One-on-One Aide, ENT Visit

So Lynk has this problem where he snorts. Continually. It drives everyone bonkers. We thought it was allergies. Allergy medications didn't help one bit. We took him in to have him tested for allergies. This kid isn't allergic to anything. So we went to go visit the ENT. His best guess is simply that Lynk has some type of irritant in his nasal passages that's causing irritation, inflammation, and a post-nasal drip, making Lynk feel the need to snort.


Our current try to solve the incessant snorting is to start Lynk on Singulair (a drug commonly used for those who have asthma) in order to try and reduce some of the inflammation in his nasal passages, and we have to use something called NediMed Sinus Rinse. It's a type of nasal irrigation where I get to squeeze large amounts of medicated water through Lynk's sinus passages to wash out any irritants that are hanging out there. It's not pleasant. But it seems to be helping. He isn't snorting quite so much anymore.

In school, there has been a new development. For about two weeks now, Lynk has had a one-on-one aide. This means he has been assigned an aide who stays with him all day. Her name is Ms. D. She helps Lynk with anything he needs, enlarging homework, making sure he can see the board, walking him around the building, helping him erase things. Lynk has come to rely on Ms. D. during the school day. He isn't confident about getting around the school by himself, and having Ms. D. to help him has really made Lynk feel a lot more comfortable at school.

Everyday when I drop Lynk off, Ms. D. waits in the school drop-off line and I drop Lynk off with Ms. D. directly. Everyday, when we pull into the school, Lynk asks me to look and see what Ms. D. is wearing. He tells who people are by what they wear, or by where they are in a room. For instance, every day, I describe to Lynk what Ms. D. is wearing, that way he can tell which person in the pick-up line is Ms. D. In class, he knows who other students are by where they sit in the room. Lynk is able to manage because he's adapting to having low vision. I'm glad that he's able to adapt. We are still learning the various ways Lynk compensates for having low vision. We are very anxiously awaiting his appointment with Dr. Primo in January. Less than a month left!

Hopefully after his visit with Dr. Primo, we will be able to complete his paperwork for additional accommodations in school, including getting him started on braille, getting him an iPad with accessibility apps, and any other types of magnification devices he may need.

Happy Holidays, everyone!