A child with preschool delay exhibits a combination of disabilities as well as abilities. Skills acquired in the first five years of life need to be taught to these children, especially if they have a combination of deficits. Thinking skills, movements, speech, communication and language skills, simple self-help skills, play and social skills should all be in a program especially designed to attend to the needs of a child with preschool delay. All these skills are needed to help the child develop his potentials, in a least restrictive environment. Yep, in mainstream classes. Though some parents are not open to the idea of having a child with special needs in the “regular ed” classroom because they feel that lessons are being delayed to have the child with special needs cope up with his classmates. This is not so, if only these parents know that their regular ed children will learn a lot from the special ed classmate, and vice versa. What they do learn? They learn patience, acceptance of others, understanding, and learning to care for others.

One more thing, the use of assistive technology is also very important because this helps the children develop faster.

Only our three kids in a deserted UP Diliman sunken garden. They enjoyed playing with the Frisbee and blowing bubble.

Mental retardation (MR) means having sub average general intellectual functioning (refers to scores obtained on intelligence tests) existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior (refers to a person’s adjustment to everyday life) and manifested during the development period, which adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Difficulties may occur in learning communication, social, academic, vocational, and independent living skills.

Source: Dictionary: For parents of Children with Disabilities

There. A short definition of mental retardation (MR). Why, I ask myself, parents don’t want their children to be diagnosed with this term, MR? Maybe because having MR connotes a negative diagnosis because it is quite disheartening, downgrading in fact. Maybe because people associate mental retardation with those severely handicapped persons who cannot take care of themselves. I know, this topic would raise a lot of eyebrows and would have temperatures rise. I am just expressing the thoughts and fears of these parents who might think in terms like this. But if truth be told, parents would often want to hear a diagnosis of LD or ADHD rather than “borderline mental retardation”.

It is true that sometimes, parents blame themselves if diagnosis like this is given. It is also true that it hurts to hear that one’s child has learning problems but it is wasted time to have self-pity and depressing thoughts when there is so much to do to help the child. Bottom line is, whatever the diagnosis, it is best to seek help as early as possible, wring out all resources if needed to be able to the the child cope, manage the difficulties and adjust.
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Y’all know what I’m talking about, this is stale news. Though apparently not so because it still makes headlines. She who had a roller coaster ride life with so much ups and downs. No, not that I claim to know her, personally or even from a distance. She who have been making headlines over the years. I don’t remember what day it was but when hubby heard it one time when we are eating dinner at the same time we were listening to the news on tv in the background, he was a little surprised. I told him I read about it in the net. He asked me how she died, I told him she could have died from a lot of causes. Could be suicide, overdose, murder. No, I’m not an expert but if one draws inference from the events in her life, one could not help but maybe cry foul play. Anyway, my heart goes out to the baby who will grow up without a mother (or maybe some would say that could be better with her as a mother, I don’t know), who is the also the subject of a paternity claim.

Click here and here to read about Ann.a Nic.ole. Or just Google her name and hundreds of articles will come out.

It is Valentine’s day today. Do we really know the significance of this day? No, not just the dreamy-eyed lovers looking into each other’s eyes and proposing undying love and affection. It would be interesting to note that this started with men drawing lots to choose a woman’s name to be his sexual companion (slave?) for a year. But one of the popes decided to change the custom. Click here to read what happened.

I thought the idea of sending flowers, stuffed toys and chocolates are not hot. But the other day, pre-Valentine, February 13 to be exact, the kiosk that sells these Valentine thingys in Ortigas Park (Pasig City) was being flocked by a lot of people. Oh, it would have been understandable if these people were teenagers but they are grown men and women in their office suits. Seems like the idea of a romantic Valentine day is not dead yet. Click this to read more about Valentine’s Day, not as a romantic holiday but as a religious one.

Way, way before this May 2007 elections, politicians eyeing key positions for this elections are making moves to be seen and heard. Some slowly tried to inject themselves into the scene, showing up for tv interviews, having their pictures in the newspapers and putting their faces on tarpaulins with Christmas, fiestas, Valentine greetings. Now, there has been drastic changes, some of them are singing a different tunes because they have switched sides, depending on how deep the financial pockets are of those sides they joined. Anyway, there is one really interesting would-be politician who caught everybody’s attention. Ow, you know who I’m talking about, this boxing champ who thinks he can do debate on the floor with other legislators, make bills and have them passed so that the people he serve are given jobs, become educated and maybe become rich just like he is now. He says he knows how it is to be there because he also has his own fights. What the..?!

The thing is, one of my students commented about him running for office. Coming from a 13 year old boy, he said in not so precise words: “Teacher Julie, di ba si MP, hindi pa yata nakatapos ng high school, bakit siya tatakbo sa H of R? Papano niya maiintindihan ang mga sinasabi dun? Papano siya gagawa ng mga bills, kasi di ba sila yung legislative branch of government?” (TJ, isn’t it that MP was not able to finish high school, how come he will run in the House of Representatives? How will he understand what they are talking about there? How will he make bills, because isn’t it that that is the legislative branch of the government?) I was still thinking about what I’m gonna answer him when he started talking again. This time he said, “Tsaka hindi ko siya minamaliit. Nagtatanong lang naman ako.” (Anyway, I am not I am not belittling his capabilites. I am just asking some questions) Well, RJC, to your questions, I can not answer them because I too, have tons of questions. And doubts. And fears. And deep thoughts. And worries.