Lihitkadem (להתקדם) - to be moved forward, to be improved.
Personally, I like the first definitnition better, to move foroward. Because that is exactly what is happening both literally and metaphorically.
The kid that I mostly work with, M, could not sit up at the beginning of the year. He would lie on his back and babble to himself. He would not roll over, though he was able to, nor would he reach out for the toys he wanted. If a toy that he liked was placed infront of him and then taken away, there would be no eye contact to say "where did it go?" nor would he cry for the toy. He could not clap nor pay attention for very long. When I was given the chart of where he should be by the end of the year, I was very overwhelmed. How could I do all these things when the kid can barely roll over?
The first time M sat by himself, my friend and I fawned over him like proud mothers. Now he's a big shot at sitting up. "Look at me!" He giggles. Just a few weeks ago, he managed to pull himself from a sitting position to a standing position. This has also gotten him to realize "Hey look! I have knees!" so he has started kneeling and crawling with his knees as opposed to on his stomach. Now I am working with him to walk with help of a wall or table to steady him. That, he does not like so much. But he didn't like the other excercies either. But look how far he's gotten!
Due to his increase in mobility, M is able to interact with his peers. He is also able to "ask" for a toy that is taken away so many times this leads to arguments with the other kids. He still babbles but the words are more defined. And this kid, this kid will be a singer. When we sing the Hebrew version of seesaw, he will sing the tune back. We sing to the kids everytime we switch activities so at the end of morning meeting the other day we were singing that it was time to eat and although he is unable to say the words, he sang the intonation of the song.
Because of these improvements, M will be moving to the next class in August.If you asked me 2 months ago if I thought he should go to the next class (where the kids walk and kind of talk) I would have said no. But given his recent progress I am so happy that he will be moving up and not staying in the same class.
While the job is very rewarding despite what seems like slow progress, I really appreciate M's mom. At least once a week she will write in his notebook about how she's so happy that he's "moved forward". That she has noticed his babbling has changed and that he's starting to stand and reach out for things. And whenever she sees me, she just thanks me a thousand times and is so grateful.
Or at least that what I think she says because she talks a mile a minute.
