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I'll vote on my way back from lunch and playtime with my four year old's special ed preschool class. It's always good to be reminded who is most at risk in this world. It's not the CFOs, the CEOs, the politicians or the lobbyists.
It's those that depend on the kindness and understanding of others.
Proud member of the Cult of Issues and Substance!
by Fabian on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 04:08:37 AM PDT
I'm the mother of a 13 year old with Autism. I have to keep reminding my parents that when they vote to cut taxes, Medicaid, etc., they're hurting their grandson.
by CTReformedRep on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 05:14:01 AM PDT
[ Parent ]
another mom of with a special needs kid (3 year old with sensory integration disorder and speech apraxia.) Budget cuts affected us directly last year. My son should have been placed in an integrated program. Its not as if the CPSE came out and admitted such to us, but my son's former special services teacher told me that she saw it at every CPSE meeting she went to.. that budget cuts were the underlying cause for so many at risk special needs kids having their needed services trimmed down to the absolute bare minimum. Granted we still received speech and OT at home, but his disabilities cannot be addressed properly in a private home setting.. he needs the classroom community.
"Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil." ~ Jerry Garcia
by mytribe on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 06:06:50 AM PDT
that having it atken away really hurts. I spent years kicking down doors in Oregon so other people's kids could get services (never happened for my own, that's one reason we left the US). Now I am hearing from those parents of youinger kids who benefited that cutbacks are really biting deep. It's so incredibly stupid--put the money into education, speech, OT/PT etc early, and you are way more likely to have a more functional adult at the end of 18 years--a date that my autistic son will hit this year. Not quite there yet, lots to learn and work on, but he is actually more independent in some things than typically developing teenagers.
This is why the Dems have GOT to win this race, though not the only reason.
Political Compass says: -8.88, -8.67 "We never sold out cos no one would buy."--J Neo Marvin
by expatyank on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 06:27:52 AM PDT
children. My son died in 1991 after 5 years of severe disability. But I know the fights, the pain, the exhaustion and the frequent complete lack of understanding from others. Our school system is great for bright college-bound kids, or even bright, mildly learning-disabled kids -- they figure these kids make them look good. But they despise the children with more severe disabilities and we fought them tooth and nail for years. Boy did they hate us! Did you all ever see the article in Newsweek many years ago called "Mothers from Hell." It was about parents like us who fight for our children and who are hated by school systems and insurance companies. A badge of honor. I wish you all continuing and steady development of your children and a little free time for yourselves.
If, in our efforts to win, we become as dishonest as our opponents on the right, we don't deserve to triumph.
by Tamar on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 07:06:28 AM PDT
I know for a fact I've been labeled "difficult" by the school system because I don't roll over and play dead whenever they want to cut services. And, my biggest sin is actually hiring a lawyer to help me out.
by CTReformedRep on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 07:20:54 AM PDT
medals for willingness to be hated by your school system in defense of your child. Congrats for being "difficult." You must be doing something right!
by Tamar on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 07:27:28 AM PDT
You will be needing them for kicking down all the doors they try to shut in your child's face. I swear, if I was talented at metalwork I would make a little "army boots" charm and sell it on bracelets or necklaces to raise money to support groups like Mothers from Hell. They were a big inspiration to our own Oregon Parents United.
by expatyank on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 03:17:11 PM PDT
so far I've been as nice as possible though. When my son was in early intervention, our case manager warned us about being too "over the top" early on since the CPSE could be your best friend or worst enemy.
I have a contact with a local child/parent advocate who works with our school district's CPSE who counsels me on exactly how to say (and write) things when necessary so as to keep my emotions in check.
With that said, a friend of mine in another school district further north of here has had a horrible time with her daughter's school. Her daughter is dx'd aspergers and they follow a very strict IEP. Mom has to practically go into the school several times a week with IEP in hand demanding that the school follow it. It shouldn't be that way at all.
by mytribe on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 07:33:50 AM PDT
Your son would have been in my son's class - it's classified as a "Communications Class" for children whose primary need is communications. They will be adding a fourth such class in a month. Most of the children are like your son - severe expressive language delay with some other fun things like sensory issues thrown in. Some may be autistic spectrum, but none have full fledged autism.
I characterize my son as a "Black Box". Input goes in, gets processed and then....who knows. He'll say/use some words one time and then they vanish. He is pleased as punch to know his letter and numbers, but may ignore attempts to say them when prompted. DD - yes, MR - no.
by Fabian on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 06:55:04 AM PDT
and told me about a child he saw in a local elementary school. This kid could write, with perfect spelling, the titles of all his favorite shows (quite a few, apparently) on TV. But he can't speak. You just know that there's a lot going on in there, but he can't seem to communicate it. But he's not the classic autistic child because he responds and relates very well to others. My husband was absolutely charmed by this child.
by Tamar on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 07:24:30 AM PDT
about my son, is that his speech has really come around. Especially once we started addressing his sensory issues. On a "bad sensory day" as we call them, his language is horrible. On a "good sensory day" he is a chatterbox.. and such that I can mostly understand him. On his bad days, he gets so frustrated and barely even uses his sign language.
Today is a good day (yesterday was horrid) We've tried the willbarger protocol to try to keep his sensory processing more constant, but it doesn't really help (he hates "brushing time".)
Anyway.. his speech therapist, OT, and I have developed our "plan of attack" for his upcoming yearly eval meeting. There is no way he is getting shut out again this year.
by mytribe on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 07:28:24 AM PDT
really helps your child stabilize his communication skills.
by Tamar on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 07:29:41 AM PDT
Of course, I voted in favor. Right after I got my kid from school after he coughed hard enough to vomit. :-0
by Fabian on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 09:36:49 AM PDT
wide narrow
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