It is okay to be lost. Continuing to choose 'better' is what 'support' is.

The more you learn about special needs support,
don't you ever feel anxious, wondering, 'Am I doing the right thing?'

The other day, someone on social media posted about having the same struggle.
When I commented on that post, I received reactions from over 90 people.

What stayed in many people's hearts were the words of a certain teacher.
They were—
'There is no best. Choose better.'

This time, I would like to delve a little deeper into these words.

Do your best!

This phrase is all too famous.
Even Steve Jobs, the man familiar to us from Apple, seems to have spoken about 'doing your best' at one point.

Everyone wants to do their best.
After all, you practiced hard.
You studied hard.

The same goes for special needs support; those on the supporting side (mothers, fathers, teachers, childcare workers, support staff, etc.) want to provide best! support so that the child or user can 'live their life,' 'participate in sports day,' 'go on a field trip,' 'study,' etc., in a 'best!' state...

It's difficult. It's too difficult... (but this is reality).

Even if you hold meeting after meeting to discuss what to do, and even if parents try desperately to reach out, things are full of things that just don't go well.
That is what special needs support is.

Why is it that things rarely go well? It's because
the ones thinking about what kind of support is good for the person are 'others,' not the person themselves (the child or user).

'How can you spend your time comfortably?' 'Which of these is better?' 'What is difficult?' If you could answer these questions directly, then that wouldn't be a barrier.
What is difficult, where they are struggling, what is uncomfortable... they cannot put these things into words, and even if they can, they don't know how to resolve them, that is where the barrier lies.

Support methods cannot be measured with numerical values like when making glasses.
That is because there is no ruler.

Without a ruler, you cannot know what is 'appropriate.'
That is only natural.

One of the reasons for struggling with special needs support is that results do not appear immediately.

A child learns to hold their head up, learns to roll over, learns to crawl, learns to creep, learns to stand, learns to take one step, learns to take a few more steps, and finally, they are able to walk while holding your hand.

Special support is the same.

Special support is not magic,so there is no such thing as making problems disappear in one go or with a single attempt.

By stacking up many small steps, ease of living lies ahead.

You might be able to do it today but not tomorrow.
That is what support is.

Aiming for the "Yay! You did it!" of a month or a year from now, you continue to choose the better option at that time.

By continuing to choose the better option, the best will eventually come into view.

I believe this way of thinking applies not only to support, but also to child-rearing and daily life.