Our school is inclusive. Every child has a place in a mainstream classroom, with assistance if needed. J is one of those kiddos. He has an assigned a teacher, participates in nonacademic activities and projects, and has ‘specials’ like art, music and PE with his typical peers, all with the help of a one-on-one para….
Category Archives: Education
Diagnosis 911: Is it Really ADHD?
After 5 months of counseling, we have a working diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD without the hyperactivity) with secondary Anxiety, a touch of perfectionism and perhaps a smidge of OCD. I see the Psychiatrist to get the official diagnosis for the 504 committee and to get the modifications and accommodations. With barely a glance at the 15-page patient history and 11 minutes…
Learning to ride…one step at a time…
A Cowboy Needs a Horse Johnny lives in a big city, but has everything a cowboy could want (Everything, everything) He has a place to pan for gold (Panning, panning) And he has time to shoot a buffalo everyday (Shooting, shooting) And every night, he dreams he’s a cowboy riding the rangeFinally found the words…
Three Little Words
I know it’s not perfect, the medication J is on. But it’s doing something. It’s helping to quiet the activity in his brain…sometimes. It’s helping him to find more words, helping the words to find their place within a sentence, to communicate. I talk about watching our children’s achievements, however small, but sometimes these achievements…
BELIEVE! No One Can Know the Limitations of Another
We are in the process of formalizing a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder with secondary Anxiety Disorder (at-risk for depression) for my “gifted” 9-year-old daughter. For me, this process began more than 2 years ago, brought to light by the abusive treatment she suffered at the hands of her 2nd grade teacher who drove her to tears…
Is that too much to ask?
This week my husband’s grandmother passed away. She was 93 year old, never took more than a multi-vitamin in her life. She did however, several years back, begin her journey with Alzheimer’s Disease. It was a long journey, spending 10 years in a nursing home. She had 5 children, 12 grandchildren…and so many great grand…
The “Ick”
We have been part of the “Ick” people. We try SO hard not to get anything. To not be exposed to any others that are sick, have been sick recently, or that have been exposed to sick. I know impossible. But we really do try to stay germ free. Then it HIT and it didn’t…
Science Fair
Tomorrow is our school’s science fair. With my career background (Ph.D. in organic chemistry) I love encouraging anything with science. It is a nostalgia piece for me anyway. When and where I was a kid you were not supposed to do a science project until 5th grade. However, when I hit 4th grade and saw…
My Dream… Inclusion For All!
I have a dream! No really, last night I had this dream. I dreamed 10 women were chosen to meet with Oprah Winfrey. At the meeting we were privileged with the opportunity to chat with the powerful Ms. Winfrey. I sat listening to the ardent pleas of these strong-willed and driven women who had been…
A Sensory Trip
Here in Northeast Ohio, it was a beautiful Friday. Today, I took my son and my mother on a little road trip. I’ll call it a sensory trip because it was so nice to be out with out having to think about the roads. Those miserable roads have been ice covered, snow covered, and the…