What an amazing experience! I was so honored to be able to volunteer with Mr. Ed Krass, my gym teacher from elementary school, to run a full inclusion floor hockey league. The fact that there was a high energy sport that allowed high-functioning children to play in a team setting, when they normally have difficulty, [...]
I saw Mary Poppins at the Detroit Music Theater over the holiday, and was struck by the “Spoonful of Sugar” song. It is amazing how music (though not necessarily sugar for those of us with children on restricted diets) can help ease the transitions of getting through daily life. Now that a new year has [...]
I gave my children and family the gift of doing nothing this winter break. Don’t panic or feel sorry for my kids or me even. I didn’t say we did nothing or that I gave them nothing, but we did nothing by our typical standards. My parents have a time share condominium and offered it [...]
Starting a conversation with “Please don’t take this the wrong way” or “I hope this doesn’t upset you” doesn’t mean that you can then go on to be cruel, insensitive or intolerant. It just means that really you know you are about to make a wrong decision but haven’t bothered to find an alternative. Now [...]
I am a proud parent. I often think of myself as an eternal optimist. I am happily married, have a job I love and feel happy with my life. All that being said sometimes I have moments where I am lost, afraid and lonely. Sometimes I feel for a moment like I think my child [...]
Inclusion does not happen through forced integration into society. It must be fostered through proper planning, preparation and assistance. The goal is only achieved when everyone is contributing their talents with the support and services they need. Once the proper environment has been established, we begin to see the unique ability of others to contribute. [...]
Do you know how it feels when you have no way to communicate your wants and needs? When you see a world where everyone is going about their daily lives and can do nothing to enter it? That is how a child with autism feels. A 24 hour campaign has been launched called Communication Shutdown. [...]
Recently a kid in my daughter’s class giggled and said, “she can’t talk!” It was the first time I’d seen my kid get teased. When I first put Little Bird in this inclusion program, it was suggested to me by a mom whose son had started in a mainstream class the year before that I [...]
