sometimes tend to focus on the negative, the things she can't do.  But another part of me knows that she is an individual.  She has many strengths too.  She CAN learn.  She DOES learn.  And she will get to all these things in her own good time.

This is an original DC Metro Moms post.   When Sue isn't teaching colors or singing the ABC's, she blogs about life and laundry at My Party of 6.