Feeling deflated but keeping positive.

As I write this I am feeling deflated and sad as I continue to struggle with the day to day dealings of Celeste. Being a single mum of a child who spends her day raging and abusing you is not much fun and leads to struggles within myself. I continue to hold my head above water and paddle along hoping that there is a better day ahead.

Today has been another nightmare with meltdowns being of a grand scale. I have been abused and threatened for no reason with the real victim of the day being the iPad. In a rage Celeste stomped on it smashing the screen. It was not that long ago that I had the screen replaced due to her braking it. I cannot continue to replace the screen on an iPad that really was never the same after the last event. The difficulty here is that her iPad was her relaxant and obsession as YouTube was her link to the world. Tough times ahead but we will just have to cope.

I am also feeling down as we continue to struggle to move forward with the fundraising for her Smart Pup. We have seen first hand the difference these pups make to children with Autism but can only dream of the difference it will make to the daily life of Celeste as we get no closer to the  $20,000 needed. Any help anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated. I can be emailed at
goodgabble@gmail.com.

This week saw the start of another school year. Celeste will continue with Brisbane School of Distance Education where she has been placed in a special needs class and given a teachers aide. What distance education means to Celeste is that she is able to school within the safe and secure environment of her home, and with myself by her side, whilst having the support of her teacher and teacher's aide online. Her lessons are done using a system similar to Skype. This years focus is on English and Maths only and Celeste will be working at a pace that is suited to her learning needs. Although she should be in year 3 she is repeating year 1 this year whilst working at a prep
( kindergarten ) level. Our goals this year are to achieve reading, writing and counting in sequence beyond 20.

During the last week Celeste underwent an Auditory Hearing Test. She was found to have an auditory processing deficit. The good thing is we now know what is causing some of her confusion and meltdowns and will be able to spend time working with her to help. She is currently undergoing her second speech therapy assessment, as her occupational therapist was not happy with the first speech assessment done by university students as he felt they were inconsistent. The speech therapist she is currently working with specialises in Auditory Processing Deficits so she is in good hands.

So overall this week we have been keeping our head above water and paddling along. Tomorrow, next week and the weeks after are unknown but positive things are ahead.

Keep living, loving and laughing.