School Age Friends?

I follow Heather Avis on social media. She has a well known presence in our community and is a fierce advocate. She shares everything including struggles with her children’s IEPs and a lot about social struggles of her daughter, Macy, in the 4th grade.

I’m over four years into this journey. I would say Hannah has friends - loosely. The babysitter’s kids, our friends children whom Hannah has grown up with, and a few peers in the Ds community. But we haven’t reached the age of school friends. 

It’s easy at this age with playdates, but I’m nervous for when Hannah gets older. That gap between typical and developmentally-delayed kids will grow. 

“I write this with a sense of urgency. Kids in fourth grade aren’t going to know the value of a friendship with somebody with a different ability if they do not have those friendships when they are in preschool and maintain them throughout their childhood into their teen years into their adult years. It is our job as parents to establish these relationships, to go out of our way and be intentional.”

I think in a lot of Heather’s posts, she can come off pushy, but I do agree that small children need to be exposed to kids with other abilities, else this teasing and making-fun-of will be too abundant. And that just hurts us all. 

Kids Books That Celebrate Differences

Expose Your Kids to Different Abilities

Heather Avis