PCSLearner,

If you are going to discuss anything from your journal, keep it simple and positive, like, "Good job, in the past, (two weeks/months ago) you struggled to do that"

My wife has a signal for me now. I tend to drone on in a discussion or social group. If we are seated, she will sit close and softly put her hand on my leg to get my attention. I have learned to recognize this as a clue to shut up or yield to the others to talk.

When your daughter gets in the "oh look a bird! blah, blah," if you can, go with her thoughts, The ability to be abstract and make observations of her surroundings can be therapeutic.

I enjoy observing faces and children. If I see a child in a store looking at something with curiosity, I will likely engage him in his observations. Something like, "Isn't that neat. Do you know how it works" or "Wow, can you imagine those bubbles all over the place."

Fortunately, the mom is usually within ear shot and my wife is nearby so I don't look like a creep. Getting a chance to be in a child's mind (think like a child) can be very refreshing. I'm a grandpa so my grandkids love this part of my personality. I used to be much more rigid.

There is almost a euphoria in observing the pleasant things around us. Her injury likely makes her easily distractable. Enjoy the moment, then softly return to the task at hand. You may discover some personality characteristics that you have not seen in her before.

I do this often and get a response from my wife of, "Can we get back to what we were doing?" Fortunately, she understands why I wander like this.

Regarding working with children, Young children will usually not respond to her in a negative way. The performance threshold is much lower. It can give her a great sense of normalcy, especially if she can let her mind wander like a small child's. It helps if these opportunities are in a quiet setting.

Her sense of recognizing when she is struggling to understand something often helps her understand when others are trying to understand something.

For the high achiever who is used to judging others as less accomplished, this ability to behave at a simple level is new and valuable.