PARENTING FEATURE: DISABILITY 101
Patrick at Horse Therapy
First of all, I am not perfect, and raising a family that includes an autistic teenager is no picnic, believe me! Due to the hardships involved in raising a child with a disability, one would think that the school district is the place where help can be found. Most often, though, this is not the case. I have heard of exceptions to this; however, in my case, it has taken me many years to get Patrick (our autistic teenager) the services that he now has. I will try and reconstruct the journey, as I really want to help others acquire the services that they need through the school and beyond.
My first hurdle was getting over the denial that we had a child with a disability. After that, I contacted the appropriate department for children with disabilities—at the time it was called the Department for Mental Retardation and Developmental Delays. I was actually in denial due to the word "Retardation." As I have always strongly disliked that word, when I was referred to that department, I had a negative reaction. However, it was something to deal with, and there was no choice but to do so.
Once I contacted the department, a case worker came out and opened up Patrick's case. That meant getting a thorough history of Patrick's birth and so on. Once that was finished, he was eligible for Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech. So, we had therapists coming into our home. Also, I was quite motivated to seek additional therapy. I found an amazing location that offered all three therapies. It was in a remodeled warehouse, in an industrial location. Among the first of its kind! So from 18 months until Pre-School started, I took him there.
We moved right before Patrick started Pre-School as a result of his needs. We were looking for a good program, and a change of location was necessary. It was hard to move, yet also exciting! The program we found was connected with the public schools. It was a Pre-School for the disabled, and typically developing children. Patrick was eligible to attend, and he was able to receive Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech. It was a fun place to be, and Patrick really enjoyed going to school!
Patrick with Daddy
From Kindergarten to third grade, I had never heard the term "Extended School Year (ESY)." Therefore, I would like to put an emphasis on this. Each and every child with a disability is entitled to a "FAPE". This stands for Free Appropriate Public Education. Please go online to find out more about this. The school district should tell parents about this and the ESY. However, I have found it to be a real struggle to find information, and that is where advocates come into the picture. Advocates can help you to navigate the waters, so to speak.
I was having a hard time getting the services I needed for Patrick, so I got in touch with the advocacy group in our area. One of the women there who knew the law went with me to Patrick's IEP meeting to help me. IEP stands for "Individualized Education Program." An IEP is a written document that includes the child's goals for each school subject, as well as therapies and behaviors. The child must qualify for special education to have an IEP.
There is so much more to write, about this! Yet, this is where we part for now. Much love to you and to your special children, who need all the unconditional love that you can give them.