Inclusion -Mama Needs You to See This, Now!


I always say that I haven’t slept for seven years.  I was so excited when I got pregnant with Ronan, that I had a really hard time catching some Zzzs.  When I had him…well, that was another post entitled, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHEN WILL THIS CHILD SLEEP!?

It’s seven years later, and my Brain 2000 still can’t sleep.  I put both of the boys to bed last night, and when I finally got to my room, it was around 11pm.

Mama needs wind-down time, so I put on the tele and started flipping.  I paused on the New Hampshire public television station, because I spotted what looked to be a documentary-type program about children, and Mama is a sucker for those.

What followed were two hours of wide-eyed, edge-of-the-bed sobbing, laughing and nodding in agreement from Mama.

Ronan’s IEP for next year is coming up in June.  He will be starting first grade at a new school, and I am TERRIFIED.  It’s so hard to explain to other people who are not in this situation how agonizingly difficult this is trying to navigate what is best for my child with Autism, in all arenas.

Education, therapy, social skills, speech, ot, pt, ABA, Floortime, inclusion, partial inclusion, aides, 1:1 aides, 1:2, 1:3, or 1:not enough aides, different schools apart from friends he has made for four years because there isn’t a good enough program at the other school, transitions that may or may not be supported by administration the way Mama thinks will be best for Ro, depending on whether or not you ask, or don’t ask the right way, or get the right advocate or lawyer or BCBA or FBA or after school/ home-school hours and therapists (not BABYSITTERS) and the wait is TOO LONG at OTA…when is the extra speech coming that BC/BS will allow at $20 per session for only 20 times a YEAR!!!

And the financial strains from the biomed route, Whole Foods owns my paychecks, and I worry about every little thing that goes into his body…do I need to do GF/CF, everything F again?  Does he have yeast, bacteria, immuno-compromise, vitamin/mineral absorbtion deficiencies, phenol or mito problems, intolerances to foods, mold, environmental toxins, viruses, and what about VACCINES?????  And why aren’t the therapies he NEEDS covered by INSURANCE??  Come on, Barack, when will they pass that BILL??!!!!  Will L-tryptophan or melatonin or 5-htp help him sleep, or will he always be a night owl, with circles under his eyes, and exhaused 4 out of 7 days????  Am I doing the right things, enough things, do I need to be engaging him right NOW, or more times a day, and what would Stanley Greenspan say while I am typing on the computer and he is stimming while jumping on his bed, and am I a horrible autism Mom because I have my own spectrum issues????


This is just a 5 minute sampling of what Mama brain ponders on a daily basis.

I am not trying to dumb down what other parents go through with their kids, with any kids.  It’s all tough.  Every child has their own issues, and every parent is tested and pushed to the limits.  But this documentary really opened my eyes in another way, even though we’ve been immersed in the special needs world for 7 years…I think I saw more of Ronan’s side -separate from myself.  It’s that good.  And it needs to be seen by Mrs. C. (who has always been a huge advocate for the inclusion piece), Mr. F., Mrs. Superintendent, and every other person who advocates or should advocate for these kids, for all kids.

This is a society that consists of all types of individuals as adults.  What sense does it make to segregate one group from the other while being educated as children?  What are we saying with that?  How are these kids supposed to function after they are thrust into the world at 18 years old, without the skills they need to function???

We have been VERY fortunate to have found such WONDERFUL and caring and educated individuals to nurture and teach Ro for these past few years…but I am very afraid of what lies ahead.

This documentary gave me a little more hope…and I really wish that it would have the same impact on our little circle and all around…

I am buying a copy, and I am giving one to all of his teachers, principals and administrators.

Huge kudos to Dan Habib for creating such a moving, informative and mind-altering look into his and other’s thoughts about his beautiful son and other lovely deserving individuals with special needs.

Here’s the youtube synopsis…

Samuel Dan airplane

p.s. How beautiful are Habib’s two boys???  I, being a Mama of two boys, was especially touched by the relationship between Samuel and Isaiah.  I really believe that Ronan and Loudon will have the same love bond (they really already do!) that made me sob in this docu.

**UPDATE**  They are airing it tonight on NHPTV at 10:30 pm!  I am watching it again!!!