A Great Miracle

 A Great Miracle - The Transition to First Grade

"Mira was born with a heart defect, and in her first days as a baby we discovered that she didn't have blood flow in her legs. At the Tel HaShomer hospital we found that the main artery had been extremely narrowed and it didn't transfer enough oxygen to the brain. What saved her life, actually, was the fetal heart beat that functioned when the fetus was in the womb. Our amazing luck was that with Mira it continued to beat and saved her life. While she was hospitalized, the fetal heartbeat ceased to function and on Sunday she was already operated upon in a surgery that was termed a complete success. However, this isn't the story that I'm telling here, even though that according to my opinion the trauma that Mira went through as an infant after the heart surgery had consequences on everything that happened later", tells Mira's mother who requests to remain anonymous.

"Mira's development as an infant and toddler was normal throughout the years. Approximately at four years old we began to notice developmental delays. The developmental gaps showed up in different areas, including: speech, gross and fine motor skills, limited vocabulary, slow verbal retrieval skills and a hearing reduction."

What did the doctors say?

"The doctors who operated on Mira told me to treat her as a completely normal girl, but apparently the body experienced a trauma that brought with it additional complications, and in fact, after noticing the difficulties that Mira developed and turning to professionals, we understood that Mira functioned below average for her age. She developed hypotonia (low muscle tension), her intellectual functioning was borderline normal, and her performance capabilities were even lower. In the evaluation that we took her for, the psychologist said that Mira has low self-confidence, becomes tired quickly when playing, becomes hopeless and gives up. Similarly, she has learning gaps in comparison to others her age. Throughout this time, the preschool felt that she was not ready to enter first grade and in the assessment we did at six and a half years old, the psychologist claimed that Mira wouldn't survive in first grade and the problem of emotional difficulties, anxieties, and difficulty dealing with problems and solving them came up once again. In this evaluation it was established that Mira was two years behind her classmates, in other words, although she was six years old, but her capabilities were that of a four and a half year old. The recommendation was that she should remain in kindergarten for another year, while the expectation was that she could start first grade at approximately eight years old.

The Rehabilitation Process:

"Mira actually began to be treated from four years of age when we were referred to a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. After the second evaluation in which it was decided that Mira would remain another year in kindergarten, a psychologist from the kindergarten came to me and recommended a special program at Nitzan that combines hydrotherapy and first grade preparation within a group framework. We came to Nitzan, who were very accommodating, and Mira began to participate in this program."

"What characterizes the program more than anything was the combination of remedial instruction and hydrotherapy, tells Eda Levi, director of the Nitzan branch in Hadera. "The combination of remedial instruction and treatment in water is a real experience and through this it is possible to advance the children. This a new idea in the field of learning disabilities that allows children to experience a wide variety of social and motor experiences and helps to improve necessary skills in the learning process.

Have you encountered along the way difficulties or obstacles?

"Technical difficulties were quickly solved.  Since we're a haredi (ultra-orthodox) family, we requested that they should adjust the group makeup so that Mira could be in a group of only girls. And, in fact, that's what happened. The main difficulty was when Mira was already integrated into the group and began the treatment and then I saw that as far as her functioning and capabilities are concerned she was behind the others in the group. This was certainly difficult."

Support systems all along the way: "We had many good helpers that assisted us all along the way: preschool teachers, teachers, and psychologists. The biggest support we received was from Nitzan with the assistance of Eda Levi, director of the Hadera branch, and the efforts of the hydrotherapy instructor and the group teacher who did "holy work" and were real sources of light for us."

Moment of Desperation:

"I never gave up. I knew I had to do everything for her. I believed that a girl who overcame the difficulties she overcame as an infant would survive and succeed and that I as the mother was obligated to give her all of the provisions to do this."

Moment of Hope:

"All along the way there were moments of hope, even if it was wrapped in coming to terms with the fact that Mira would have to spend another year in kindergarten. I knew it didn't matter where she would be, I wouldn't let her fall."

The Recuperation:

"Throughout the work that Mira did at Nitzan, we began to see slowly but surely improvement and narrowing of gaps. The teacher described her as a girl with high motivation, and with the help of hydrotherapy, there was great improvement. In the final days of the summer break we once again did an assessment, and this time the psychologist himself was very surprised from the progress that Mira made and it was noticeable that she narrowed many gaps that we never thought would happen so quickly. The evaluator immediately recommended an additional assessment, psycho-didactic, and then it was recommended that Mira advance to first grade with the assistance of a personal aid. This was already the day before the first day of the school year. So the evening before the first day of school we ran to buy a backpack and school supplies and we made for Mira a big surprise. Her joy was indescribable; as was the good it did for her and us as well. Mira began to learn in first grade in a regular class, with assistance understandably. Today, she's already in third grade, still with assistance, but a good student who has succeeded despite everything." 

Your Miracle:

"From the moment of Mira's birth, we've had several miracles: the first is her life that was saved, the second miracle is without a doubt her entrance into first grade. So much as entering first grade is natural for many children, for us it was a complete surprise, since we had already prepared ourselves for the delay of two years and maybe even three. The fact that Mira narrowed the developmental and learning gaps of approximately two years in just two months of work is sometimes incomprehensible.

What do you take with yourselves for life?

"The message I want to relate is that in any situation we, as parents, must work hard for our children. We have to give them everything we can and find for them all of the ways, as long as these are the correct and appropriate ways for them.