Resources For Parents

I recently had the good fortune to conduct an interview with a woman who has set up an spectacular page full of resources for parents of special-needs children.

Lisa is an Registered Occupational Therapist who lives in San Jose, CA with her young daughter Katelynn Marie and her husband Joe. She found that she was working so many hours that she wasn't spending the time with her family that she craved. So, she now is a SAHM but continues to do client home-based occupational therapy.

Lisa has a fantastic website called P.A.C.E. (Parenting All Children Effectively). This is a much-needed site for parents who have special-needs children.

Currently, the site focuses on children who have been diagnosed with Autism. However, Lisa has many different resources listed on her site. Also, she has an e-mail link which is available to anyone who wishes to ask her about their childs special needs. As she says herself "If I don't know the answer, I'll try to direct them to someone who does". She also told me that her site is still under construction and there may be other issues addressed in the future. Make sure you bookmark her site!

Lisa's site came about because she wanted a family page and contacted April of NCNOW to do it. April asked her if she had any special interests and that has resulted in a fantastic resource page. The site includes many wonderful links, such as activities, organizations,
catalogs, The Parent Connection to connect with other Parents in your area, and even a site for sign language. I can't list all the terrific links, there's so many!

Lisa has truly done her homework. And everyone can reap the benefits of her knowledge and compassion. I asked her many questions and she provided straight-forward and intelligent answers. She was a pleasure to talk to. She suggested that if you have concerns about your child, in some cases your doctor may not be able to make a diagnosis of autism or any of the other off-shoots of autism. In any case where you suspect your child has a medical condition that is not being diagnosed, she urges parents to find a support group for that condition and ask other parents where they have taken their
children. There is no true medical test for Autism, so make sure that you take your child to a professional who has experience with it.

One of the things I mentioned to Lisa was the fact that I have a heart condition that keeps me down a bit. I told her that I look upon it as a limitation to be gotten around instead of a limitation to be given into. Lisa agreed and said that early detection of any condition and early treatment is crucial. Younger children in many instances are more easy to teach, mold and grasp the concepts they need to learn more eagerly. Her thoughts are that by
utilizing early intervention you can address and focus on areas that require more attention and encourage continued development in addition to working with and around limitations.

There are many cases where a child can be mainstreamed, however there can be a downside to trying to completely mainstream every child. Every parent wants their child to live up to their utmost potential. Lisa's philosophy is to challenge that child to live up to their ultimate potential and if that includes special classes, that's okay. No one wants to see their child fall through the cracks.

I asked Lisa about playgroups for children diagnosed with Autism and she put forth a theory that she applauds called "Integrated Playgroup" developed by Pamela J. Wolfberg, Ph.D. It consists of children who are considered the "expert players", and the special-needs child who is the "novice player". The "novice player" learns by example. Lisa cautions that this is not a quick fix. It is small steps made over a long process.

For more information about learning to run Integrated Play Groups developed by Pamela J. Wolfberg, Ph.D., Lisa suggests you contact San Francisco State University California Research Institute (CRI Project)

612 Font Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94132
(415) 338-7847

They have manuals and videos available to order.

I think that Lisa is a shining example of being a happy SAHM while continuing to utilize your talents and live your dream, too.