04-09-2005, 03:41 PM
http://www.newsenterpriseonline.com/arti.../news2.txt
Quote:
Everyone needs a shoulder now and then, especially those who must live life with a child's autism
N-E/Neal Cardin
Stacey Wells and her son, Nathan Bennett, organize papers for the support group for parents of children with autism that Wells is starting. The pair and Family Resource Coordinator Charis Kahlden prepared the handouts Thursday night at Lakewood Elementary School, where Nathan is a student.
By SARAH BAKER
Stacey Wells knew her son was suffering, but it took her four years to find out why.
Her son, Nathan Bennett, only spoke two words at a time until he was 5. His train of thought skipped from one subject to the next without explanation. His sense of touch was dangerously abnormal. His behavior was often out of line.
And while some thought Wells' son was just spoiled or going through a phase, she knew something wasn't right.
"I thought I was going to lose my mind for a little while, I swear, because I didn't know what would help him," she said.
After an initial diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Nathan was diagnosed with high functioning autism at age 6. Nathan, now 9, also was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder.
Her son's disabilities threw Wells into a sea of doctors, medications, specialized schooling and independent research.
After learning the final diagnosis and adjusting to the demands of raising a child with special needs, Wells realized she wasn't alone. Other parents were out there, swimming through the same uncertainty and frustration.
With that in mind, Wells started the support group Leading, Educating and Parenting, or L.E.A.P., to provide education and support to families with special needs.
Starting next week, the group, which formed in October, will expand by hosting meetings where parents can hear from educational and medical professionals. Upcoming speakers include special education teachers and an occupational therapist.
Since October, the group has been meeting at Lakewood Elementary School for discussions and playdates, and will continue to offer that sort of support system to disabled children and their families. Parents share medical research and often-limited resources, compare notes on medications or discuss the individual education plans that are developed for disabled students.
With a $1,000 grant from the state's Department for Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services, L.E.A.P. has put together a small library for parents and finances field trips. They'll also hire professionals to lead workshops including a sign language class that starts in May, said Charis Kahlden, the family resource center coordinator at the school who has been assisting the independent group.
Still, one of the central benefits of the group is learning other families have "been there, done that," Wells said.
"We just want parents to know there's somewhere to go even if they just want to let it out," she said.
Corrie Grimes joined the group shortly after it formed. Her son, 5-year-old Tristan, has sensory integration, pediatric bipolar and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.
Sensory integration skews Tristan's senses so that the sound of a fluorescent light will ring in his ears and the touch of a turtleneck shirt will have him gasping for air. A light pat on the head will hurt him, but his mother has caught him banging his head into a wall because "it feels good." The disorder can develop into obsessive compulsive disorder.
Because Wells' son also has obsessive compulsive and sensory disorders, she has already been through many of the challenges Grimes faces now.
Since joining L.E.A.P. six months ago, Grimes said, she has a better grip on her son's needs and the stress those needs put on her family.
"I feel like I can enjoy my son," she said.
The group offers more than parent support, though. The gatherings give disabled children a chance to be themselves and give their siblings without disabilities support, too. Tristan, for example, can play freely and realize he's not the only child with a disability.
"I want him to know he's not alone and he's not fighting this alone," Grimes said.
Another special needs support group, Parents in Action, formed in Radcliff about eight years ago. Active member Sunday Nelson, the mother of an autistic child, said such groups help entire families.
The group has helped her shake the feelings of isolation and devastation that followed her son's diagnosis, she said.
"(The parents) understand parenting a special needs child. They know things sometimes just don't go right for no reason at all," Nelson said. "We understand where you are, where you've been and where you're gonna go."
Nelson agreed that the children benefit, too, as they are able to make friends and play without being judged. Some of the children in the group have urges to spin in circles or flap their arms, for example, and that behavior is unrestricted, she said.
"They don't have to worry about their idiosyncrasies," Nelson said.
Sarah Baker can be reached at 769-1200, Ext. 428, or e-mail her at sjbaker@thenewsenterprise.com.
IF YOU GO
--L.E.A.P. (Leading, Educating and Parenting) will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Lakewood Elementary School in Stephensburg. Special education teachers will discuss the connection between home, school, parents and teachers. Meetings will then be held every other Tuesday. For more information, contact Stacey Wells at 862-2896 or Charis Kahlden at 862-4516, Ext. 2050.
--The Parents in Action support and playgroup meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday at Parkway Elementary School in Radcliff. Call Sunday Nelson at 352-0967 for more information.
N-E/Neal Cardin
Stacey Wells and her son, Nathan Bennett, organize papers for the support group for parents of children with autism that Wells is starting. The pair and Family Resource Coordinator Charis Kahlden prepared the handouts Thursday night at Lakewood Elementary School, where Nathan is a student.
By SARAH BAKER
Stacey Wells knew her son was suffering, but it took her four years to find out why.
Her son, Nathan Bennett, only spoke two words at a time until he was 5. His train of thought skipped from one subject to the next without explanation. His sense of touch was dangerously abnormal. His behavior was often out of line.
And while some thought Wells' son was just spoiled or going through a phase, she knew something wasn't right.
"I thought I was going to lose my mind for a little while, I swear, because I didn't know what would help him," she said.
After an initial diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Nathan was diagnosed with high functioning autism at age 6. Nathan, now 9, also was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder.
Her son's disabilities threw Wells into a sea of doctors, medications, specialized schooling and independent research.
After learning the final diagnosis and adjusting to the demands of raising a child with special needs, Wells realized she wasn't alone. Other parents were out there, swimming through the same uncertainty and frustration.
With that in mind, Wells started the support group Leading, Educating and Parenting, or L.E.A.P., to provide education and support to families with special needs.
Starting next week, the group, which formed in October, will expand by hosting meetings where parents can hear from educational and medical professionals. Upcoming speakers include special education teachers and an occupational therapist.
Since October, the group has been meeting at Lakewood Elementary School for discussions and playdates, and will continue to offer that sort of support system to disabled children and their families. Parents share medical research and often-limited resources, compare notes on medications or discuss the individual education plans that are developed for disabled students.
With a $1,000 grant from the state's Department for Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services, L.E.A.P. has put together a small library for parents and finances field trips. They'll also hire professionals to lead workshops including a sign language class that starts in May, said Charis Kahlden, the family resource center coordinator at the school who has been assisting the independent group.
Still, one of the central benefits of the group is learning other families have "been there, done that," Wells said.
"We just want parents to know there's somewhere to go even if they just want to let it out," she said.
Corrie Grimes joined the group shortly after it formed. Her son, 5-year-old Tristan, has sensory integration, pediatric bipolar and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.
Sensory integration skews Tristan's senses so that the sound of a fluorescent light will ring in his ears and the touch of a turtleneck shirt will have him gasping for air. A light pat on the head will hurt him, but his mother has caught him banging his head into a wall because "it feels good." The disorder can develop into obsessive compulsive disorder.
Because Wells' son also has obsessive compulsive and sensory disorders, she has already been through many of the challenges Grimes faces now.
Since joining L.E.A.P. six months ago, Grimes said, she has a better grip on her son's needs and the stress those needs put on her family.
"I feel like I can enjoy my son," she said.
The group offers more than parent support, though. The gatherings give disabled children a chance to be themselves and give their siblings without disabilities support, too. Tristan, for example, can play freely and realize he's not the only child with a disability.
"I want him to know he's not alone and he's not fighting this alone," Grimes said.
Another special needs support group, Parents in Action, formed in Radcliff about eight years ago. Active member Sunday Nelson, the mother of an autistic child, said such groups help entire families.
The group has helped her shake the feelings of isolation and devastation that followed her son's diagnosis, she said.
"(The parents) understand parenting a special needs child. They know things sometimes just don't go right for no reason at all," Nelson said. "We understand where you are, where you've been and where you're gonna go."
Nelson agreed that the children benefit, too, as they are able to make friends and play without being judged. Some of the children in the group have urges to spin in circles or flap their arms, for example, and that behavior is unrestricted, she said.
"They don't have to worry about their idiosyncrasies," Nelson said.
Sarah Baker can be reached at 769-1200, Ext. 428, or e-mail her at sjbaker@thenewsenterprise.com.
IF YOU GO
--L.E.A.P. (Leading, Educating and Parenting) will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Lakewood Elementary School in Stephensburg. Special education teachers will discuss the connection between home, school, parents and teachers. Meetings will then be held every other Tuesday. For more information, contact Stacey Wells at 862-2896 or Charis Kahlden at 862-4516, Ext. 2050.
--The Parents in Action support and playgroup meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday at Parkway Elementary School in Radcliff. Call Sunday Nelson at 352-0967 for more information.