Writing.. by Lotte

It doesn't feel such a long time ago that we had to explain Lotte about writing full sentences, let alone full stories. It was hard work to have her to correct her homework in order to write down real answers instead of just repeating random words that were in the question..
(Actually, come to think of it, I recently taught her that she has to answer using the words in the question before she starts looking for the answer.... OK.. this is could become a problem..)

Anyway... Here's a story she had to write for her Norwegian homework.
OK.. it's in Norwegian, so most of you won't be able to read it.. except the names of Justin Beber and Selena Gomes.. but that doesn't matter.
She was with two other friends at home doing their math and Norwegian homework, and had great fun. Each of them wrote their "essay" and when everyone was finished they all had turns reading it before the others; taking great pride in the work they created.

The story that Lotte wrote is just one of those milestones, or wake-up calls, for us to see how well Lotte is doing in school and socially. Catching up unnoticeable as the days tick by.
A wakeup call because in a way.. "life goes on".. and looking out for new developments and milestones is not a daily activity for us. We sometimes need to be stopped in our daily tracks in order to see what has happened.

This blog is another way to reflect upon where Lotte is coming from. It is a way not to focus on what Lotte cannot do (which isn't much) but to see where she is coming from, how all the work that has been put into her, by us, by her, by the school has paid off..

btw..
Lotte has been going back and forth this weekend to a friend rehearsing for a play that they have put together..
Can't wait to see it...

Writing

As mentionned before, Lotte loves to write as well.

She starts to get the idea of combining letters and create words. "Lotte", "mamma" and pappa" are favorites.

Early january, her sister helped her make a note to us (parents).

Her sister wrote "Hip Hura".. Lotte the rest...
I'm sure that seeing her brother and sister doing their homework, writing all the time, inspires her. She WANTS to do this...
I've said it before.... having a brother and sister is such a huge bonus!!

---SON---SOL---SUN---ZON---

This happened today, when we came home around 17:00, and got the mail from the mailbox.
The mailbox was wet, and this turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to write with her finger, so Lotte started: "L-O-T-T-E”. While she wrote her name she pronounced the letters as out loud: "L-O-T-T-E”.

Then..... came the dutch variant of the word SUN, she wrote "SON" (should be ZON). This was a true breakthrough, and had I not have the knowledge that I have gained in the last months, I would not have perceived how big a breaktrhough this was.

Increadable... think this deaf girl that at the age of 4 after only two years with sound manages to break the reading code.....

----SON----SOL----SUN----ZON----

Det som skjedde i dag, var at når vi kom hjem i 17-tiden, gikk vi for å hente posten i postkassen. Postkassen var våt, og den viste seg å være et ypperlig middel å skrive på med fingeren, og Lotte satt i gang: ”L-O-T-T-E”. Mens hun skrev navnet sitt sa hun lydene til bokstavene høyt: L-O-T-T-E.

Så....... kom det en nederlandsk variant av ordet SOL, hun skrev ”SON” (skal være ZON). Dette var et sannelig gjennombrudd, og hadde jeg ikke hatt den kunnskapen jeg har fått inne de siste månedene, hadde jeg ikke skjønt på samme måten hvor stor denne begivenheten egentlig var!!!

Helt utrolig.... tenk den døve jenta som ved 4-årsalderen og etter bare to år med lyd holder på å knekke lesekoden....

Writing skills...

Today it's official - to us anyway.
Lotte can write her own name. And she's just as proud as we are.

Before, she would identify allmost all characters in the alphabet, but based on persons she new. So "L" would be "Lotte", "S" would be "Sanne", "T" would be "Tone" etc.
But today, she wrote her name and pronounced just the character.... "L", "o", "t" and "t" and "e"....
The connections have been made. Not bad for a 4½ year old with only 2 years of sound.








Another "task" she manages now is controlling the computer mouse. A year ago, we would have to click for her, but now she has the fine skills to control the position of the mouse. To us it seems so natural, but when one looks at a child that doesn't get it, one realises that it requires some synapses.

Otherwise, as the picture shows... not really X-mas weather. It's still 10º celcius outside. Unheared of... but it's the same in the rest of Europe.. Records everywhere.
I'm sure a small change in wind-direction will throw us straight into winter.