Labeling or Disabling?

Posted by Ashley, Special Educator

Because we work closely with our families (which all educators should do, by the way!), we often hear the thoughts and concerns of our parents.  One very common concern I encounter has to do with labeling children.  Many families feel uncomfortable with having their child labeled with a diagnosis.  This raises countless questions.  Will this label follow my child throughout his life?  Will it prevent opportunities for him in the future?  Will he be judged or stigmatized?  Will the diagnosis cause more harm than good?  These are just a few of many concerns some of our parents face.

An open letter to the world..on behalf of "My parents"

Posted by Dani, Speech-Language Pathologist

Dear parents everywhere,

Let me first state that I am not yet a parent. More specifically, I am not a parent of child with special needs and/or interfering behaviors. That being said, I have gained significant experience in counselling, educating, and collaborating with parents who raise children with a range of diagnoses including Autism and PDD-NOS ("my parents"). I give credit to my amazing coworkers who I continue to learn from every day, the strong and loving parents who share with us their most vulnerable states and rawest emotions regarding raising a child with special needs/interfering behaviors, and most of all, I accredit the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (it's science! it works!)

 I can't even begin to describe the strength and perseverance I see in so many of my parents. I assure you that my parents come from ALL walks of life. I assure you that despite socioeconomic, cultural, and religious differences-- my parents have MANY things in common. The obvious commonality is the fact that they are parents of children with special needs. More importantly, they all love their children deeply and enter into Early Intervention for that very reason-- to try and find the best and most effective way to help their children.