1. October 2013: Hahgoot’s challenges got to a new peak I had enough of the dreadful balloon phobia, about time we started a new phobia... 

2. Hahgoot’s balloon phobia was at its worst for years this month: she had two big public meltdowns, one at the library (when she saw kids come out of a fair with balloon swords in their hands – screaming and kicking on the floor in the library is not the best thing...) and one at the supermarket (the new gym handed out balloons with advertisement and she just lost it when she saw all the kids walking around and playing with them when queuing at the cashier). She also refused to sit in a Physics show at school as she was worried something will burst (her teacher was very understanding but also managed to convince her to come in for the last part). She declined a birthday party invitation as it was going to be a science theme. I have to say I reached the end of my rope with this stuff... It is getting too much.

3. We kept going to the OT at Blaxland, where Hahgoot’s empathic therapist, Bec, worked hard to try and support Hahgoot’s anxieties and difficulties, but we still have a very long road... Hahgoot now copes much better with the train rides but she needs to have the earphones on. Here she is reading a comics about the Colosseum in Rome.

4. Bec added some physical activities to help Hahgoot’s engine to go up. Despite a year of trials, Hahgoot still won’t go down the slide. Hahgoot has her earphones on because it was a very hot day and the cicadas were extremely noisy! I wish I could have those on, as the noise was really painful and deafening.

5. “Skills for Kids” have a really nice outdoors setting for various activities.

6. At swimming class Hahgoot wasn’t really progressing much with her coach Amy. Nothing to do with the instructor, who was fine and persistent, but Hahgoot just kept on refusing to jump in the water and was generally quite passive and disconnected from the process of learning to swim.

7. We decided to change the time of the swimming class, as 10 am on a Sunday was too hard for all of us. This time Hahgoot got Hayden as a coach. He is quirky and unexpected and gives her interesting challenges like swimming after balls or swimming on her back with a ducky on top. He also juggles balls while she tries to move ahead...

8. In January Alma will move from a spectator to an active participant as she’ll join Hahgoot in class. We’ll see how that goes.

9. Pets are good therapy...

10. Hahgoot’s main way of “dealing” with the strong emotions and fears is to escape into a fantasy land she draws (currently called “Candy land”, where everything is made out of candy and lollies). As long as it is an artistic outlet I don’t mind it, but the reality is that she isn’t dealing with the problems and is just stuck. In our next presentation: Drawings and books