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As of 9/20/07 – Imagine-All Children information is posted on TangentLife Website:
Any school
(public or private), organization or individual that offers
services or is a resource for children with special needs can submit
information to Tangent Life. Send
items of interest to debra@TangentLife.com Take a few minutes and look around the website. |
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Every Child |
Parents & Families |
All Children |
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about All
Children |
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Resources for Children with
Special Needs … & their brothers & sisters & families & educators The
Autism Book, Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions by S. Jhoanna Robledo & Dawn Ham-Kucharski Embracing
Ashley: One Mother’s Reflection on Raising a Child with Special Needs by Deanne Lee Bialy |
Quality
Learning Environment for Every Child Healthy
and Safe Environment for All Children Support
for Brothers & Sisters & Families A
District-Wide Parent Involvement Committee A
Resource for all Parents. Everyone
Work Together Meaningful
and Active Parental Involvement.
Shared Decision Making |
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Created by: v
Rich Ham-Kucharski,
former Plymouth-Canton
School Board Trustee, Committee of the Board for Alternative &
Special Education v
Angie Guerin, Resources
for Services in & out of Plymouth-Canton, Activities & Products for
Children, Parents & Brothers & Sisters v
Dawn Ham-Kucharski,
I.E.P.s, Services available within & out of
Plymouth-Canton Schools. Author v
Dorothy Ham, Grandparent v Debra
Madonna, PCEP Parent Involvement Committee, Parenting with Love & Logic Classes,
QuixWorks Therapeutic Massage (for children
with special needs and their families),
Reading & Arithmetic,
Parent Emeritus v
Mary Novrocki, Parent Emeritus v
Maria Wine, Class Size Project |
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I
wish, on behalf of my motley cohorts, Deb Madonna, Dawn Ham-KucharskiRich
Ham-Kucharski, Dorothy Ham, Angie Guerin, DeeDee
Bialy,
Maria Wine, and Mary Novrocki, to invite you to a world we have been
Imagining for some time, and hope you will join us on this journey. We
motley As
we motley bunch have really only just begun this IMAGINE adventure, after an
evening at the Ham-Kucharski party condo, please understand that we are
working out the kinks and snags, but I think you will be very pleased . . .
welcome to IMAGINE. Thanks
and Peace, Dawn Ham-Kucharski, April 4, 2005 |
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Last
Updated October
28, 2007
Copyright © 1997 ~ 2007
Parent College All Rights Reserved |
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Books by Local Authors Embracing
Ashley: One Mother’s Reflection on Raising a Child with Special Needs by Deanne Lee Bialy
… Published 2002, Funds for the production of this project were provided by a
grant from The Special Friends Foundation [Back
cover] - Embracing Ashley … One Mother’s
Reflections of Raising a Child with Special Needs, is
a compelling book reaching out to parents who have children with special
needs. As a mother of a child with
special needs, Deanne, soon found herself in an unfamiliar position. Instead of helping others which she was
accustom to, now she and her family were requiring help. The author’s background in Social Work
provides a unique perspective in addressing common issues faced by
parents. The book has a positive
undertone as it provides touching accounts of the personal growth and wisdom
gained from the authors’ experiences. Deanne
Bialy’s intent is to provide an avenue of support to parents in effort to
diminish the isolation that is commonly experienced. The author addresses aspects of grief,
dealing with differences, advocating, stress management and parenting issues. This
book can be utilized by professionals who work with special needs children
and their families. The awareness and
insight provided may assist professionals in their helping roles. This book can assist family member s and
friends gain a level of understanding into some challenges your loved ones
may face. Specifically to parents,
this book delivers support. It
reiterates the fact that you are not alone in this.” |
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Publication
Date: April 7, 2005 The
Autism Book, Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions by S. Jhoanna Robledo & Dawn
Ham-Kucharski … (Avery/Penguin Group
USA) Foreword by
Richard Solomon, M.D., Clinical associate professor, Department of
Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical Center and medical director of the
PLAY project, “As a developmental and
behavioral pediatrician who has treated well over a thousand children with
autism, I know that when I make the heartrending diagnosis of “autistic
spectrum disorder” for the first time, I am sending the family down a long
road of questions… I plan to recommend THE AUTISM BOOK as the first book of answers.” Is there a “cure” for autism? What type of treatments
work? Do vaccines cause autism?
What does it mean when a child perseverates? What
are my child’s educational options? How do I explain autism to my child’s
brother/sister? Will our lives ever be
the same? Today it is estimated that
one in 250 children is diagnosed with autism, a statistic that has increased
at a staggering rate over the last 15 years.
The Autism Society of America estimates that every day, 50 families in
this country discover that their child is autistic. This recent upsurge has
led to an increased awareness of the disease throughout the country and a
redoubling of research efforts to understand the causes and to develop
treatments. But autism is also
surrounded by controversy as parents, educators, and medical experts struggle
with conflicting information on how to cope with the difficult diagnosis and
failed treatment efforts. Nobody knows the
frustration of understanding and coping with autism more than Dawn
Ham-Kucharski. Her son, Alex, was
diagnosed with autism at the age of two and she was given little hope that he
would ever function verbally or be able to meaningfully interact with his
family. But now, at the age of seven,
Alex is an uplifting autism success story after Dawn’s tireless efforts to
seek out an appropriate treatment program, educational plan, and
socialization strategy for her son. In THE AUTISM BOOK: Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions, Dawn
Ham-Kucharski—an impassioned advocate for educational opportunity for
autistic children and a member of the Board of Directors of the Michigan
Autism Partnership—and her friend, health and parenting journalist Jhoanna Robledo, have combined their
efforts to answer the most urgent questions of parents and educators of
autistic children. Together they offer
comprehensive information on diagnoses, causes, manifestations, treatment
options, managing emotions, family relationships, parenting and lifestyle
issues, education, and common worries. From the basic questions
such as: “What is autism?” and “What types of treatments work?” to the
controversial: “Is there an epidemic of autism?” and “Do vaccines cause
autism?” to the very frank and often devastating: “My marriage has suffered
from the challenges of raising an autistic child. How can we get help?” and “What if after
all interventions my child never gets any better?”, Robledo and Ham-Kucharski
offer incisive answers gleaned from extensive research and hard won
experience. In his Foreword to the
book, Richard Solomon, M.D., clinical associate professor, Department of
Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical Center and creator of the PLAY
project, says “Dawn is one of the most connected people to the autism
community of families and professionals I have ever seen and she is a leader
within these communities… The authors have done a remarkably thorough job of
bringing to parents (and professionals) the latest in scientific research…
The advice in this book is caring, compassionate and wise not only because it
is based on Dawn’s personal experience but because it is based on the broad
experience of other parents all walking the same road.” Positive and encouraging,
the authors note that most children with autism can be helped to make
substantial and often dramatic gains in language and social skills when
provided with appropriate amounts and types of early intervention. And while many books on autism focus on
just one form of therapy, or solely the personal stories of the author and
their child, THE AUTISM BOOK offers
an unbiased opinion on potential causes and the wide range of therapies,
offering information on what to expect, risks, and potential for success. Written with the compassion
of first-hand experience, extensively researched with an unparalleled
resource section of international contacts in the legal, educational,
medical, social, and therapeutic world of autism, THE AUTISM BOOK will be the first place parents turn when faced
with an autism diagnosis. “When
Dawn Ham-Kucharski’s son, Alex, was diagnosed with autism at the age of two,
she was given little hope that he would ever function verbally or be able to
meaningfully interact with his family.
The months that followed became an overwhelming blur of doctor visits,
therapy sessions, and psychological evaluations as she and her husband
struggled to understand confusing and often conflicting information. When her
friend—health and parenting journalist S. Jhoanna Robledo—suggested she find
a book to guide her through the whole process, Dawn responded, “If there was
one that actually gave straightforward answers, I would’ve bought it by
now.” Thus THE AUTISM BOOK: Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions (Avery/
Penguin Group Peter
Bell, CEO of Cure Autism Now, calls THE
AUTISM BOOK “a must-read for parents of newly diagnosed children as well
as all health care professionals. I
only wish we had this book nine years ago when my own son was diagnosed with
autism." While Leslie Sinclair, Program Director for the Today, at age seven, Alex
is an uplifting autism success story, largely because of Dawn’s tireless
efforts to seek out an appropriate treatment program, education plan and
socialization strategy. An impassioned advocate of educational opportunities
for autistic children and a Board member of the Michigan Autism Partnership,
Dawn is also the outreach coordinator for the P.L.A.Y. Project, a therapy
program for autistic children developed at the Ř
Do vaccines cause autism? Ř
The possible dangers of chelation therapy and other questionable
remedies. Ř
Is there an epidemic of autism? Ř
Why early intervention is so important. Ř
Ř
How raising an autistic child can impact one’s marriage and what to
do about it. Ř
How to help a child with autism have a life that is joyful and
rewarding. Jill Siegel |
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FOCUS & PURPOSE of a district-wide Parent
Involvement Committee: v
To be a district–wide Parent Communication
Network, v
To be a resource and advocate to all
parents about available services, resources, opportunities, policies for all
students. v
Assist parents as they navigate through a schools
year and transition from grade to grade |
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v
Advocate for a Quality Learning Environment for Every Child v
Promote the Class Size Project.
Review and assess class sizes and its impact on the learning
environment for children v
Support the Recommendation to the Board to
Commission a Committee of the Board for Alternative and Special Education to
monitor the change in the federal and state laws and to inform parents of the
changes |
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v
Develop a two-way communication network among
parents, school district, community, community agencies and school board ·
School to home communication, use of
technology permits parents to participate offsite. ·
School to home communication. Response to calls and emails should be
prompt, within 24 hours, and resolution to problems should be in a timely
manner. ·
All homework,
assignments, grades, announcements are posted online ·
Academic, extra curricular activities and schedules should be posted
on the school district’s website ·
Share & Record parent’s concerns on the school district’s website,
with respect for confidential issues |
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v
Expand parent involvement to meaningful
and active participation ·
Ensure opportunities for parents to share
their voice. Their input & presence
is valuable and essential. ·
Ensure opportunities for students to share
their voice. Their input is valuable ·
The No Child Left Behind Act provides new education
options for many families. … It requires that states and local school
districts provide information to help parents make informed educational
choices for their child. ·
The school district’s “Parent’s Guide to
the ABC’s for Solutions” should be modified to include a parent
representatives, in the role of advocate & ombudsman
·
The school district provides parents with
an understandable, well-publicized process for influencing decisions
in: o
Raising issues or concerns, appealing
decisions, resolving problems, complete with a feedback and evaluation
process. o
Policy making, oversight and revision o
Review of curriculum, academic classes,
student achievement o
Review and revision of school discipline
policies o
School improvement o
Extracurricular and athletic activities o
Hiring committees |
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v
Academic opportunities. In order to be successful, a process must
be in place, which allows student the option to move to a subject level and/or
opportunity to work with a teacher that best suits his learning style anytime
during the school year. v
Report on how many PCEP students are
dropping out of classes or drop down to a lower level of a class and post
this information on the website. v
Create a feedback system for parents and
students to evaluate all district classes and programs, in order that the
school’s programs meet the needs of students and prepare them for the next
step. Currently we rely on
standardized tests to give us this information. This is one tool, but parental and student
feedback should be solicited and used to evaluate effectiveness of all
district classes and programs | |