Wordless Wednesday - Babywearing Baby

Disabled Students are Spanked More

I was a little surprised to read this.

When I was growing up, corporal punishment was still allowed in Pennsylvania. I experienced it first hand. In first grade I was paddled for jumping off of a table in the classroom while the teacher was talking in the hallway. I didn't think it was a big deal. The paddling I got from my teacher was nothing compared to what my dad could dole out at home. (I can't begin to imagine Hank treating our children this way.)

Then, in second grade, I had one of those teachers everyone talks about. The one who would put kids in the closet and tape over their mouths. A friend spoke to me while we were supposed to be quietly waiting in line. The teacher slapped us both across the face for this. I didn't tell my mom, until my friend's mother called to let her know what happened. My mom wrote a letter to the school and it was supposed to be put in her file. My brother had the same teacher 5 years later. Again there were problems with her being physical with the kids. And to all those who think teachers like this don't exist anymore, my daughter had her for a substitute last year. She spent the day yelling at the class to shut-up.

And how about my gym teacher that had children sign the paddle after he spanked them with it?

I'm glad to see Pennsylvania banned this type of discipline. However, I wonder how many children with disabilities are still subject to corporal punishment? I know of a mother whose son was slammed against the wall by an aide. He has autism. The school would argue that they were keeping him safe because he was trying to leave the building. I don't have a child with autism, but have managed to keep all of my children safe without hurting them in the process. It takes creativity and planning sometimes, but I think it can be done.

Tired, cranky, aggitated

That's how I feel lately. I'm annoyed with pretty much everyone and everything. I think it stems from 1st trimester tiredness and a 2yo who won't sleep. I swear if I could even get a decent nap I'd be a new person.

One of the things that hacked me off this week was our visit to the DS Center. I was left with instructions to give Goldie cow's milk, let her cry it out, and a prescription for Miralax. Oh yeah, I almost forgot the flushot. Because a hurriedly manufactured vaccine has to be soo much better for her immune system than breastmilk! Not. I got the kids with DS have weak immune systems lecture. Yeah, well noone told Goldie that and I really don't want her to know because she hasn't been sick in 4 months and has only had antibiotics twice. And I didn't ask for advice on weaning or nutrition so I don't know why he felt compelled to suggest cow's milk. I did ask for information on how Down syndrome could be affecting Goldie's sleep. After the CIO speech I explained that it would be cruel to let a child CIO ever without first looking for a medical reason for nightwaking! He went as far as to ask why I made an appointment with an ENT. The reason should have been obvious, to have her adenoids looked at and talk about sleep apnea. The bottom line is he just doesn't have enough knowledge or experience when it comes to Down syndrome. The suggestions he gave me I could have gotten from any general practice pediatrician.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading my rant. The other think that struck me when we when we walked into the reception area were the bulletin boards plastered with research study opportunities for Autism. I think this is great, Autism affects a lot of kids. But, there was nothing for DS. (The NIH just doubled the amount of research funding going to our Children's Hospital. I asked and No none of it will go to the DS center) Then, when I suggested checking for vitamin or mineral deficiencies when writing up Goldie's bloodwork I got a big no. "There's no reason to do that" I left with the overall impression that because Goldie has DS I'm supposed to accept its effects on her and not try to find other causes or solutions. Well, that's not my style. So I've been looking for my own answers. I've found a lot of good info on sleep that I'll post about later.

The Real Me

Tricia at Unringing the Bell tagged all her readers for this, and since Goldie and I are big Georgia fans we obliged. So if you've ever wonder what it would look like if you could see me while I'm reading your blog? Here it is:

This is our bedtime routine. I can take lazy to a whole new level. Seriously, I'm having a pretty good night. The kids are in bed (maybe not their own, but A bed), laundry turning in the dryer and washer, Cream of Wheat in the crockpot for breakfast, dishwasher is running, chicken eggs collected and the animals are fed. I wish everyday could go so smoothly.

IQ Tests Suck

I had a meeting with Mini Me's teachers, principal and school psychologist. I was given the scores from her IQ test. It was suprising. I expected her to do better on one portion than the other given her struggles with math and following directions. But, her scores were very similar. So, according to their numbers, she should have difficulties with language arts, reading, spelling etc...

I just can't reconcile that information with the daughter I KNOW. Language has always been her thing. She loves to read at home and excels in reading, grammer, vocabulary and spelling at school. My only guess is that her lack of skills in the direction following department is impacting her test score.

The principal was very positive and genuinely wants to help. He reminded me that there are multiple types of intelligence and this test only measures 2 of them. He will be working with Mini Me himself on some math concepts, since they don't have the staff available at the right time of day.

This was one of those times that I was so thankful for having a child with DS. I know from Goldie's evaluations that how a child performs on one day, at one moment in time, is NO indicator of their true potential or how they will perform 6 months from now. (I told them this) And if those numbers are right, then I guess it shows how far children can go with loving, involved parents who expect the best.

More About Me

I'm writing here to keep a promise I made to a friend. One of my friends asked me to promise that I would write about Goldie and how amazing she is. Everyone should have friends like mine. When I think of Goldie's birth, 21 months ago, I think of how supportive our friends were. They did so much for us. From cleaning my stove and folding laundry to bringing us food and groceries.

I seldom read blogs before Goldie was born. I was homeschooling her sisters, so sometimes I would read a homeschooling blog. Well, after she was diagnosed with Down Syndrome I wanted to read about families that were raising their child with DS. (I was not impressed with what some of the books were telling me.) I needed to SEE what their lives were like, what their kids were doing, and how DS fit into their day to day life.

I already had two children and was very set in my ways as far as parenting goes. I needed to know that my parenting style was right for my baby. I worried that the cloth diapers and riding in the Ergo would make her froggy legs worse. I wondered if I would be able to forgo rice cereal and pureed baby foods as I had with her sister. Would I be able to homeschool her? I needed some reassurance that I was the right mama for her. So, I googled "down syndrome attachment parenting". That is how I found Emma Sage. Which led to me other blogs (listed in the side bar) that I have been following anonymously, until now.