Comments on: Advocate – Enough Said http://blissfullydomestic.com/2009/advocate-enough-said Your Life. Your Bliss. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:36:31 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Barbara H. Boucher, PT, PhD, OT http://blissfullydomestic.com/2009/advocate-enough-said/comment-page-1#comment-29104 Barbara H. Boucher, PT, PhD, OT Sat, 09 May 2009 12:47:54 +0000 http://blissfullydomestic.com/?p=44021#comment-29104 Hear! Hear! (Or is it Here! Here!?) Anyway, a BIG yes you can to parents for speaking up for the needs of their children. Big system (any school- or state-funded) services are notorious for being restrictive and disinterested in the individual. Persistence is necessary, but I would promote sugar over vinegar as a quicker path to defending your child. (Not that it always works.) I hope your son receives his psychiatric evaluation soon. Hear! Hear! (Or is it Here! Here!?) Anyway, a BIG yes you can to parents for speaking up for the needs of their children.

Big system (any school- or state-funded) services are notorious for being restrictive and disinterested in the individual. Persistence is necessary, but I would promote sugar over vinegar as a quicker path to defending your child. (Not that it always works.)

I hope your son receives his psychiatric evaluation soon.

]]> By: ginabad http://blissfullydomestic.com/2009/advocate-enough-said/comment-page-1#comment-29056 ginabad Fri, 08 May 2009 14:51:55 +0000 http://blissfullydomestic.com/?p=44021#comment-29056 Good for you Michele! "if they just told me" is a phrase way too many of us special needs parents have to say. I have 2 spec needs daughters, both completely different. Amelia has Down syndrome and Zoe has autism. We decided at Amelia's 1st kindergarten IEP that we didn't want to label her "mentally retarded". The school pyschologist and my husband had a HUGE fight, right there in front of our advocate. After 30 minutes of pushing on this issue at every chance he could, the psychologist said, "Well, we can label her as disabled due to health reasons, other". Grrr. He could have said that at the top of the meeting and saved us a lot of grief. But yes, we have to fight for our kids no matter WHAT. It's hard, and you feel dumb, but it makes you stronger, and your kids benefit. Good for you! Good for you Michele! "if they just told me" is a phrase way too many of us special needs parents have to say. I have 2 spec needs daughters, both completely different. Amelia has Down syndrome and Zoe has autism.

We decided at Amelia's 1st kindergarten IEP that we didn't want to label her "mentally retarded". The school pyschologist and my husband had a HUGE fight, right there in front of our advocate. After 30 minutes of pushing on this issue at every chance he could, the psychologist said, "Well, we can label her as disabled due to health reasons, other". Grrr. He could have said that at the top of the meeting and saved us a lot of grief.

But yes, we have to fight for our kids no matter WHAT. It's hard, and you feel dumb, but it makes you stronger, and your kids benefit. Good for you!

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