Re: Parental Advocacy vs. Hovering

[Guest guest]

Amen Cyndi! Bringing your child's disability to the schools

attention to make allowances is not the same thing as hovering.

IMO, if we hovered or were over-protective he would never have

learned to ride a bike, or ice skate or played basketball on a team,

or learned to bowl, etc. Explaining to a basketball coach that if

the child says he's tired it's time to pull him out, is preventing

him from injury or worsening symptoms. The same applies to PE

teachers etc. Knowledge of a disability is crucial to faculty and

staff.

I see the way people stare at him when he walks in a store, etc. and

it kills me that people are so blatant. He does his best to ignore

and makes jokes with us to distract, but I know it hurts. If he's

really tired and speaks, his words are often very slurred and

difficult to understand and very loud as he has trouble regulating

his volume. People stare at that too. We can't protect him out in

the world - but if we can prepare those he interacts with on a daily

basis at school, there should be a higher degree of " normalcy " for

him there. That's just the right thing to do for your child.