I just had to share this article I saw on Facebook. This article articulates perfectly what I was trying to convey in my 3rd “infamous” post that has caused so much of a “ruckus”. I highlighted my “favorite” part in the snippet below.
http://thinkingmomsrevolution.com/im-not-the-enemy-here/
“So while Autism Speaks is out there trying to make people aware of autism, we as parents are working doubly hard on educating our educators about autism. Our children are difficult to deal with, I agree. But as educators, they need to have compassion for ALL kids. Not just the mainstream, neurotypical ones. We were fortunate to be able to get away from this school district, but it wasn’t until a couple years later, after even more damage had been done to our child. I understand educators think they’re doing what is best, but they really need to step back, forget about everything they learned in school and really put their heart and soul into each and every child. Forget the title of mom, teacher, speech therapist, principal and focus on the child and their needs. I will never forget when a new speech therapist came on board and disagreed with me at a meeting. She was so angry with a suggestion that we were making that she leaned across the table, pointed her finger at me and told me to, “Just be the mom. I’m the professional. You’re just the mom. Just be his mom!” These meetings should not be such a struggle. Our children should not be treated as criminals and their staff should not fight so hard against making such a simple, yet crucial accommodation.”
Please do not let organizations/teachers/schools or other state services convince you that parents are the “enemies” when they are simply trying to voice their concerns and/or dissatisfaction with services. It is very easy for them to paint parents as the “enemy”.
Ah, the “Thinking Mom’s Revolution”, authors of things such as this:
Why am I not surprised that you’re one of their fans? All that anger. All that ranting and raving. All that reliance on subjective “evidence”. (If I were you, I’d stick to the Autism Science Foundation, who are making actual strides against autism and not just googling their way through unproven methods.)
This is real life, Mrs. Goff. This is not a story written on a piece of paper or told on a screen where there are villains and heroes, enemies and allies. You keep displaying people and organizations as enemies or villains in post after post based solely on whether or not you feel that they wronged you. And I can’t, for the life of me, figure out how that helps anyone — either you or anyone in your situation.
Then again, I get it. You’re writing here because it’s therapeutic for you. It’s like a diary, like shouting to the world that you’ve been hurt and (maybe) expecting someone to do something about it.
But I should advice you to not copy from TMR too close. Writing things like these will only hurt your credibility:
Reuben,
Yes, you are right, my blog is a personal diary of my experiences, thoughts and opinions regarding many issues and topics within the Autism community. I never claimed to have any type of degree in behavioral science nor am I an “autism expert”. However, I am a parent of a child diagnosed Autism/MR and I have been raising him with my husband for the past 12 years. I like to share other articles with readers to share different views, different opinions, etc. This blog apparently isn’t for you, you don’t have to read this blog if you detest it so much. I didn’t create this blog to be like all the others; there are numerous blogs on Autism that may focus more on the topics you are seeking information about. Many blogs by parents raising autistic children are basically “personal diaries” to share experiences and successful strategies that might help other parents.
I never said that I detested it. In fact, I like it because it gives me a lot of insight into the psychology of how people faced with adversity react and behave. For example, you feel wronged by people and institutions, reacting like you do with accusations and such. I also like it because you are the “canary in the coal mine” when it comes to what is not being done for children with disabilities. I don’t discount what’s happened to you. It shouldn’t happen.
Don’t read so many negatives into what I’ve commented.
However, I cannot idly stand by and watch you reference a group of parents (TMR) who relay outright dangerous information in the interest of sharing experiences and strategies. In a way, I care about what your blog is to become. I regret not being there when others’ blogs started and they went down the alt-med path.
Then again, it is your blog. There’s a function there in wordpress that you can use to ban/block me, and never hear from me ever again.
I discovered your weblog webpage on google and check a couple of of your early posts. Continue to maintain up the especially superior operate. I just further up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Looking for forward to reading much more from you later on!
cheap uggs outlet
Can I just say what a relief to come across an individual who basically knows what theyre talking about on the net. You absolutely know how you can bring an concern to light and make it critical. Extra folks really need to read this and realize this side of the story. I cant think youre not even more well known considering that you definitely have the gift.