[Developmental Monday] From 10 to 23 days of therapy. The reason it was approved in a strict municipality, and the first glimpse of 'concrete' support I've ever encountered

/Turning the rollercoaster of raising a neurodivergent child into entertainment/
I am Hitomi Kuma, a mom in my late 30s
aiming to publish a Kindle picture book.

I represent my son, who has ASD, ADHD, and DCD traits, as 'Arara' the raccoon🦝

▶ See the bottom of the article for a list of post themes

🐻‍❄️.｡.:・ﾟ💫 .｡.:・ﾟ🦝.｡.:・ﾟ💫.｡.:・ﾟ

'Mom, this time it has been approved as an exception.'

The moment I heard those words, I felt the taut string inside me snap, and my shoulders finally relaxed.

Hello! I'm Hitomi Kuma, a mom in my late 30s who is producing my son as an idol in the note world,
aiming for a 'gentler world' where neurodivergent children can live a little more easily.

My 4-year-old son has a diagnosis of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), and also has traits of ADHD and DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder).

This time, it was a review to increase the 'number of service days' following the renewal of his disability welfare service recipient certificate.

The result was an increase from 10 days a month to '23 days'.

The municipality where I live is famous for having extremely strict reviews, making it difficult to get more days approved.

I will talk about how I overcame that 'wall,' and about the 'glimmer of hope' that is currently visiting us.

The honest 'reality of our home' that broke through the strict wall

I often hear people say, 'You should exaggerate the current situation during the review.'

But in my case, there was absolutely no need to exaggerate.

I simply laid out the struggles at home and the history at his nursery school exactly as they were.

I feel there were two main points that led to the approval.

① The necessity of specialized care that outweighs 'municipal circumstances'

Depending on the municipality, there is a reality where they are forced to limit the number of days due to finances or a lack of facilities.

However, for my son right now, the support he needs is overwhelmingly insufficient within the group life (nursery school) alone.

I conveyed earnestly and clearly that these are issues that must be addressed one by one with care in a professional 'developmental support' setting.

② Addressing the 'mismatch' with the nursery school using facts, not just numbers

There were many moments when I felt lonely regarding how the school handled things until now.

Important communication notebooks were lost, and during a nursery school observation, my child cried and screamed for 30 minutes without entering the classroom or eating lunch, while we, as parent and child, were left outside the classroom.

Even when I was just reporting things in the communication notebook, the teacher's words, 'Please consult your developmental support provider about any problems,'
honestly made me feel like crying many times, thinking, 'There is no place for us anywhere.'

The current situation where 'it is difficult to provide further support at the school' unintentionally became a powerful justification that 'that is precisely why developmental support time is necessary'.

*However, these 23 days are 'limited to one year.' Another battle awaits next year, but for now, I want to cherish this year!
*Since the increase in days was decided after the contract with the developmental support facility was created, there is also the reality that securing 23 days is difficult (crying).

The 'ray of hope' that suddenly appeared is the new homeroom teacher

In the midst of this, there was a happy change at the start of the new school year.

It was meeting the new homeroom teacher.

When I spoke about my son's characteristics for a few minutes during pickup, I doubted my ears at the words that came back from the teacher.

......I almost cried.

Because it was the first time a teacher had proposed 'concrete support' before I even had to ask.

This spring, the scattered pieces are connecting

I absolutely do not want to let this 'good flow' slip away.

When I immediately reported this to the developmental support facility and the consultation support specialist, signs began to appear that a 'three-party consultation' which had been difficult until now, might be possible.

[Nursery School × Developmental Support Facility × Consultation Support Specialist]

The scattered puzzle pieces are finally starting to form a single picture.

If I could wish for more, I would want the home rehabilitation service providers to join this circle as well.

My goal for this spring is,

So that my son can smile in his own way in a 'well-rounded world'.

While holding onto my dream of becoming a Kindle picture book author, I intend to take it one step at a time, starting with building this 'team' right here.

The question the teacher asked me: 'Which communicates better, illustrations or photos?'

I will continue to produce my work with all my heart, hoping that the illustrations and stories I create will one day become 'emotional signposts' for children like my son.

💬 To all note creators

In your municipality, was the application for developmental support service days smooth?

If you have experiences like 'Ours is even stricter!' or 'This is how I got it approved!',
please share the reality of your region in the comments.

Let's work together to create a 'well-rounded world' where neurodivergent children can live easily!

🐻‍❄️.｡.:・ﾟ💫 .｡.:・ﾟ🦝.｡.:・ﾟ💫 .｡.:・ﾟ🎤

＼To all moms and dads of neurodivergent children／
Hey, listen to this

by Ru-chan

by Maki-san

Upcoming themes▼

#ThingsIWantToDoThisSpring
#ServiceRecipient
#DevelopmentalDisability
#ASD
#ADHD
#DCD
#HomeDevelopmentalSupport
#DevelopmentalSupport
#ParentingDiary
#KindlePictureBook
#GrowthMonday
#Arara