SN Children

[MinnieVanMom]

Today I spent some time at DS school in the reading area to listen to my son participate. DS didn't know I was there and it was so nice to hear how he does with other NT's. The reading lab is in the SPED area.

A little guy came out of SPED and just started to talk to me about all sorts of things. To me, his behavior was very normal as is to me with all SN children. I wonder when I changed that to me SN children seem so normal and NT's are almost quiet and reserved?

Is it a good thing or bad?

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

I wonder when I changed that to me SN children seem so normal and NT's are almost quiet and reserved?

I wonder the same thing..because for me SpEd kids are now the 'normal' ones.

 

[mechurchlady]

GOOD THING

What if your kids spoke a foreign language like adopted from a foreign land? You would be happy that you finally were used to each other and on the same wave length. Now you are no longer fighting the old NT ways. You are now at ease with your child and comfortable with his quirks.

Hgus to a great mom.

 

[BeckyScott]

I know I've caught myself, more than once, treating NT kids like SN ones. I don't know when my brain decided that all 8-year-olds can't zip their own coats but at the same time expect a scientific answer for a simple question.

I'm youngest DS's room mom and I always end up on the computer or reading Family Fun or something, trying to figure out what is appropriate for a class party. I have no idea.

Oldest DS's friends scare me half to death, because all the ones I've talked with act so old.

And little girls. I don't understand little girls. I like them, but I don't understand them. They are their own little thing.

My best friend's 2 kids aren't typical either so I have very little frame of reference for "normal". Many times I will get asked, like at a doctor's appointment or during evals, if the child is doing something "normal" or "age-appropriate" and I really don't have any idea. I don't know, why don't you tell me what you think normal is, and I'll tell you if it sounds familiar.

 

[teachallday]

I grew up in Special Education and have always felt like I was insulted when I was called "normal" or compared to people without special needs. Who knew, that "normal" was an insult. Well I guess you "normal" people may not have that feeling, but some of us in the world do.

During may times in my life I have tried to leave my disability behind and pretend to be "normal". Unfortunately, disabilities have a way of slapping you in the face to remind you that you have a disability. I am getting close to 40 year old at this point (yikes) I have accepted my disability and the need for accommodations to address it. But I am not my disability. I am an individual who has some strengths and weaknesses, who just happens to have a disability impacting some of those weaknesses and some of my oddities. I am also definately not "normal" and at least at this point in my life, I would not want to be "normal". To put it bluntly, you "normal" poeple are weird.

 

[Forevryoung]

I decided a few years ago that if my life was "normal" it would be boring.



As the saying goes:
"normal is only a setting on the washing machine"

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

Many times I will get asked, like at a doctor's appointment or during evals, if the child is doing something "normal" or "age-appropriate" and I really don't have any idea. I don't know, why don't you tell me what you think normal is, and I'll tell you if it sounds familiar.

You mean I'm not the only one who's done this? When DS had his last well-child check up, his doctor asked me if he was doing things that are "normal" for a 4 year old and I said, "Well, define normal and I'll tell you if he's doing them."

DS's school had Special Olympics today..they had several stations set up in the gym with different activities--sled ride (got shoved down a small incline on a board with wheels and crashed into foam bowling pins dressed up like penguins), parachute (whee! ), hockey (modified broom so it looked like an oversized hockey stick w/giant foam pucks to hit), snowball toss (wooly 'snowballs' to throw in a hole) and Ice Walk (walked across a 2X4 that had been placed on the floor). He had a BLAST and so did his classmates. We had to drag him out of there..he didn't want to leave when his class's time was up.

 

[Schmeck]

I'm not actually sure any one of us is 'normal' - that's just a term for the average set of traits for humans. Not one person on this planet fits in that normal mold.

When you see someone you want to label as 'normal', think about this - do you know all about that person? Do you know if they avoid certains things, have food dislikes, have certain habits they don't want anyone else to know about, etc?

Am I the only one that thinks all people are "Special" and that we all have "Needs" and we are all here on this planet to help each other out? When I'm at work, I don't think I'm working with SN students, I'm just helping students who need a little bit more than is offered in the standard classroom setting. Every person I've come in contact with is better at something than I am, and there's at least one thing I can do better than they can.

Everyone needs help sometimes - even I do, with my darn-blasted zipper on my old winter coat!