( OK OK perhaps not quote of the day, but that sounds better than quote of the every-few-days-maybe-even-as-infrequent-as-every-week-or-two )
I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something about that.
Then I realized I was somebody.
– Lily Tomlin
Step up people! Do something! Be the change!
<<< OK, there will be multiple posts on the Grade 5 IEP, otherwise it will be so long, nobody would ever finish. >>>
I know I linked to the IEP Goals and Objectives Bank, and I used to have goals like that for Maddie, but anymore we write our goals very differently. This post is limited [...]
<<< OK, there will be multiple posts on the Grade 5 IEP, otherwise it will be so long, nobody would ever finish. >>>
Follow this link to read my “parent input” for the IEP. I always use this same format, with some pictures and our “dream statement” (aka mission statement) for Maddie.
Parent Input & Concerns (200 
<<< OK, there will be multiple posts on the Grade 5 IEP, otherwise it will be so long, nobody would ever finish. >>>
It went well! We were finished in four hours. That’s pretty much unheard of for me.
The main thing I took away from Maddie’s meeting was how important people are. We did a MAPS session, part [...]
What is it like to be wanted? Isn’t that something that we all crave? Wow, I’ve never really had this experience with Maddie before.
In general, this time of year really sucks for me. We have Maddie’s annual IEP and MAPS meeting. Its a really long day, a lot of prep work, a lot of anxiety and [...]
This is the tenth year of the Angelman Syndrome Foundation National Walk-a-Thon.
This can be the year that the ASF passes the one million dollar mark for annual fundraising. To put it in context to highlight what a big deal this is for the ASF, the first few years the ASF funded almost no research. Because [...]
I was at an event in my community last night and I heard a young lady make some comments about diversity. In my small town, the word “diversity” mainly means just blacks and whites getting along. And although we do have a considerable Hispanic population, rarely is that community mentioned. Rarely if ever is thought put towards what else diversity [...]
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/special_reports&id=6073339
NORRISTOWN, Pa. - April 10, 2008 (WPVI) — For years, having a child with disabilities meant having them separated into different educational paths from other children. Now a handful of Montgomery County women are empowering parents with new options.
Most educators agree that children learn better by example, and that’s true for ALL children, even those [...]
Stolen from another mom (with permission)
Human beings do not always and probably rarely if ever learn in a linear, step by step fashion (so much for no child left behind).
I think we humans learn in what I would call the BACKYARD FIREWORKS MODEL- randomly exploding in surprising and brilliant colors and patterns, but not always in sequence [...]
When Maddie was very small, prior to diagnosis of Angelman Syndrome even, we did intense ABA-type work with her. “In moderation” would have been good advice, but I felt consistency was the key so it was all day every day. Of all my years of parenting, it was the hardest thing I ever did.
I mentioned [...]
