I've been off work since February 11th, and just got back to work recently, breaking the routine that is Dayton's safety net... Grrrrr...
Mr. Barkee Von Schnouser refuses to do his home reading at any other time then "bed time." I thought it a good idea to do it then to bring him down from his high of a day before bed time, but now that I'm working split shifts to accommodate our lack of daycare... well, it's just not possible. In order for me to do that, I'd have to wake him up from his sleep, read a book with him and then sprinkle fairy dust on him to have him go back to sleep... I'm fresh out of fairy dust, so what's a mamma supposed to do?
So... during my 'break' in split shifts, I'm back to making picture schedules for Dayton and his teenage babysitter. Thank God for the iPod touch, which takes away all the cutting and pasting and taping and, and, and... then again, maybe I should go back to the old fashioned way of making a picture schedule and make him a poster of what to expect? Ugh!!! I hate picture schedules!!! And the chances of a teenager worrying about my babe's home reading material is next to notta...
I'm resorting to bribing Dayton today to do his home reading during my 'break.' Will keep you posted on his progress... In the mean time, any suggestions, please let me know!!!
Consider yourselves hugged,
Lou
Monday, 16 January 2012
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Scandal Exposed in Major Study of Autism and Mercury
Scandal Exposed in Major Study of Autism and Mercury
I don't know where you stand on vaccinations, but I do know there are two teams: team anti-vaccination, and team pro-vaccination.
You have to admit, there controversy is a never ending one. With stories of Somalian children coming to the States perfectly healthy, then upon vaccination, 50% turn autistic, there is a likelihood that vaccinations do not CAUSE autism, but trigger the autism. I'm fairly certain that's what happened to Dayton...
Another autism mom commented on the Autism Winnipeg Facebook Page one day during a debate whether or not vaccines are responsible for autism: "genes are the gun, and environment (ie/ vaccines) are the trigger."
All of us have a genetic disposition for one thing or another. Think of heart disease, Parkinson's and cancer. I myself have a mutant gene that causes breast and ovarian cancer. Will I get cancer? It's not a 100% certain, however given the right circumstances (environment), I have a higher risk than most of the female population to end up having breast or ovarian cancer. So I opted for preventative surgeries to ensure that I don't end up with the same fate as my mom who passed away at age 48.
Something's happening in our environment for the rate of autism to continue to grow. There are children who have never been vaccinated and still have autism. I'm thinking as a society, major industrial changes have taken place in the last hundred years. A hundred years ago, there was no fast food services as we have today. Our live stock was not vaccinated. We grew our own food in our gardens. Everything we ate was made from "scratch." Today you can walk into a grocery store and buy pre-packaged meals full of chemicals and preservatives, the main one being MSG. And there are people out there allergic to MSG. Allergies are popping up left, right and centre. Allergies that weren't there a hundred years ago...
Just some food for thought.
Consider yourselves hugged,
Lou
I don't know where you stand on vaccinations, but I do know there are two teams: team anti-vaccination, and team pro-vaccination.
You have to admit, there controversy is a never ending one. With stories of Somalian children coming to the States perfectly healthy, then upon vaccination, 50% turn autistic, there is a likelihood that vaccinations do not CAUSE autism, but trigger the autism. I'm fairly certain that's what happened to Dayton...
Another autism mom commented on the Autism Winnipeg Facebook Page one day during a debate whether or not vaccines are responsible for autism: "genes are the gun, and environment (ie/ vaccines) are the trigger."
All of us have a genetic disposition for one thing or another. Think of heart disease, Parkinson's and cancer. I myself have a mutant gene that causes breast and ovarian cancer. Will I get cancer? It's not a 100% certain, however given the right circumstances (environment), I have a higher risk than most of the female population to end up having breast or ovarian cancer. So I opted for preventative surgeries to ensure that I don't end up with the same fate as my mom who passed away at age 48.
Something's happening in our environment for the rate of autism to continue to grow. There are children who have never been vaccinated and still have autism. I'm thinking as a society, major industrial changes have taken place in the last hundred years. A hundred years ago, there was no fast food services as we have today. Our live stock was not vaccinated. We grew our own food in our gardens. Everything we ate was made from "scratch." Today you can walk into a grocery store and buy pre-packaged meals full of chemicals and preservatives, the main one being MSG. And there are people out there allergic to MSG. Allergies are popping up left, right and centre. Allergies that weren't there a hundred years ago...
Just some food for thought.
Consider yourselves hugged,
Lou
Monday, 9 January 2012
Wanted: New Friends Part Deux
It's happening. It really is happening and it's scaring the crap out of me. I don't know why, it's something I've wanted to do for a long time, but you know how they say that people retard their own success because they're actually afraid of succeeding? I pray I'm not one of them.
If you haven't read "Wanted: New Friends" yet, you need to read it in order for the rest of my post to make any sense.
While I'm scared, I'm also super excited. Super Dad and I have thought about a name for the group (which seems to be heading more into an organisation), and we've decided on PACE. A couple of reasons. Super Dad thought the acronym suits "Parents of Autistic Children Everywhere," which is awesome.
I thought in literal terms, you know, something I always say to Dayton: "Pace yourself babe." It's also something that we as parents need to do ourselves, pace ourselves. Our lives are hectically chaotic, and we need to understand that as parents of kids on the autism spectrum, WE ARE SUPER PARENTS already. Pacing ourselves would make us even more awesome. Getting all flustered never helped anyone. I know for myself even in the pharmacy, when things start to feel out of control because I'm so busy, I literally need to stop in my tracks, tell myself to slow down and "pace" myself. Things then settle down for me, and I'm able to keep the pharmacy flow going at a good pace. No pun intended.
I've met a few great people in our coffee addict get togethers with other PACE (parents of autistic children everywhere) if you prefer Super Dad's view of PACE. One of them is a fantastic freelance photographer, who prides himself on having patience and the ability to take fantastic portraits of children on the autism spectrum. Of course, Tony has patience and the ability to take great portraits of kids on the spectrum as he is a father of two, of which both are on the spectrum. Takes an autism dad to have these awesome qualities. Not only that, but Tony has volunteered his help in the promotion of PACE, especially the part of PACE where my idea is to rent a gym for our kids to meet in a non judgemental place, a place where they can feel accepted for being who they are and how they think.
Our friend Marni Wachs Zuke, the creator of Autism Winnipeg Facebook Page says our PACE acronym stands for: Parents/Autism/Coffee/Escaping.
No matter how Super Dad and I look at it, we like the acronym PACE and I think we're just gonna go for it.
And so it's done. I purchased the domain two days ago, and finally finished the content of the website. You can find it at www.pacewithasd.com. Those of you that live in Winnipeg really need to check the website out, as this is where we'll post all of our get togethers. Right now we're just getting together for "coffee breaks," but soon I hope to get the gymboree for the kidlets ready... Just takes time, but bear with me, it WILL happen. I've already got some volunteers lined up, it's just a matter of time.
Hope you've all had a great winter holiday with the kids and are looking forward to sending them back to school today.
If you're looking for family portraits or any other photographer work requiring special attention to detail and a slick, professional look or patience, check out Tony's website at AnthonyMarkPhotography.net, or call Tony at 204-233-0598, or email: plaiditude@gmail.com
Consider yourselves hugged,
Lou
If you haven't read "Wanted: New Friends" yet, you need to read it in order for the rest of my post to make any sense.
While I'm scared, I'm also super excited. Super Dad and I have thought about a name for the group (which seems to be heading more into an organisation), and we've decided on PACE. A couple of reasons. Super Dad thought the acronym suits "Parents of Autistic Children Everywhere," which is awesome.
I thought in literal terms, you know, something I always say to Dayton: "Pace yourself babe." It's also something that we as parents need to do ourselves, pace ourselves. Our lives are hectically chaotic, and we need to understand that as parents of kids on the autism spectrum, WE ARE SUPER PARENTS already. Pacing ourselves would make us even more awesome. Getting all flustered never helped anyone. I know for myself even in the pharmacy, when things start to feel out of control because I'm so busy, I literally need to stop in my tracks, tell myself to slow down and "pace" myself. Things then settle down for me, and I'm able to keep the pharmacy flow going at a good pace. No pun intended.
I've met a few great people in our coffee addict get togethers with other PACE (parents of autistic children everywhere) if you prefer Super Dad's view of PACE. One of them is a fantastic freelance photographer, who prides himself on having patience and the ability to take fantastic portraits of children on the autism spectrum. Of course, Tony has patience and the ability to take great portraits of kids on the spectrum as he is a father of two, of which both are on the spectrum. Takes an autism dad to have these awesome qualities. Not only that, but Tony has volunteered his help in the promotion of PACE, especially the part of PACE where my idea is to rent a gym for our kids to meet in a non judgemental place, a place where they can feel accepted for being who they are and how they think.
Our friend Marni Wachs Zuke, the creator of Autism Winnipeg Facebook Page says our PACE acronym stands for: Parents/Autism/Coffee/Escaping.
No matter how Super Dad and I look at it, we like the acronym PACE and I think we're just gonna go for it.
And so it's done. I purchased the domain two days ago, and finally finished the content of the website. You can find it at www.pacewithasd.com. Those of you that live in Winnipeg really need to check the website out, as this is where we'll post all of our get togethers. Right now we're just getting together for "coffee breaks," but soon I hope to get the gymboree for the kidlets ready... Just takes time, but bear with me, it WILL happen. I've already got some volunteers lined up, it's just a matter of time.
Hope you've all had a great winter holiday with the kids and are looking forward to sending them back to school today.
If you're looking for family portraits or any other photographer work requiring special attention to detail and a slick, professional look or patience, check out Tony's website at AnthonyMarkPhotography.net, or call Tony at 204-233-0598, or email: plaiditude@gmail.com
Consider yourselves hugged,
Lou
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Autistic Boy Forced Into Duffel Bag By Teacher
This story was enough to make me want to puke... Make sure you read it before you continue reading...
http://news.yahoo.com/school-accused-putting-autistic-student-bag-182229844.html
I get so riled up when I hear of children with disabilities being treated like animals. If it's not ok to do to a neurological child, then what on earth makes someone think that it's acceptable to do this to a disabled child? What happened to the saying "You catch more bees with honey than vinegar?" If a child is being difficult, what on earth makes you think that abusing the child will make him or her "change their mind?"
When has treating people like dirt helped anyone?! What is wrong with today's society? Like parents don't have to deal with enough crap when they're out and about. I'm no stranger to being treated and having my son treated horribly. But the day I walk into a school and find my boy zipped up in a duffel bag, is the day I go postal on that school.
I'm pretty sure I would end up throwing the aid into the gym bag and roll them down the hallway at high speed to knock down my bowling pins. The principal would be rolled into a duffel bag of his own and used as a soccer ball for the 5th grade class, and the teacher... I'd make her choke on her apple.
So we all believe that Hitler was this bad, bad dude who killed millions of jews, right? What makes our society ANY different if we're going to sit here and allow this type of treatment of our special needs children?! We are in the process of eliminating a race of people who think differently by tolerating this type of behaviour. Holly crap! And the killer of this is that there are no consequences for the school's behaviour! Who's Hitler now people? We're just as responsible for knowing it's happening and doing nothing about it!
Can you imagine what would happen if a parent did this to their child? You'd better believe we'd be arrested for child abuse, thrown in jail and they'd throw away the key. But a school... a school can treat your child any way they want?! They have more rights to your child than you do as their parent?! What the...
What are your thoughts on this?
Consider yourselves hugged,
Lou
http://news.yahoo.com/school-accused-putting-autistic-student-bag-182229844.html
I get so riled up when I hear of children with disabilities being treated like animals. If it's not ok to do to a neurological child, then what on earth makes someone think that it's acceptable to do this to a disabled child? What happened to the saying "You catch more bees with honey than vinegar?" If a child is being difficult, what on earth makes you think that abusing the child will make him or her "change their mind?"
When has treating people like dirt helped anyone?! What is wrong with today's society? Like parents don't have to deal with enough crap when they're out and about. I'm no stranger to being treated and having my son treated horribly. But the day I walk into a school and find my boy zipped up in a duffel bag, is the day I go postal on that school.
I'm pretty sure I would end up throwing the aid into the gym bag and roll them down the hallway at high speed to knock down my bowling pins. The principal would be rolled into a duffel bag of his own and used as a soccer ball for the 5th grade class, and the teacher... I'd make her choke on her apple.
So we all believe that Hitler was this bad, bad dude who killed millions of jews, right? What makes our society ANY different if we're going to sit here and allow this type of treatment of our special needs children?! We are in the process of eliminating a race of people who think differently by tolerating this type of behaviour. Holly crap! And the killer of this is that there are no consequences for the school's behaviour! Who's Hitler now people? We're just as responsible for knowing it's happening and doing nothing about it!
Can you imagine what would happen if a parent did this to their child? You'd better believe we'd be arrested for child abuse, thrown in jail and they'd throw away the key. But a school... a school can treat your child any way they want?! They have more rights to your child than you do as their parent?! What the...
What are your thoughts on this?
Consider yourselves hugged,
Lou
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Coffee Addicts Annonymous
Had another "coffee break" with a group of autism parents last night and met two new ladies thanks to the Autism Winnipeg Facebook page.
This was our second time out for "coffee" as a group and Mike and I really need to come up with a name for this coffee meeting we're trying to get started, to create a sense of community for parents with children on the autism spectrum. You know, a place where you can vent if you want with, no one looking at you as though you've gone completely insane because they can not possibly understand what your life is like. Like the time where I told my friend how Dayton as a toddler would press his ear to the floor and crawl in my kitchen while feeling the texture on the side of his face... Maybe his ear was itchy? She kind of looked at me like I was raising a freak or something...
Getting out with the parents was nice because I felt like I'm not alone. It was hard for me to leave the comfort of my nice warm living room when all I felt like doing was cuddling up under a blankie and watch a movie with Dayton who was sad because daddy's left town again for a month. In saying this, I know that secluding ourselves in the house is NOT healthy. However... it is soooooo much easier to just stay at home. Staying at home means that Dayton has his toys at his finger tips. I have my jammies and am super comfortable wrapped in a blankie. If Dayton has a hissy fit, I don't have to explain anything to anyone. I just deal with it. There's no one there to judge us. Life is so much easier this way, with no one there to judge my son, my parenting or me.
Listening to the two moms' stories of their younger boys, I recalled similarities with Dayton at their age. Another thing that came up that we had in common was extreme morning sickness requiring the anti-nausea drug Diclectin (doxylamine succinate, pyridoxine hydrochloride), which is the only anti-nauseant / antiemetic specifically prescribed by doctors to pregnant women to manage nausea.
We also shared gestational diabetes, and I myself had pre-eclampsia (formerly known as toxemia - sounds harsh). We all have mercury fillings... Makes you wonder, doesn't it? I think research should direct it's way into pre-natal care, just saying. In saying that, a lot more research needs to be done on helping our kids as they will be adults soon. Dayton's already turning ten this February, how FAST time flew by! And no wonder... I've been so busy with doctors appointments, hospital trips, observations, numerous ear infections, surgeries, EEG's, behaviour therapists, neurologist, developmental specialists, school, etc...
It's good getting out of the house, sharing stories and feeling accepted no matter what. We even talked about CFS being called on us because of our children's behaviour, and the emotional turmoil and humiliation it brought.
It doesn't look that the world around us is going to change. It's up to us to cope, but how do you cope alone? I don't know about you, but I for one need some emotional support, not counselling, but meeting with parents out there that understand. But getting out of the house... It's just so time consuming, and I'm lazy. Yeah, I said it, you heard me - I AM LAZY. If I don't have to do it, I won't do it. It's one more thing on my list of things I have to do, and my list is huge. Whopping big. Enormous. Gigantic. I have many things to do and people to annoy. It's my thing.
But then I think of one of my autism mom friends, God bless her, who is in immense pain, using crutches to get out in this weather, and I think to myself: if she is doing it, you need to get your butt in gear and just do it! Plus, she made the mistake of trusting my driving... and didn't get scared even when I got us lost and made illegal U-turns...
The toughest exercise in life is to just get out and do it. Once you're doing it, it becomes easier and easier and eventually becomes a routine.
So, if you live in the Winnipeg area, keep an eye out on the Autism Winnipeg Facebook page. That's where we post when and where we'll meet up. Feel free to email me as well for times and places.
autism.diva.help@gmail.com
Consider yourselves hugged,
Lou
This was our second time out for "coffee" as a group and Mike and I really need to come up with a name for this coffee meeting we're trying to get started, to create a sense of community for parents with children on the autism spectrum. You know, a place where you can vent if you want with, no one looking at you as though you've gone completely insane because they can not possibly understand what your life is like. Like the time where I told my friend how Dayton as a toddler would press his ear to the floor and crawl in my kitchen while feeling the texture on the side of his face... Maybe his ear was itchy? She kind of looked at me like I was raising a freak or something...
Getting out with the parents was nice because I felt like I'm not alone. It was hard for me to leave the comfort of my nice warm living room when all I felt like doing was cuddling up under a blankie and watch a movie with Dayton who was sad because daddy's left town again for a month. In saying this, I know that secluding ourselves in the house is NOT healthy. However... it is soooooo much easier to just stay at home. Staying at home means that Dayton has his toys at his finger tips. I have my jammies and am super comfortable wrapped in a blankie. If Dayton has a hissy fit, I don't have to explain anything to anyone. I just deal with it. There's no one there to judge us. Life is so much easier this way, with no one there to judge my son, my parenting or me.
Listening to the two moms' stories of their younger boys, I recalled similarities with Dayton at their age. Another thing that came up that we had in common was extreme morning sickness requiring the anti-nausea drug Diclectin (doxylamine succinate, pyridoxine hydrochloride), which is the only anti-nauseant / antiemetic specifically prescribed by doctors to pregnant women to manage nausea.
We also shared gestational diabetes, and I myself had pre-eclampsia (formerly known as toxemia - sounds harsh). We all have mercury fillings... Makes you wonder, doesn't it? I think research should direct it's way into pre-natal care, just saying. In saying that, a lot more research needs to be done on helping our kids as they will be adults soon. Dayton's already turning ten this February, how FAST time flew by! And no wonder... I've been so busy with doctors appointments, hospital trips, observations, numerous ear infections, surgeries, EEG's, behaviour therapists, neurologist, developmental specialists, school, etc...
It's good getting out of the house, sharing stories and feeling accepted no matter what. We even talked about CFS being called on us because of our children's behaviour, and the emotional turmoil and humiliation it brought.
It doesn't look that the world around us is going to change. It's up to us to cope, but how do you cope alone? I don't know about you, but I for one need some emotional support, not counselling, but meeting with parents out there that understand. But getting out of the house... It's just so time consuming, and I'm lazy. Yeah, I said it, you heard me - I AM LAZY. If I don't have to do it, I won't do it. It's one more thing on my list of things I have to do, and my list is huge. Whopping big. Enormous. Gigantic. I have many things to do and people to annoy. It's my thing.
But then I think of one of my autism mom friends, God bless her, who is in immense pain, using crutches to get out in this weather, and I think to myself: if she is doing it, you need to get your butt in gear and just do it! Plus, she made the mistake of trusting my driving... and didn't get scared even when I got us lost and made illegal U-turns...
The toughest exercise in life is to just get out and do it. Once you're doing it, it becomes easier and easier and eventually becomes a routine.
So, if you live in the Winnipeg area, keep an eye out on the Autism Winnipeg Facebook page. That's where we post when and where we'll meet up. Feel free to email me as well for times and places.
autism.diva.help@gmail.com
Consider yourselves hugged,
Lou
Monday, 2 January 2012
Has Special Needs Inclusion Gone Too Far? Part Deux
For the love of everything holly...
I never meant to insult parents by posting Has Special Needs Inclusion Gone Too Far in late November... But I'm still getting hate email about this post, and quite frankly, it's starting to annoy me.
Yes, I agree with all the hate mail that said there are also bad teachers out there. I totally 100% agree. Dayton and I have met our fair share of them, believe me. It appears that you have only read this one and only post and not the rest of my blog, so I forgive your ignorance.
I also agree with you that your special needs child has the right to an education like everyone else's child. Absolutely. But lets get real for a moment, shall we?
Who's best interest are we serving by having a fifteen year who's cognitive skills are that of a five year old sit in a grade ten classroom? Do you honestly believe this child's rights are being met? How about his or her education? Give your head a shake people. I'm not saying this child doesn't deserve an education or that he should not be in a classroom as he won't learn anything, I'm saying that this child needs to be in a classroom he or she can UNDERSTAND so that he CAN learn!!! If the past nine years of teaching have had no educational value to this child, what makes you think he's going to improve in this atmosphere?
I'm sorry, but my son is in grade four. Dayton is turning ten this February, but cognitively he thinks like a six year old. He struggles with reading and writing and is sitting at about half way through grade one with reading. Writing is more like kindergarten stage. Oh, all right. More like preschool...
As his mom, I want my baby to be with his peers, but NOT at the risk of his education. Today's school system believes in social promotion. Yesterday's school system was very different, but you know what? It freaking worked.
I was out for coffee with a bunch of autism parents last Thursday night, and I was told by one of them that Winnipeg's drop out rate sits at 75%... 75%!!! Why do you think that is? I'll tell you why... They can't read!!! Why can't they read? Social promotion! I mean really... I didn't want to fail, it would be very embarrassing, wouldn't it? So I made sure I didn't fail and studied. Don't get me wrong, I did the bare minimum. I did my homework and by the grace of God passed, even math with which I struggled all through high school.
The first three years of elementary school you learn how to read. Beginning in grade four, you are expected to learn from what you read. How is Dayton doing here? Obviously he's NOT. Are his educational needs being met? In a way I suppose they are, but at what cost?
Let's see... can his teacher (who I swear is a saint) make up the one curriculum to teach her whole grade four classroom? Ummmmmm... NO. I guarantee you that Dayton is not the only special needs student in her classroom either, so I'm going to bet that she's making a few lesson plans for her class. Does she get paid extra for this work? Ummmmm, NO. Do you think she works past the time her "fourth graders" are dismissed? Ummmmm, YES. Is this fair? Ummmmm, NO!!! I don't work for free, do you? Why should she? And yet, as a society, we expect her to, don't we? Why? Because our special needs kids have rights.
Let's get back to our special needs kids, shall we? Do you think Dayton is having a good time in grade four? Ummmmm, NO. He likes his teacher, loved his beloved Educational Assistant, but he's not thrilled at seeing that he's 'different.' At the end of the day, we're both exhausted, but we have extra work to do because as a parent, I want my baby to learn how to read and write. Dayton wants to do what the rest of his peers are doing in the classroom... but he knows that he's not capable of it. What a blow to his little self esteem!!! Our only grace this year has been his fantastic teacher. Without her, I'm sure I'd have pulled out my hair, Dayton would be on more medication for stress, and there's no way I would be working now. We'd sit on welfare, and I would most likely pull him out of school and home school him.
So back to the five year old stuck in a grade ten classroom... Our Heavenly Father, I pray to you today that this five year old boy will not be my son. I pray to you that if it is your will that this becomes my son, that you give me the courage to do what is RIGHT for my son and not what I selfishly WANT. If this means that Dayton is not included with peers chronologically his age to see him happy with younger kids, please, open the eyes of my heart and not the eyes to my pride. Please God, show me the way to my son's happiness and rights and blind me to my own selfish pride and sense of justice.
Amen.
Consider yourselves hugged,
Lou
I never meant to insult parents by posting Has Special Needs Inclusion Gone Too Far in late November... But I'm still getting hate email about this post, and quite frankly, it's starting to annoy me.
Yes, I agree with all the hate mail that said there are also bad teachers out there. I totally 100% agree. Dayton and I have met our fair share of them, believe me. It appears that you have only read this one and only post and not the rest of my blog, so I forgive your ignorance.
I also agree with you that your special needs child has the right to an education like everyone else's child. Absolutely. But lets get real for a moment, shall we?
Who's best interest are we serving by having a fifteen year who's cognitive skills are that of a five year old sit in a grade ten classroom? Do you honestly believe this child's rights are being met? How about his or her education? Give your head a shake people. I'm not saying this child doesn't deserve an education or that he should not be in a classroom as he won't learn anything, I'm saying that this child needs to be in a classroom he or she can UNDERSTAND so that he CAN learn!!! If the past nine years of teaching have had no educational value to this child, what makes you think he's going to improve in this atmosphere?
I'm sorry, but my son is in grade four. Dayton is turning ten this February, but cognitively he thinks like a six year old. He struggles with reading and writing and is sitting at about half way through grade one with reading. Writing is more like kindergarten stage. Oh, all right. More like preschool...
As his mom, I want my baby to be with his peers, but NOT at the risk of his education. Today's school system believes in social promotion. Yesterday's school system was very different, but you know what? It freaking worked.
I was out for coffee with a bunch of autism parents last Thursday night, and I was told by one of them that Winnipeg's drop out rate sits at 75%... 75%!!! Why do you think that is? I'll tell you why... They can't read!!! Why can't they read? Social promotion! I mean really... I didn't want to fail, it would be very embarrassing, wouldn't it? So I made sure I didn't fail and studied. Don't get me wrong, I did the bare minimum. I did my homework and by the grace of God passed, even math with which I struggled all through high school.
The first three years of elementary school you learn how to read. Beginning in grade four, you are expected to learn from what you read. How is Dayton doing here? Obviously he's NOT. Are his educational needs being met? In a way I suppose they are, but at what cost?
Let's see... can his teacher (who I swear is a saint) make up the one curriculum to teach her whole grade four classroom? Ummmmmm... NO. I guarantee you that Dayton is not the only special needs student in her classroom either, so I'm going to bet that she's making a few lesson plans for her class. Does she get paid extra for this work? Ummmmm, NO. Do you think she works past the time her "fourth graders" are dismissed? Ummmmm, YES. Is this fair? Ummmmm, NO!!! I don't work for free, do you? Why should she? And yet, as a society, we expect her to, don't we? Why? Because our special needs kids have rights.
Let's get back to our special needs kids, shall we? Do you think Dayton is having a good time in grade four? Ummmmm, NO. He likes his teacher, loved his beloved Educational Assistant, but he's not thrilled at seeing that he's 'different.' At the end of the day, we're both exhausted, but we have extra work to do because as a parent, I want my baby to learn how to read and write. Dayton wants to do what the rest of his peers are doing in the classroom... but he knows that he's not capable of it. What a blow to his little self esteem!!! Our only grace this year has been his fantastic teacher. Without her, I'm sure I'd have pulled out my hair, Dayton would be on more medication for stress, and there's no way I would be working now. We'd sit on welfare, and I would most likely pull him out of school and home school him.
So back to the five year old stuck in a grade ten classroom... Our Heavenly Father, I pray to you today that this five year old boy will not be my son. I pray to you that if it is your will that this becomes my son, that you give me the courage to do what is RIGHT for my son and not what I selfishly WANT. If this means that Dayton is not included with peers chronologically his age to see him happy with younger kids, please, open the eyes of my heart and not the eyes to my pride. Please God, show me the way to my son's happiness and rights and blind me to my own selfish pride and sense of justice.
Amen.
Consider yourselves hugged,
Lou
Sunday, 1 January 2012
And A Happy New Year To All (iPod, iPad info too)
The Christmas holidays have come and gone, and so has my money. Yes, I am officially b.r.o.k.e... Thank goodness Santa got me a new job to pay off the holiday bills!
The boys have torn down my Christmas tree (that is the cat, Dayton and Glen), then packed up the decorations while I tried to get better. I'm either suffering from allergies or a cold and it's driving me to become a nasal spray junkie. Coming off the stuff is just not pretty...
For Christmas night, we enjoyed a family dinner at Glen's uncle's Eddie's home... Supper was AMAZING, as auntie Linda is a fantastic cook! I nearly fell asleep on their sofa with my head in Dayton's lap while he played Angry Birds on his iPod touch with his cousin Diamond. After about three hours, we ended up back at home and watched movies. I love movies!
New Year's eve was spent at home watching movies and of course HOCKEY! Canada won against the US, and then the Canucks disapointed me yet again by losing to LA 1-4. Booooo Canucks.
Reading the Autism Winnipeg Facebook Page, I saw someone post a question about iPod touch apps for autism, and those of us with kids on the spectrum are pretty much all over iPod and iPad apps as most of us with kids on the autism spectrum have been sold on Apple's innovations.
The link below is not just for parents of kids on the autism spectrum, but for Educational Assistants, teachers and kids with ADD, ADHD or any other kind of cognitive delays.
Hope you find this as informative as I have.
Love this spread sheet!!! https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AjbIta8OTS0KdHRMVWx0Q3pvOWRXRXBfd01jc3lqakE&hl=en&single=true&gid=0&output=html
one more link: http://www.autismclassroom.com/lessons/apps-section-added-to-autism-lesson-plans-book/
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
Lou
The boys have torn down my Christmas tree (that is the cat, Dayton and Glen), then packed up the decorations while I tried to get better. I'm either suffering from allergies or a cold and it's driving me to become a nasal spray junkie. Coming off the stuff is just not pretty...
For Christmas night, we enjoyed a family dinner at Glen's uncle's Eddie's home... Supper was AMAZING, as auntie Linda is a fantastic cook! I nearly fell asleep on their sofa with my head in Dayton's lap while he played Angry Birds on his iPod touch with his cousin Diamond. After about three hours, we ended up back at home and watched movies. I love movies!
New Year's eve was spent at home watching movies and of course HOCKEY! Canada won against the US, and then the Canucks disapointed me yet again by losing to LA 1-4. Booooo Canucks.
Reading the Autism Winnipeg Facebook Page, I saw someone post a question about iPod touch apps for autism, and those of us with kids on the spectrum are pretty much all over iPod and iPad apps as most of us with kids on the autism spectrum have been sold on Apple's innovations.
The link below is not just for parents of kids on the autism spectrum, but for Educational Assistants, teachers and kids with ADD, ADHD or any other kind of cognitive delays.
Hope you find this as informative as I have.
Love this spread sheet!!! https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AjbIta8OTS0KdHRMVWx0Q3pvOWRXRXBfd01jc3lqakE&hl=en&single=true&gid=0&output=html
one more link: http://www.autismclassroom.com/lessons/apps-section-added-to-autism-lesson-plans-book/
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
Lou
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