Everyone knows as a child grows there are developmental milestones that we all worry about. Is my child developing at the right pace? When should my child be able to do certain things? What can I do differently to help my child achieve these milestones? Milestones have always looked different for us because Hope’s development hasn’t been the same of that of a neurotypical child. And milestones for children with Down syndrome can differ significantly from child to child. Just recently, it has felt like Hope has just started “getting” things and one of those things, is understanding her name. Hope not only knows what her name is, but she can spell it, sign it, and even write it and while it’s something that she’s been working on for some time, it felt sudden and unexpected when I realised that she could actually do it all.

Like so many things, it didn’t happen overnight, nothing ever does. Hope has been working extra hard in therapy sessions learning the letters and recognising them. She’s been learning to draw lines and circles, which were the start of her learning to write. But its not only therapy where she has been doing these things. Ben has been working extra hard with her at home and educators have been busy helping her at school. There’s been days when Hope just wasn’t interested, she wanted to do her own thing but now, she is wanting to write her name everywhere.

When it comes to writing a name, it may seem like a small step. But for Hope, this was a giant leap. It’s more than just letters on a page, it’s a step towards being able to express herself, it’s showing others just what she is capable of and shows them the determination she has to achieve it. When I saw her write her name for the first time, it made me realise just how much potential she really has.

Hope wrote her own name… and this is just the beginning.