Showing posts with label special needs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label special needs. Show all posts

Monday, March 28, 2011

What is the Lesson Here?

1st Grade Egg Drop - 2010
A schools requirement for good personal hygiene and child safety... Is cutting into their child's edjumacation!  
Our schools work hard to protect our children from strangers, contamination, health risks and discrimination. It would seem that if parents in Edgewater Florida have their way about it, some would be protected against the unreasonable requirement of washing their hands in school.

Schools are required to make accommodations for children with special needs, or disabilities, and in some cases this affects other children.  In Edgewater Florida, children in one class are required to wash their hands before entering the classroom and to keep their lunches in the hall outside the classroom. All of this because one of the students has a severe peanut allergy. 


These special life saving precautions have parents angry and protesting with signs in front of the school... With their children carrying signs right along with them! They are calling for the "disabled" students removal from the school because of the special accommodations that have infringed on the rights of their children. These poor SIX YEAR OLDS! Their children can't have treats in class like the other classrooms, they can't keep their lunches in the classroom like the other classes and as I said, they are required to wash their hands before entering the classroom, which amounts to twice daily. 


As a parent of a special needs child myself, I can imagine the stress this has put on the parents of the little girl who is the focus of all this. They have, as a result, pulled their little girl from school and gone into hiding. Last year my son experienced the same accommodations at school for a student in his class. So far he has not exhibited any signs of trauma from the experience. Perhaps he is immune because he has a sister with special needs. His little sister is also in first grade, just as the class affected in Florida, but she has Prader-Willi Syndrome. Or... Maybe parents in our city have a little more compassion for those struggling with disabilities and have taught their children to be compassionate as well. 


I read an interesting and timely quote today, shared by one of my friends on Facebook. "The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.” - Tom Bodett
I can't help but wonder what the children are learning from their parents over this, in this Florida town, and what lesson will be learned by these protesting parents in the end. 


With my daughters syndrome, we have tried to avoid as many restrictions as possible at school, but food is a risk for her as well. Not from allergies, but a risk of stomach rupture. With Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) there is a constant hunger, among many other issues, and no amount of food will satisfy that hunger.  As a result, those with PWS are at risk of literally eating themselves to death. Those with PWS have been known to steal food, talk others into giving them food and even raiding the garbage cans for discarded food. Locks on refrigerators and food pantries are a requirement at home, as are locks on the doors to prevent exiting in some extreme cases.   


The world is seeing a rise in children affected by many issues, diseases, syndromes, ect., and it won't be long before protection in the schools will mean all classrooms are subject to special precautions.  With obesity on the rise, it is a wonder that food, treats and snacks in the classroom haven't already been prohibited, to add more time and focus on learning.  It has already begun in one of the schools here where I have two children.  


With the growing risk of so many potential health issues, one way to protect our children when their not in school, is through healthier choices and a healthier "greener" lifestyle. Shaklee products really are a great way to start. When it comes to nature, natural, my family, and especially my little girl who has Prader-Willi Syndrome, I trust Shaklee products to give me added hope for the future.



Terry Guinn, A Healthier You Too


Treat your family to the quality products they deserve. Shaklee products are always safealways work, and are always green. If you would like more information about Shaklee products, please contact me, Terry Guinn, Shaklee Independent Distributor, through my website at  www.ahealthieryoutoo.com or if you would like to checkout the products for yourself, go to my Shaklee page at  www.ahealthieryoutoo.myshaklee.com 


Shakleebaby & Shakleekids

Friday, March 18, 2011

God's "Special Gift"

Kirsten loves soccer

Your daughter may never walk, she will likely be severely mentally challenged and she will struggle with obesity... Her whole life!  
They say God will never give you anything you can't handle.  Not very comforting to parents who have just received devastating news from the doctor who has diagnosed their brand new baby with Prader-Willi Syndrome... Or any other disabling birth defect. It also doesn't help as you work the phones looking for ongoing medical, therapeutic and financial support. Nor does it help as you lay awake at night worrying about your child who is struggling to survive. New challenges, new fears... And new strength!
What had started out, in my mind (and believe me, thats a scary place), as a post on behavior as it is influenced by our environment... Has changed direction today due to inspiration from a couple of "Moms Blogs" that I read. They reminded me of a "technique" of sorts, that has become a routine for me and was created through my experience, and those things that have been an influence on me.  
It is so simple, common sense really, but many of us overlook or forget this one strategy that can help almost anyone.  I had to re-learn it as a member of a Toastmasters club, but it has so much more adaptability to everything we do.  The Toastmasters club mission statement (what should be part of our child rearing focus) says it all: 
The mission of a Toastmasters club (or our home) is to 
provide a mutually supportive and positive learning 
environment in which every individual member has 
the opportunity to develop oral communication 
and leadership skills, which in turn foster 
self-confidence and personal growth.

A positive and supportive attitude is contagious, and can change lives! What doesn't reach out and grab you in this mission statement, does hit home with the Toastmasters Club experience. Just for starters, every individuals speech is evaluated orally by a peer, focusing on the individuals strengths and also providing a few suggestions for growth, but always in a positive and supportive manner. And this is just the tip of the iceberg! A great positive learning experience for anyone that can help in all aspects of your life.
Imagine if we didn't accept that our children had limitations. Because they don’t! Imagine if we didn't allow the doctors to label our children and put them in a one size fits all box. The box doesn’t exist! Imagine if our children, who look to us for guidance, reassurance and support, believed in themselves... Just as we believe in them!
They say God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle... But they also say that God provides everything we need. Perhaps God loved my family so much, that he saw the need to send Kirsten to help us find our way home.  Kirsten was such a blessing for me and my family... And I couldn’t imagine life without her smile, her laugh, her habits, her routines and her love. She is surprising us every day with her accomplishments. She is perfect in every way, because God doesn’t make mistakes!
We are all God’s children and some of us are extra “Special”.  Treat your extra “Special” children as the “Special Gifts” from God that they are, full of potential and love, and God will take care of their... “Special Needs”.



As I said, God provides everything we need.  When it comes to nature, natural, my family, and especially my little girl who has Prader-Willi Syndrome, I trust Shaklee products to give me added hope for the future.


Terry Guinn, A Healthier You Too


Treat your family to the quality products they deserve. Shaklee products are always safealways work, and are always green. If you would like more information about Shaklee products, please contact me, Terry Guinn, Shaklee Independent Distributor, through my website at  www.ahealthieryoutoo.com or if you would like to checkout the products for yourself, go to my Shaklee page at  www.ahealthieryoutoo.myshaklee.com 


Shakleebaby & Shakleekids