30 Mar, 2010
Parenting a Child with Special Needs
Posted by teacherjulie @ 9:10 am
Shelved under ADHD, Autism, behavior modification, Being a (Special Ed) Teacher, Challenge Yourself, Down Syndrome, Information, Learning Disabilities, Lessons in Life, mental retardation, Parenting, special education, Teaching Techniques

Being a parent is difficult but being a parent to a child with special needs could be even more difficult. I hope I do not give the wrong impressions here.

Parenting a child with special needs can at times of a cycle of daily struggles about food, routine, fears, anxieties, learning difficulties, change of setting, varying moods, behavior changes and dealing with more than stares from strangers.

On top of that are therapy schedules, school placement and almost unlimited financial obligations among other things.

Alternative career options are not even in the list of what to achieve with some of them. Sad but true.

I once discussed these things with a caregiver about a child, my student, that she is taking care of. She said the parents are so worried that among all three children,  this child with special needs has the heftiest life insurance quotes.

She further explained that the parents thought it would make them feel that at least, they have taken cared of the financial aspect in the future. This is the greatest worry that parents of children with special need have: WHAT HAPPENS TO MY CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS WHEN I AM GONE?

As a special education teacher, my unsolicited advise would be to look for the best doctor and therapists who will work best with your child. As parents, you should also know and understand the condition of your child and always be there, as much as possible, to guide the child in the direction you and your team has set.

As parents, be on the lookout for tell-tale signs of your child being “off” the developmental milestones.

Remember that Early Intervention definitely works.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 9:10 am and is filed under ADHD, Autism, behavior modification, Being a (Special Ed) Teacher, Challenge Yourself, Down Syndrome, Information, Learning Disabilities, Lessons in Life, mental retardation, Parenting, special education, Teaching Techniques. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Permalink | 5 Comments
5 Apr, 2010 @ 1:26 pm
Rochelle Bonifacio-Prado said:

Hi T. Julie,

Would you know of a SPED homeschool program? I am considering it for my 12-year old son who has Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. He was mainstreamed last schoolyear, but I feel his individual needs can be best addressed with home education.

Rochelle

9 Apr, 2010 @ 10:07 pm
julie said:

Rochelle, perhaps you can consult with a special ed teacher PLUS other auxiliary services like language and occupational therapy for a multi-disciplinary approach. These professionals will make a program to be used for homeschooling :)

You can ask your devped for referrals :)

23 Jul, 2010 @ 12:43 am
sue said:

Hi Julie,
Read your post about the dire condition of special education in the Philippines. As a retired special ed teacher in California — mild to moderate, and moderate to severe experience) I would like to volunteer or contribute my time to advancing special ed programs in the Philippines. Unfortunately I reside full time in Los Angeles but I do visit the Philippines every year. Let me know if there are schools or universities which can use me for teaching, gratis when I visit. I will be in Manila January-February 2011. God bless you for all you do.

Sue

23 Jul, 2010 @ 8:59 am
julie said:

Hi Sue, do let me know your plans so I can arrange something for you even if I am not connected with a school right now (I still teach a handful of students though on a one-on-one basis). The rural schools are in dire need of training for their teachers. I will email you using my other email address. thank you so much :)

3 Apr, 2011 @ 11:53 am
teacherjulie.com » 2011 World Autism Day said:

[...] are now accepting children with special needs, including those diagnosed with autism in their classes. Some schools are there for profit and some [...]

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