She was the most colicky baby any of my friends or family had ever encountered. I remember reading the definition of colic at the time (unexplained crying for more than 3 hours a day, 3 days a week) and lasting up to 3 months of age. I laughed. Try 12 hours a day, every day until age 18 months. I nearly lost my mind!
The 5(+) years of night terrors have subsided. We lived through it. The sleep studies were nightmares in themselves and the "lead doctor in the field" said she had only seen a dozen kids with Miss Crab's extremity. They recommended putting my 4 year old on benzos (xanex, klonopin). Um...now do I say this nicely? NO. If you are a parent dealing with night terrors, I give you a big blog hug. Send me a message.
Preschool was okay. She made friends and quirky kids are pretty normal in preschool.
Kindergarten. Sigh. The transition from preschool to kindergarten has highlighted a lot of problems that are going to require intervention. We have Miss Crab with a very nice psychologist who has come up with a few new ideas but who I pretty much view as my portal to getting help from other professionals.
We are in year II of Montessori Kindergarten and I was just told that there are "issues" that need addressing. My husband and I will be meeting with her teachers to talk about what is going on. I feel constantly on the defensive about my daughter. I know how well she functions and it makes me sad that she does not function well in a traditional school setting (or even at times in her Montessori school setting).
Miss Crab does not want to draw attention to herself at all, but many of her protective mechanisms - unfortunately - draw attention. She draws up her shoulders, brings her arms in tight to her side, puts her hands up high on her chest in a "begging" position. We call this her "T-Rex." She does this when nervous or stressed.
Age six has been good in many ways. She is able to use her coping mechanisms and she can verbalize a lot of her anxiety. She is becoming this amazing kid - game to try out new things, great sense of humor, very caring. In some ways, she is perfection. I could not imagine her being anything but the way she is. I just wish I could make her path easier, because lots of people are going to find her problematic and try to put her in boxes.
Resources:
I have complied a list of fantastic books that have helped us in our journey.
The above book is amazing - I had no idea that there were other kids out there like my daughter!
Yahoo Groups has a great board for parents with HSC's. I cannot say enough good things about this group. SO supportive. It is called HSCBook.
