Comments for Herding Cats

Comment on A rebuttal of sorts by Amber

Amber — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:26:37 +0000

I live really close to where you lived in Michigan…Ann Arbor is about an hour and a half from here? Maybe two. (sorry I never retain distances, just the time it takes to get there from here!, lol) We live down by the border to Indiana. Anyway! The special needs school we have here sounds very much like the one you described in Ann Arbor. My Ty is in a severely multiply impaired classroom. I kinda feel like impostor mom sometimes when I read about the struggles moms have with IEP’s and school systems and such. I’ve had pretty smooth sailing as far as Ty goes. I hope it’s not for a lack of knowledge of what should be different! I think the author should aspire to walk around in many more peoples shoes before making such general-and fairly insulting-statements. I have never met a group less likely to choose “comfortable” before what’s best for their child, as special needs parents-and considering it requires twice the work, on half the sleep, as our “regular” kids require-that’s pretty freaking amazing.

Comment on A rebuttal of sorts by Karen

Karen — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:18:35 +0000

This is an excellent response, and you were right to call BS!!! I read the Huffington Post article. Although the author did not state it directly, it seemed to me that she has a problem with all of the modifications for kids with “invisible” disabilities such as autism. I think that she has a fundamental misunderstanding there. However, she does make a really good point about parents who have absolutely no long-term plan for their children. Also, she is correct in pointing out that many kids do not have much real-world experience. I’ve often been told by teachers and other parents how wonderful it is that I actually take my kids out to different situations every single day during their school breaks…I know kids in special ed who only know school, home and the therapist’s office.

Thanks for another great blog essay!

Comment on A rebuttal of sorts by Candes

Candes — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:00:29 +0000

Very well said, Pheobe!

Comment on A rebuttal of sorts by Wendy Carroll

Wendy Carroll — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:24:30 +0000

When my son was still a toddler, I was determined to fight for him to be mainstreamed when he began school. I thought that was my job as his mother. But a friend who also had a special needs son wisely advised me that mainstreaming was not always the right choice. She told me the students in regular class were NOT his peers. His social circle would always be others with special needs and to force him into a childhood of struggling to cope with “normal” kids was stressful and unnecessary. I tried nonetheless but two months into mainstreaming, I realized she was correct and placed him in Special Ed. It was definately the right choice for him.

Comment on A rebuttal of sorts by Sharon Hoover Weidemann

Sharon Hoover Weidemann — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:43:37 +0000

Said well my friend:) My child has FAS (& no it wasn’t me who abused the alchohol), severe MR, nonverbal & intestinal failure. While she operates typically at 21-24 months, she’s extremely perceptive. She knows that she can’t do what her sisters are doing for fun & while she LOVES to be with them, she gets incredibly frustrated that she doesn’t know how to do what they do… When Sara was in a Life Skills Class instead of Multiple Disabilities Class, she was a behavior nightmare: it was TOO HARD! Since she’s gotten sick, she’s schooled at home with a learning support teacher for 1 hour 4 days a week & she’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her regarding school. We need to let her bloom where she’s planted… it’s giving her the best quality of life.

Comment on A rebuttal of sorts by Maria

Maria — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:03:14 +0000

Great post. My son has some special needs and was in a mainstream class in K and grade 1. After that it was really apparent that he could not learn in a regular classroom. Right now he is in a “resource room” program at a regular school: this means he is in a small class of special needs kids most of the time, and has some time in a mainstream class (though his academic work is mainly done in the resource room). It has been an amazing change for him: in a classroom with only about 8 students and more support, he has learned SO much. We don’t shield him from anything: he plays with “mainstream” friends after school for example, but for many kids the optimum learning environment is definitely not a “normal” classroom (I think many “normal” kids have a hard time in there too!). Every kid is different: special needs or not, and like you state so well : parents should make choices based on the needs of their child and not try to impose those solutions on others.

Comment on A rebuttal of sorts by phoebz4

phoebz4 — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:40:52 +0000

We were in SE Michigan, near Ann Arbor (home of U of M.) In that county, there was one special school for severely disabled students, several contained classrooms for moderate to severely disabled children, and two autism specific classrooms, which they did not advertise, nor would allow parents to view (at least in a friend’s case.) Basically, in that county, if your child had mild or moderate disabilities, you were mainstreamed. Only those with severe mental and physical disabilities went to a special school. Granted, my daughter was still considered in special education. But her school had to make preparations for taking on children with moderate disabilities, to meet their basic needs (like a handicapped bathroom with a diaper changing area.)

So technically, our area had options. They just weren’t options for most of us. It’s kind of like the FAPE – fair appropriate public education. It sounds good, but the interpretation of it isn’t always what’s best for the child.

Comment on A rebuttal of sorts by A E

A E — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:21:22 +0000

I am not sure where in the States you were, but in Florida we do have the option of special education and special schools for those with disabilities and all the schools are outfitted to ADA standards. (?)

Comment on A rebuttal of sorts by Linda McDermitt

Linda McDermitt — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:54:43 +0000

Thank you for saying what needs to be said. Sarah is much in a similar situation as Maura. Fortunately, the public school system here is large enough to have a contained classroom setting for her and her peers, as well as opportunities to “mainstream” in social settings like the cafeteria, assemblies, etc, but not so large that she gets lost. That being said, because it’s a public school, it must follow certain academic requirements which means more time is spent by her instructors modifying math, science, and language test requirements and focusing on those important life skills you mention. There is a balance. The main thing is that Sarah is very happy and safe. Also, we have realized that inclusion in a general ed classroom would put undue stress on everyone and force “normal” students to sacrifice their much needed classroom experience to someone who would require a significant amount of the instructor’s time and energy. I think some parents are just not prepared to accept the difference in their child, and my heart hurts for them and for the child who may be in over his/her head in an inclusion setting. Well, thanks again!

Comment on A rebuttal of sorts by phoebz4

phoebz4 — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:52:54 +0000

Wow, thank you. I love hearing people who are enthusiastically pursuing degrees in special ed! Good luck with your studies.