When Alyssa showed me a coloring page from Sunday school that had her name written on top, I immediately assumed one of her cousins who goes to Sunday school with her wrote it. She can’t write her name! But then looking at it closer, it didn’t look like her cousins (6 and 8 years old) did it either. I asked Alyssa and she said she did it. I Still thought it wasn’t possible. She doesn’t know how to write her name and nor could she have already learned how to that fast in preschool.

Being that I teach preschoolers with autism and my oldest has autism I find that it is easy to forget what proper development in certain skills looks like. You mean it doesn’t take every preschooler a couple years, if even, to learn how to write their name?

A piece of work cane home in Alyssa’s backpack today. Sure enough, across the paper is her name written the same way it was written on the coloring page from the other day. Alyssa, my baby girl, can write her name! I am so proud of her!

Another autism mom that I follow on social media was just talking about what it is like watching a younger sibling surpass the older sibling with special needs. It really is bitter sweet. There is relief that akyssa doesn’t lack the skills Courtney does, there is pride as I watch her take in information like a sponge, but there is this little sting I also feel as I see how much further Courtney is behind Alyssa. Courtney is 6 years old, has had 3 years of preschool and still is not even close to being able to write her name. She is still learning how to imitate drawing horizontal and vertical lines.

But life isn’t a race to the finish line. If Courtney needs longer to reach certain milestones, I will give her that time.

I am so proud of the progress both of my girls are making in this journey called life!