Meet Carly. She's an amazing teen who doesn't let Autism stand in her way. With the help from technology she has finally found her voice to communicate.. Take a look at this awesome video... I firmly believe that if you give a child a tool to help them thrive, you will be amazed at what they can accomplish. In this case it was a keyboard, a mouse, & a computer. Objects one would call, "Assistive Technology", so to speak. It's amazing what one can do with such objects if only given a chance. Who would have thought that giving this teen such things would allow her to communicate in ways she could never imagine. Even her parents were shocked. As you watch this video, you will see how Carly goes from non-verbal to communicating her wants, needs, & desires. It's very inspirational to watch. I even had tears in my eyes as I watched it.. It's truly amazing... Hope you will find it inspirational too..
This is an awesome video explaining what Tourette Syndrome is from a child's perspective. I hope you'll find this to be very helpful to you & your family.
This is a great video of ABA- Applied Behavior Analysis. I hope this will be helpful to you & your family.
An awesome Youtube video explaining the 3-Tier model of RTI- Response to Intervention...
HIGH Expectations of a special needs child...
A friend of mine shared this AWESOME video with me, so I thought I would share it with you too. This is a great video of how far a parent will go to help his special needs son achieve his goals. Not to mention, the HIGH expectations this father has of his son & what amazing things Assistive Technology can help you do. Because of this father's HIGH expectations of his son to achieve his goals, his special needs son is now able to talk, run, & even swim. It's truly an Inspiring video...
Speaking of which, I have a story of my own about High expectations. When Brandon was at Heath Springs Elementary school & he had just finished repeating 3rd grade, I attended an IEP meeting with the school district. I remember as if it was just yesterday. I was in the meeting explaining to the educators that straight D-s & F's are unacceptable on Brandon's progress reports. Now, mind you, that before hand they had just explained to me that according to his evaluations that they had just completed, his IQ was only 72.
So, I kept telling them that these grades were unacceptable & that I know Brandon CAN learn & he CAN do better.. Then all of a sudden, Ms. Watson (his then principal at the time) looked at me and said & I quote, "Ms. Reeves, you just going to have to accept Brandon for what he is, quit trying to make him better or do better. According to his test scores, he can't do what you are trying to make him do. Just accept what he is!" I actually have her on tape saying this. Can you believe that an educator would tell a parent that?? Can you also see that she had LOW expectations of my son?? Well, let me tell you this.. Brandon & I have been homeschooling for 4 years now.. I still & will always have HIGH expectations of what Brandon can do... He is now doing problems like this 5x-3y-2z,4y-2x+6z,3a-2x-4y,4b-2z-5y,a-5b,5y-6x,8x+2y-5a-2b,6x-y-2z+4b with EASE!!!!!
Now, what if I had listened to Ms. Watson?? What if I had agreed with her?? What if I had LOW expectations of Brandon, where would he be now??? What if I had kept Brandon in public school & quit trying to make him do better?? The other day, I had a parent who has a 4 year old child with Autism tell me that they don't go to Museums or any other place for that matter to learn. She said that her son doesn't know what's going on anyway so why go.. This is a perfect example of LOW expectations...
If a child is a living being, not showing signs of a vegetable, then he CAN understand. He may not talk, walk, or even swim, But he does have a brain & he can understand things.... Just like the boy in the video, his father gave him Assistive Technology & it opened up a whole new world for him.. It can be done.. If you have the right teachers & the right teaching methods & the right tools to help them, they will succeed.... Please don't be one of those parents who have LOW expectations of your child.. If they can understand, then please I beg you, give them the tools to help them succeed.....
