Persevering-Full Speed Ahead

The reason this video is so great is because Tessa is simply amazing!  Her new power chair didn't come with the right technology that would allow us to reverse her toggle (we are waiting on that to be corrected by the vendor).  After a year of practicing in the loaner power chair from the study, we determined that Tessa was most successful by having the chair move forward when she pulled the toggle back and the chair move backward when she toggled forward.  Tessa has more difficulty maintaining the positioning of her hand in a forward motion, so her movement in the chair was much more fluid when we reversed the toggle to where pulling back on it made the chair go forward.

It has been a little frustrating for her in her new chair because every time she reaches up to pull the toggle back, she goes backwards...and that is not at all what she expects to happen.  We weren't sure how much we'd put her in the chair before they were able to come back out and update the technology, but we've been doing pretty good with a hand-over-hand approach.  As long as Tessa keeps her hand on my hand, on the toggle, then I help her drive.  The only independence she has had in her new chair has been going backwards and in circles, because the concept is different than what she's been used to.

Well, last night she showed us!  Our little whipper-snapper found the ability to maintain her hand on the toggle in a forward motion and went full speed ahead!  I could barely get my phone out fast enough to start getting video after she took off.  She was also on the second to highest speed...so I was having to jog next to her to keep her on video!

It is always amazing to me, that even though Tessa's expressive language is somewhat limited, there is no doubt that she is so in tune to everything around her!  She picked up on what she needed to do in her new chair after just a few days of practicing.  We didn't want to force her to learn a new way to drive her chair, because we knew it could be adjusted to the way that she was used to, we would just have to be patient until they got the right stuff ordered.  This is why I had decided to just help her with hand-over-hand, in the meantime.  I absolutely love it that my little girl knows how to persevere!  The design of her new power chair is not what she expected.  She has experienced many moments of frustration when she was unable to get the chair to do what she wanted it to do.  She has been patiently allowing her mommy to help her drive.  She persevered through the disappointment, frustration and moments of dependency and they all led up to a moment full of so much joy ~ success, accomplishment and independence!

The most delightful lessons I learn in my life are the ones the Lord teaches me through my daughter.  It is the most blessed way to be pointed back to Him and to gain a better understanding of what He calls on us for, as His children.

~Whitney