Like most kids ... and like his Mom ... Tosh isn't a fan of math. He's always loved the alphabet but numbers are a different story. Numbers make Hulk and Tosh smash.

It's not even that he doesn't understand it. He does.

Tosh's biggest academic hurdle to math has been his inability to write, type or do anything besides point at numbers to indicate the answer. 

I'm all for student-led communication that allows the nonverbal speaker to choose which modality of communication they prefer for different situations. Tosh has pretty decent motor skills and despite all the technology available to my Gen Zer, he usually chooses writing with a pencil. 

However, writing numbers required him to focus so much on the task of writing, he'd forget his academic lesson. It was a never ending seesaw of triumph, followed by frustration.

Recently, he's become obsessed with practicing writing his numbers. This is the same thing he used to do with the alphabet a few years ago. And like the alphabet, the numbers are finally becoming readily available to him when he wants to communicate expressively.

I'm finding numbers everywhere. On the back patio, written on pages and pages and pages of paper, and even wasting my printer ink. 

I love Tosh's growth mindset. This kid sets a goal and will not stop until he meets it. All of the things he can't do (so far), like compete in sports with his neurotypical peers or work a job to save money for a car - they don't matter. 

Why not? Because these experiences are provided to teens so they can learn things like hard work, perseverance, humility, patience and kindness. 

Our kids already have those skills in abundance, because they're required for them to achieve milestones others take for granted.

If that makes you feel deflated, consider this: what is your goal as a parent? Is it to raise the highest achieving adult possible? Or is it to raise a good human? 

If it's the latter, you're KILLING IT. And like Tosh's success on this worksheet, WELL DONE!