For all Gavin's struggles, and they are many, he still does some pretty amazing things. While he'll never be independent, that doesn't mean he's not gaining some independence. ☺
Every single morning, Gavin begins his day with a bowl of oatmeal. He makes it all by himself and when he doesn't have chocolate chips to mix in, he simply cuts up an apple instead. He used a special tool we have that let's him safely cut up and remove the core of an apple. He doesn't use a knife, especially unsupervised.
My whole point here is that it's important that I focus on things like this because it's so easy to get wrapped up in the things he *can't *do. The reality is, there are a great many things he *can *do and I like to spend more time focusing on those things.
Anything he is able to do on his own is a form of independence. It gives him some autonomy and a feeling of pride. I think it's amazing that he's able to do some of the things he can, even though in many cases, the deck is stacked against him.
The list of things he *can* do for himself may never be as long as the other, but every one of those things on his *can do *list is something to be proud of, and I assure you, I am. I make sure he knows I'm proud of him and that's a good feeling for all involved. ☺
