Parents Can Change the World: 6 Reasons Why Parents Make Great Activists

So you want to save the planet, fix your country, or rally support to a cause that really matters to you. What you need to move your cause forward is a group of parents who are just as passionate about the cause as you are. Here are six reasons why parents make great activists.

1. Parents have a vested interested in working for change. They want to make the world a better place for their children -- and their children's children. (Grandparents are parents, too, and they have time as well as passion to invest in their volunteer work.)

2. Parents get the job done. "If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it." That's how the old saying goes. And parents are some of the busiest people on the planet. They are pros at squeezing 25 hours of living into a 24 hour day. So be clear about what you're trying to achieve before you recruit parents to your cause. They don't have time for wasted time.

3. Parents have received fabulous on-the-job training for activism simply by being parents. Parents are their children's strongest advocates; and the skills they have developed in advocating for their children's needs within the school system, the health care system, or in the community allow them to advocate for others who may not be able to advocate as effectively for themselves.

4. Parents have staying power. Parenthood is, after all, a marathon event, not a sprint. Parents are used to sticking things through, even when the going gets tough. Very tough. "Why did I sign up for this thing in the first place?" kind of tough. That's why parents are among the most passionate and committed volunteers.

5. Parents have thick skins and that they aren't easily put off by the hairy-eyeball stare. What parent hasn't been told "You're not my friend" (or worse) by a furious three-year-old; or been on the receiving end of the withering stare of a less-than-impressed 15-year-old? Standing firm as a parent isn't the easy thing, but it's the right thing to do. It's excellent preparation for the tough stands anyone working for change may attract (and the hairy-eyeball stares or nasty comments that be or she may attract).

6. Parents are incredibly connected. This generation of parents is wired. They may not always be able to hit the pavement with signs and strollers, or to attend every fund-raising event, but, if they support what you're marching for, they're only a text message away. What's more, being wired allows them to share their passion for your cause with friends and family members -- yet another benefit of working with parents.

Related:

People for Education: People for Education is a parent-led organization working to support public education in Ontario's English, French, and Catholic schools.

Moms Against Climate Change on Facebook: TakeActionOnClimateChange.com is an initiative that gives a voice to parents: the people who care most about protecting the future of our children.

Junction Parents: Clean Air for Clean Lungs: Information about a rally that was held at Queen's Park last year by this local environmental group.

Gravity Pulls You In: Anthology About Parenting Kids on the Autism Spectrum

I had the privilege of contributing an essay to Kyra Anderson and Vicki Forman's fabulous new book Gravity Pulls You In: Perspectives on Parenting Children on the Autism.

My essay -- As Great as Trees -- describes the painful time period when my youngest son was asked to leave his school because the school wasn't able to deal with his behavior. (This was right before he was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome.)

Here's a short excerpt which describes his last day at his old school:

Ian says goodbye to his classmates on a Wednesday afternoon,
three weeks into fifth grade. His classmates present him
with a piece of goodbye cake. Conveniently, his birthday has fallen
the day before, so they are able to save him a piece of the birthday
cake they ended up eating without him—the downside of being suspended
from school on your very own birthday. When the decision
to suspend him evolves into a request (non-negotiable) that we withdraw
him, the birthday cake morphs into goodbye cake to go.       
(...continued)

If you'd like to get a sense of what the book is all about, you may want to read the other excerpts available on the book's website as well as the book's foreword (written by John Elder Robison, author of Look Me in the Eye).

I absolutely love contributing to anthologies. It's exciting to be part of a community of writers all celebrating the birth of the very same "baby." And what a baby you've given the ASD families of the world, Kyra and Vicki.

You should be very proud.

Gravity Pulls You In by Kyra Anderson and Vicki Forman. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House, 2010. Paperback, $19.95. 33 essays and poems.

Related:

All posts on this blog that relate to Autism Spectrum Disorders

More Than a Mom.Net: A website created by Amy Baskin and Heather Fawcett, co-authors of More Than a Mom: Leading a Full and Balanced Life When Your Child Has Special Needs.

Aspergers Society of Ontario: A registered charity that "provides education, resources and support to individuals with AS, their families, educators, medical and mental health professionals, employers, government and the community, to enable individuals with AS to realize their potential as fully contributing members of their community."

Autism Ontario: A charitable organization that promotes "acceptance and opportunities for all individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders."

H1N1 Obsessed? Join the Club: How H1N1 Anxiety is Affecting the Lives of Canadian Parents

Every parent I know is H1N1 obsessed right now. And, judging by these newspaper headlines, the parental obsession is pretty much country-wide. Here's a quick snapshot of how H1N1 anxiety is affecting the lives of Canadian parents from coast to coast.

Newswire

The Toronto Star: Got Baby Brain? Your Vaccine Guide, Simply Put
The Toronto Star 's Catherine Porter translates the lingo of Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer, into messages a pregnant woman can deal with, without hitting the panic button.

The Globe and Mail: The H1N1 dilemma: Parents Agonize Over Vaccinating Kids Yes? No? Maybe? Yes?
Parental pillow talk across the country is dominated by the pros and cons of vaccinating children against swine flu reportsThe Globe and Mail's Erin Anderssen.

Vancouver Sun.com: Doctors' Offices and Walk-in Clinics Overwhelmed by H1N1 Demands
Doctors’ offices and walk-in clinics in B.C. are being inundated with calls from people demanding the H1N1 vaccine but they don’t have enough doses to meet the demand in the first roll out of the national vaccination program.

Montreal Gazette: Parents flood ERs for H1N1 testing
Authorities at two Montreal hospitals are holding a news conference this morning to address parents' concerns about H1N1 flu.

Halifax Daily News: Influenza Assessment Centre Opens Today at Noon
In Halifax, health authorities are opening an influenza assessment centre to ease congestion and help prevent the spread of flu or other communicable diseases in hospital emergency departments. 

Edmonton Journal: Schools Scramble for Teachers as H1N1 Tightens its Grip
The wave of germs that is keeping a growing number of Edmonton area students at home sick now appears to be thinning the ranks of staff at some schools, the Edmonton Journal reports.

CBC.ca: Nunavut Starts Swine Flu Shots Nov. 1 
The H1N1 shot will be offered to everyone eligible to get it (as opposed to priority groups such as pregnant women and those with chronic conditions), starting November 1. Nunavut expects to "be able to finish its vaccination program ahead of most other provinces and territories," chief medical officer Isaac Sobol told the CBC. 

Related:

Healthzone.ca: Where to Get Your Shots in the GTA
An interactive map that is updated as information changes.

New Scientist: Swine Flu: Eight Myths That Could Endanger Your Life
New Scientist magazine went back and looked at the research -- and found that even some government  agencies are missing the mark on a few key points.

Resource Swap

How is your family dealing with the H1N1 issue? Have you blogged about it? Do you have a useful resource to share? Please comment below so that others who are struggling with this issue can benefit from your insights and experience. Thanks.

What Early Childhood Educators Have to Say About the Move to Full-Day Kindergarten: A Three-Part Series

After reading Kristen Rushowy's article last week and discovering how close the Ontario government is to making its final decisions about full-day kindergarten, I felt that we needed to hear more from early childhood educators. (We've heard a lot from the teachers and the politicians and policy-makers, but I don't think we've head as much from the early childhood educators about the role they hope to play in the early learning classroom of the future, circa September 2010.)

The result is this three-part series of blog posts:

• Part I: An interview with Julia Lipman of the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario (AECEO) about what early childhood educators bring to the table - and why they deserve to be treated as full partners in our kids’ education.
• Part II: An interview with early childhood education professor Pat Dickinson about the traditional power imbalance between certified teachers and early childhood educators, and how the McGuinty government has the opportunity to right this wrong.
• Part III: The correspondence file: What others who are passionate about early learning are saying about the role that early childhood educators should play.

First up: Part I.

The Correspondence File: Letters About Early Childhood Educators, Teachers, and Early Learning in Ontario (Part III)

Part III in a three-part series about the move to full-time kindergarten in Ontario. Part I featured an interview with Julia Lipman of the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario. Part II featured my interview with Pat Dickinson, program director for the Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies, Charles Sturt University (Ontario).

The following letters highlight the strengths of early childhood educators and/or urge the government to proceed with full-day kindergarten programs with early childhood educators and teachers working as equal partners.

ECEs HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT IN COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS AND CHILDREN

My experience with ECE’s is through the Best Start Hubs. I have been able to recognize that ECEs have a special talent of communicating with parents and children. If an ECE has a concern about a child and they bring it up to a parent,  a parent is more apt to act. A parent feels less threatened by an ECE than a teacher.  ECE’s have more experience with children having behavioural or health issues. I believe that the ECE’s would be a definite asset in bridging the gap between parents and the health of children. ECE’s seem to be better trained in dealing with and understanding children. They also have more time to focus on the children and their difficulties than on the work that must be accomplished by the teachers’ mandate.
 
Sheri Johnson Purdon
Community Mental Health Worker - Postpartum Depression
Canadian Mental Health Association - Sudbury/Manitoulin Branch


WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT BENDING TO PRESSURE FROM TEACHERS?

As an early childhood educator and Professor of Early Childhood Education at our college, I feel that the qualifications and general opinion of ECE teachers are not taken seriously and are still considered "babysitters".

As a Professor of Early Childhood Education, I can tell you that the ECE teachers have a 2 year concentration in child development and are very capable of teaching in a Kindergarten setting. Do the primary teachers have the same education necessary for this age group? ECE teachers also belong to the College of ECEs.

Why is the government bending to pressure from the teachers when the study clearly states that the children/program would benefit from a blend of primary teachers and early childhood educators? Would you not want to put the best combination of teachers together for the benefits of the children/program? A good boss/team leader puts the best people in the positions for maximum benefit. Do you want teachers who are not educated in child development to plan a program for the children? ECE teachers know how to do this and are taught by very qualified professors.

It is time to listen to the ECE teachers and to give them the recognition they deserve.

Judy Rose, R.E.C.E.
Director
A Child's Secret Garden Daycare Inc.and
Professor of Early Childhood Education
St. Lawrence College
Cornwall, Ontario


ABOUT TURF PROTECTION

To me this issue is about protectionism/turf protection, and the union exerting pressure to protect what they believe is an opportunity for new jobs. Meanwhile, I believe that relationships could be damaged and there needs to be a big push on the ECE side. (College/university ECE teachers need to advocate for the way the system can work.)

Beth Anne Currie
works with many early childhood educators and has provided workshops, training, and support to early childhood educators over the past 5 years

RESENT INCREASED COST TO TAXPAYERS WHEN ECES HAVE EXPERTISE

Hello Ann,
I am the Nipissing Best Start coordinator.
Here is a copy of the letter I sent to [my] MPP when I saw this article.
Karen Cobb
 

Monique Smith,
Member of Provincial Parliament

Dear Monique:
Today’s article in the Toronto Star regarding the favouring of implementation of full-day learning for four year olds by certified elementary teachers deeply concerns me and I wanted to take a minute to express my views from the perspective of a parent, a teacher and now the Nipissing Best Start Coordinator.
 
It has been my very great pleasure to work with many community partners including teachers and early educators in the child care system during my time as Nipissing Best Start Coordinator. From that perspective and from the perspective of a working parent whose children did not have the advantage of an early learning system and who entered school at the SK level for half days, I am disheartened that the expertise of early educators who have been entrusted with the early learning and care of our children for many many years is now being diminished under pressure from teachers who feel that their expertise should supersede that of early educators. Each educator brings to the child very specialized skills that together enrich the early learning environment for the child who may be as young as three years eight months.
 
There are many examples of early learning environments in schools now where the responsibility for the child and his or her early learning is shared extremely effectively by JK teachers and Early Childhood Educators including one in our own area at EW Norman Public School which I invite you to visit at your earliest convenience. During the past year responsibilities for curriculum, care, parent contact, referrals and many other classroom teaching strategies are planned and handled cooperatively and effectively. Together with the parent, the children’s optimal development is supported holistically and together with our specialized community partners extra help is provided as required.
 
As a taxpayer I resent the anticipated increased cost to taxpayers. These dollars would be better used to support children with identified needs where early educators and teachers are being highly challenged to provide the extra contact, intervention and reporting that may be required. Yes, many schools have been providing full day early learning for some time but this was a decision made by school boards at a time when other more cost effective options were not available.
 
Dr. Pascal’s report is well researched and suggests a model that will meet the needs of all families and children effectively and this should be implemented using the cost effective strategies described in the plan and that certainly do not compromise the education of our children.
 
I would welcome the opportunity to arrange a visit for you to EW Norman Public School where you can witness for yourself how well the model proposed by Dr. Pascal can work and at which time we can discuss this in more depth with the educators at that school location. You will then be able to provide extensive and accurate feedback to Premier McGuinty about a very successful shared teaching arrangement right here in North Bay.
 
I look forward to sharing a few moments with you about this topic at this year’s Let the Learning Begin Family Conference.
 
Sincerely,
Karen E. Cobb
 
P.S. The content of this email is the opinion of the writer only.
 


SUCCESS REPORT FROM ONTARIO'S LARGEST FRANCOPHONE DAYCARE PROVIDER

Hello,

The Centre de ressources familiales de l'Estrie is proud to inform you that
we are the largest francophone daycare provider in Ontario.

We would like to share with the public the we have established and
maintained successful partnerships with the two school boards in our region.
We are proud to collaborate with them in offering the full day learning
program.

Our qualified early childhood educators and the teaching staff have worked
in collaboration since 2000, to offer the best possible program for the
children and their families. We continue to build ont that success. Parents
are elated with this approach.

On day one the child attends class with the teacher and on day two he
attends class with the educator. Both staff complement each other in the
common goal to help the child attain his or hers developmental milestones.

Each professional has their own defined role: the teacher works with the
ministry's curriculum and the educator teaches through play-based activities.

The model that we have implemented in the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
region is proof that a partnership between the two professionals can be
successful and rewarding for all involved.

Thank you,

Manon Tailleur
Directrice générale- Executive director
Centre de ressources familiales de l'Estrie
1500 boulevard Holy Cross
Cornwall, Ontario
K6H 2X1

Le CRFE est fier d'être le plus gros pourvoyeur des services de garde
francophones en Ontario.

Finally, this blog post contains another correspondent's views:

Ontario's McGuinty Urged to 'Do The Right Thing' for Ontario's Children

We've Heard from Teachers, Politicians: Now Let's Hear from Early Childhood Educators (Part I)

We’ve heard from the teachers. And we’ve heard from the policy-makers and the politicians. But how early childhood educators (ECEs) feel about the changes that are being made to early learning isn't being heard quite as often or as loudly.

After reading Kristen Rushowy's article last week and discovering how close the Ontario government is to making its final decisions about full-day kindergarten, I felt that parents really needed to hear what early childhood educators have to say about the role they hope to play as the province acts on the recommendations of the Early Learning Advisor (the so-called Pascal Report). This three-part series is the result.

PART I: INTERVIEW with JULIA LIPMAN, AECEO

Julia Lipman, Communications and Marketing Manager for the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario (AECEO), responded to a series of questions I posed about the future of early learning in Ontario. Her answers focus on the professionalism of early childhood educators; the specialized training they have received in dealing with young children; and the long-established tradition ECEs have in working in partnership with teachers.

What do ECEs want parents to know about the strengths and capabilities of early childhood educators?

JULIA LIPMAN: In addition to their commitment to parental engagement and play-based learning, registered early childhood educators work in a regulated profession. Early Childhood Educators, under the newly legislated Early Childhood Educators Act (2007), must be registered members of the College of Early Childhood Educators to use the professional title of Early Childhood Educator or Registered Early Childhood Educator. Members of the College are held accountable to a complaints and disciplinary process and standards of practice. Under the Act, registered early childhood educators have a mandated scope of practice to plan and deliver “inclusive play-based learning and care programs for children in order to promote the well-being and holistic development of children.”

Have ECEs and teachers traditionally functioned as allies/partners? Do you think a misstep by the Ontario government has the potential to damage relations between members of the two professions? What would be your advice to the people who making these decisions?

"The two professionals ultimately have a shared interest in
what is best for children, and registered early childhood educators
embrace the potential to serve children and families through
an equal partnership with certified teachers in a
full-day early learning environment."

JULIA LIPMAN: There are many examples across the province of learning environments in which registered early childhood educators and certified teachers work together in equal partnerships for the benefit of children and families. These programs result in happy learners and families, but have also produced very positive and professionally fulfilling relationships between registered early childhood educators and teachers. The two professionals ultimately have a shared interest in what is best for children, and registered early childhood educators embrace the potential to serve children and families through an equal partnership with certified teachers in a full-day early learning environment. The AECEO strongly urges the Ontario government to respect the research and expertise of the Early Learning Advisor’s report by implementing the vision of a blended team approach.

What do ECEs want to say to parents as the Ontario government is set to make really key decisions about the future of education in this province?

JULIA LIPMAN: Ontario’s families are diverse in many ways, and their needs are individual. The new early learning and care system outlined in the Early Learning Advisor’s report would support children and families with a continuum of learning and one-stop resources including health and nutritional guidance, developmental assessment and support resources, community connections and parental engagement strategies. These services would be widely available and open to all those involved in the care of young children, not just to families who utilize full-day learning programs for four and five-year-olds.

The time has come to take a fragmented system of valuable programs and resources and turn it into a cohesive system that works for Ontario’s families. In order to do that, the Early Learning Advisor’s Report must be implemented in its entirety. This is an interdependent systems approach. If the Ontario government follows through on this plan, our province will become an example of innovations in early learning and care on the world stage.

The Quick Guide to Canadian Maternity Leave -- and the Mom Who Wrote It

The moment I found out Amber Stroecel was writing a Quick Guide to Canadian Maternity Leave, I knew I had to interview her about her project. I mean how many people, out of the goodness of their heart, write a gorgeous and informative go-to guide about Canadian maternity leave -- and offer it to people for free?

Well, it turns out that Amber has been the go-to girl for questions about Canadian maternity leave for quite some time, hosting Mat Leave Mondays on her blog and fielding questions from Canadian parents who want to know The Rules for staying home with baby.

I tracked down Amber on Twitter and talked her into an interview. Here's how our conversation went.

ANN: What inspired you to want to put together your Guide?

AMBER: The company I worked for through both of my pregnancies had a really fabulous intranet with detailed info about all of its policies and benefits, including maternity leave. I love to plan, so having access to that information was great.

I started blogging about maternity leave during my last maternity leave, which just ended in August. It was a little project to keep me busy and thinking while I was at home. What I discovered is that a lot of people have questions about maternity and parental leave and no good place to go for answers. I remembered the info my company had and thought that a brief guide might be helpful to them.

ANN: Is this the first time you've created something like this?

AMBER: This is the first time I've created a guide like this one. I was laid off during my maternity leave, and I've been considering what I want to do next. It's still taking shape in my mind, but I've found that being out of a job has been a huge growth experience for me. I'm asking myself questions and considering things I haven't thought of before, or haven't thought of in a long time. Wherever I end up, I would like it to involve writing and helping others. This guide is my first foray in that direction outside of blogging.

ANN: Were you involved in sharing information online before you became a mom? Has becoming a mom intensified that?

AMBER: I have blogged at Strocel.com since 2003, and my first child was born in 2005 so I was casually involved online. However, I would say that I lacked direction and didn't take it that seriously. With the birth of my second child I started my Mat Leave Monday project, where every Monday I wrote about maternity leave. Originally I intended it to be more personal - about my experience being on maternity leave. Very quickly it became bigger than me. People wanted information, and they didn't know where to find it. I became interested in and passionate about maternity and parental and adoption leave. I think that being a mom intensified that because I doubt I would be thinking about these issues in the same way if I hadn't lived through them. I would like to say I'm more altruistic than that, but I think most of us take interest in things that affect us personally on some level.

ANN: What type of software did you use to produce your guide?

AMBER: I just wrote the guide and created the graphics in Microsoft Word. Then I had the final PDF professionally designed, which cost a few hundred dollars. I think that it's less a question of the technology than the design experience. My background is in computer programming, and so while I am very technically literate I am not very good at making things 'pretty'.

ANN: What advice would you offer to other parents who have a lot of knowledge or expertise about a particular topic but who don't know how to share it with the world?

AMBER: Over the past year I have become a very active social networker. This doesn't come naturally to me, but with time and practice I have become pretty good at it and I've come to love it. I think that the best place to start sharing your message with others is Twitter. There are so many people to connect with, many of whom probably have common interests or questions you can answer. Having a blog with a regular publishing schedule is also great, because then readers know where and when to find you. Either way, the key is to engage in conversation. Reply to people on Twitter. Ask questions. Visit other blogs. Comment. The more you share your message, the more that your people will find you.

ANN: Has sharing content online become part of your life? I notice that you've also provided some excellent instructions for handmade craft projects, you've been a guest-blogger on various social networking sites, you've written for various blogs, etc.

AMBER: Sharing content online has become part of my life. As I mentioned, I am hoping to find a new career that involves writing and helping. Sharing content online is one way to do that. It's also good practice. The more that you do something, the better you become at it. Also, when you're doing something that you love it doesn't feel tedious. I can put in a lot of time creating content because I love to do it, it gives me energy and I am happy to take time away from other interests to pursue this one.

ANN: What has been the reaction of parents to your Guide? I know there was a lot of anticipation.

AMBER: So far the reaction has been positive. I got a lot of sign-ups on the first day, and those who responded thought that it was a great idea. There just isn't a lot of easily accessible maternity leave information out there for Canadians. Many new parents might work in fields or roles where not many people have taken leave, and not every employer provides ready access to policies and procedures. So I think that many people see a need and a use for a guide like this one.

ANN: Do you plan to publish other guides as time/inspiration permits?

AMBER: I do plan to do more publishing, but not necessarily guides like this one. My next project at Strocel.com, now that Mat Leave Mondays are over, is called Crafting my Life. It's about finding balance as a mother, and creating a life for myself. I have some ideas about things I want to publish in this area. It would be more in the vein of inspiration and motivation than information. When you download the guide you're subscribed to my email list, and I will be following up with my ideas and plans for future projects on the list as they become a little bit more concrete. This guide was a big project, and so I am just taking a moment to re-group before I launch into the next thing. I also have a very active 13-month-old at the moment, so that does impact how much time I can spend writing. In fact, at this very moment he's pulling all the toys of the shelves and trying to climb them. And he's playing his kazoo - he loves his kazoo.

Best Summer Ever: Day 43

August 12
Start Laying the Groundwork for a Fabulous Fall

 The decisions you make during the weeks ahead will affect your stress level this fall.

Take time to think through what you're committing to as a parent before you sign on too many dotted lines.

For example, when you’re signing your kids up for extra-curricular activities, consider the time slot carefully. If the practice times are going to disrupt family mealtimes on a regular basis, you may want to see if there's another organization in the community offering the same activity at a less disruptive time. Sometimes you have a choice; other times you don't. But you'll never know unless you do some asking around.

Photo Credit: Ann Douglas, 2009.

Best Summer Ever: Day 28

July 28
Lighten the Load for Another Parent

Look for opportunities to lighten the load or advocate on behalf of a parent who is going through a particularly tough time.

If you've been through a tough time in your own life as a parent -- a time when you needed support from the proverbial parenting village in order to get through the most difficult of days -- you know what a difference such support can make.

Why not be that village for another parent?

Related:

Ontario Early Years Centres

Toronto Public Health: Healthy Babies Healthy Children

Photo Credit: Ann Douglas, 2009.

The June Blues: End of School Year Routine = Challenging Time for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders

My 11-year-old son is having an extra tough time these days. Now that school has wrapped up until September, the daily routine that has provided structure to his days for the past 10 months is no longer in place. He’s in a no-kids-land between the familiar and the unknown.

Here's the glitch: 

Summer routines are never as solid or as predictable as school year routines. The structure and the rules of summer tend to change from day to day, if not from hour to hour. That's what makes summer an idyllic time of year for most of us and treacherous territory for those who cling to routines like a life jacket.

His pacing is sending my anxiety level higher and higher. I try suggesting some activities that would normally score highly with him:

Play with your remote-control truck.

Use the shop-vac to vacuum the dirt out of my car.

Read these Charlie Brown comic books that belong to your Dad.

Make something out of all those pieces of scrap lumber you scavenged from school.

I'm doing this more for me than him. I want him to settle into something so I can settle into something. While he's restless, I'm restless.

He’s not ready to stop grieving yet. He's clinging to the memory of something that has already been lost (his comfortable-as-his-own-skin school year routine), but that he's not ready to let go of quite yet.

He walks through his daily routine for me as we drive across town on his second school-less morning.

“I get to school, sit on the bench, take off my outdoor shoes, put on my indoor shoes, take out my agenda, hang up my book bag, walk down the ramp, into the kitchen, turn left, through the doors, drop off my agenda, fill up my glass, and do my HANDLE.”

The end of school year transition that was such a non-issue for my other three kids -- kids who do not have Asperger’s syndrome -- is a very big deal for my youngest child. It's also become a very big deal for me. I spend a lot of time watching him and quietly noting what’s happening in his world, trying to puzzle how what, if anything, I can do to guide him towards those carefree days of which childhood summers are supposed to be made.

* * *

Note: Since September, our family has been participating in the Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) program developed by clinical psychologist Stephen Gutstein, PhD, for families with a child on the autism spectrum. Our 11 year old son has also been participating in HANDLE since he started at his new school last September. We’re seeing a lot of positive changes in our son. I’ll be talking a bit more about these programs and our family’s experiences in future columns. For now, I just wanted to introduce you to the acronyms so you would be familiar with them when start to use them more regularly.

Photo Credit: Ann Douglas, 2009.