Artistic Alchemy: Embracing Diversity with Brushstrokes of Brilliance |
|||
This amazing young lady created the sketch in this blog recently. She is a former student and was an interesting person in my class. I loved her creative mind. She had some sensory needs, and her needs challenged me to create a supportive learning environment. I remember discussing her likes and dislikes with her elementary teacher.
I took careful notes and used them to create a supportive work environment for her in my classroom. I also needed to create a personal space for her, so I found a way to make an “office” for her. This provided her with an individual space for quiet time when needed. I could see she was a smart girl with great insights and that I could learn from her. I also could see when she needed a break, and she made great gains in her goals.
I gave her the things she liked to color when she had free time, and we got along very well. Even though it sometimes felt like we were playing “Let’s Make a Deal” we forged a positive relationship and she was a hard worker. When she was in my classroom, she made significant progress and went from being able to be in a regular education class for 10 minutes, to being in the class the whole period. This was a huge win in my book and she was proud of herself and her ability to enjoy that regular education social studies class.
Q: What is one thing you wish teachers know about your child that is not on the IEP?
A: When teachers are writing an IEP they are writing the IEP for the school & for the state and in most situations offer the least amount of accommodations as possible for the sake of the district. Many times the parent doesn’t even know what to ask for or what the options could be as the parents aren’t trained professionals in special education. Teachers in most cases offer the least amount of support, making the child flounder and fail essentially before offering more support. Imagine how a child feels having to fail over and over again and what that does to their confidence and mental health as they watch their typical functioning peer grow and not understand why it’s so much harder for them. If teachers would put the student first, offering the most tailored maximum support allowing the child to flourish and gradually pull back as they are more confident and more able you could completely change who that child could become one day.
So I guess what I am saying is when writing an IEP I wish teachers should write the IEP for who the child could grow into rather than what is the least amount of support that can be offered to get them through the day. Professionals forget that these children are going to be adults more of their lives than they will be children and they deserve to be the best version of themselves that they can possibly be. Not adults who were once children who were forced to fail over and over and over before anyone would help.
Q: Scores on tests do not define the child. What is something your child is really good at that is not reflected on tests?
A: My child has a quick wit and is really funny in a rather unexpected way. She is also an emerging artist and loves to draw. Having now raised two Autistic children I have learned that they have had various special interests over the years. These special interests can often be used to help learn certain academic subjects. So allowing a child to immerse themselves in a special interest and tailoring their academic needs around that interest they will likely learn so much more. Eventually, there will be other special interests that can be linked to some of the lagging academic subjects. Eventually, it will all come around to a more developed education.
Q: How important is homework for your child? Is it just a burden, or is it a helpful learning tool?
A: I personally don’t think homework in the traditional sense is helpful. For my kids, school is such an overstimulating experience that at the end of the day they just needed to come home and be in their own space and chill from the day. That being said, daily or at minimum weekly communication about what they would be working on in school the following day or week would be helpful in the way that I as a parent could talk to my kids about the week to come and what they might be learning about. Then be able to inquire “Hey have you guys talked about XYZ yet? How was that? Was it what we thought it would be? This would open so many opportunities for conversation building and communication as well as reinforce what they learned in school.
Q: How old was your child when you first knew he/she had special needs?
A: I began picking up on some more concerning quirks between 10-18 months.
Q: What is one piece of advice you have for someone who has a newly diagnosed child?
A: Follow your gut. No one knows your child better than you do. If something doesn’t feel right to you don’t do it. Do your own investigating and trial and error. Also, take care of yourself in every way. Parenting a special needs child is hard. You both deserve for you to take care of yourself.
Q: What is one meal that everyone in your family likes to eat?
A: PIZZA! =)
Q: What advice do you have for interacting with children with special needs?
A: Each child wants more than anything to be treated like and have to same opportunities as their typical functioning peers.
Q: What activities do you recommend to other parents to foster self-care?
A: Reach out to your community for respite services and use that time for whatever lets you relax for a bit.
Q: Are there any support groups that you recommend for parents or children?
A: Not really. Each parent is as different as their kiddos. So what works for one person may not work for another.
Q: What are your favorite family activities?
A: My kiddos love a walk through Target & have always loved Barnes & Noble.
When asked to send a picture representing this girl’s artwork, her mom sent me the tree picture and a meme saying, “Autism is not a flaw in the design; it’s a feature that adds depth and complexity to humanity.” The quote is by Stuart Duncan. I thought about that quote and appreciate the message. This girl is an emerging artist. People with autism bring so much depth, and getting to know someone with autism is a treasure.
This girl moved away before her eighth-grade year, and I would have loved to have taught her for one more year. I would have loved to help her make the transition to high school. The elementary teacher had been so helpful to me, and I wanted to do the same thing for the next teacher. I wrote detailed notes about her preferences and motivators. I felt like we had achieved great progress, for I understood when to push her and when to give her a break.
Sadly, her mom told me that all the helpful hints I had given to the next school in another state fell on deaf ears. She was not given the quiet office space she needed, nor was she given the support I had recommended. The explicit letter with my phone number was never used, and I never got that expected call. I envisioned the next teacher would be like me, and try to find out as much about this girl and what worked for her, but her mom reports that the I.E.P was rewritten. The family moved away from this state because her needs were not being met.
So many times we try to squeeze people with autism into these boxes of expectations that they are not equipped to fit. We must appreciate each person’s gifts and talents and meet them where they are. We need to figure out what works for them. Autism means that the person sees, smells, tastes, and listens to the world differently. Our goal should not be to make people non- Autistic, but to make people proud to be autistic. As this mom said, each child wants more than anything to be treated like everyone else and have the same opportunities as their neurotypical peers. Her mom knows this girl very well and celebrates who she is. She is an emerging artist.
Another important thing this mom said pertained to advice to teachers. She said to write the I.E.P. for who the child could become, not where the least amount of support would be offered to get the child through the day. It is important to think holistically when planning for a child’s success.
The high school where this girl is now a student has neurotypical kids who are kind to her. That makes me happy because she wanted friends, just like everyone else. Sometimes she would tell me I was her only friend, and we would work on conversation skills and what she could talk about with other people. This girl has a lot to give, with so many talents and a sense of humor that makes her fun to be around. I love it when her mom shares her progress with me. I hope she finds her niche, her friends, and people who recognize this wonderful girl I saw when she was my student.
| deb laneville |