By Mo Bailey, MCC
SAN DIEGO — I am a member of the Jewish community, and daughter of the late Sy and Resa Brenner of San Diego. I’m asking for your input, or someone you know who fits the profile to take 2-3 minutes for a confidential online survey.
One of the most heart-wrenching days of my life is also the day that I now consider to be one of the most cathartic. I refer to the day I received my son’s diagnosis.
Little was known in the early 90’s and the prognosis was devastating as I heard the words “autism”, “Asperger’s”, “neurological”, and “disability”.
I had my cry, yet chose to mourn quickly as milestones needed to be met, and one of those milestones was my own in learning what my son required, would be capable of, and what the most effective way to educate him, and myself, would be.
In the 90’s, San Diego Unified School District was promoting the “Blueprint for Success,” yet my child did not fit the blueprint (really, I’m unsure of whose did, yet I need not go down that rabbit hole) so I immersed myself in learning about programs and services that would treat his symptoms, not his label. At that time, too much stigma was attached to the label. I’ll write more about the value of “acceptance” at another time.
Like many parents/guardians given new diagnoses, I sunk my heart and soul into sponging up as much medical, academic, experiential and life skills information and education that I could find.
Yet so much at once can be overwhelming, especially when presented in medical lingo that families must spend time to learn and integrate, not always with medical patience imparted. That said; we love the docs that truly do, and they do exist also!
Today, you should know that “devastating” is not my son’s reality. It’s not a life sentence; it’s simply a different life.
Yet, for newly diagnosed children and stunned families, the juries and mindset is perplexing; hence why a new study below is targeted to benefit families, educators and paraprofessionals. This one is about communication segmented for speech, language and social interactions.
About me: the nutshell version is I became an investigator, researcher, effective advocate, and impassioned laymen/student of neurology, speech & language, invisible/hidden disabilities (ex: central auditory processing disorders), and more. I was coined “The Asperger’s Whisperer” by a commissioner when working with him, court attorneys, psychologists, social workers, and a family involved in foster care.
Later, I was hand selected to work on 6-person committee to educate incoming California state judges. Currently I work mostly in my own private practice as a coach-consultant, speaker and monthly contributing writer for Parenting Asperger’s. I am a non-traditional advocate (no longer in the trenches) family mentor, keynote speaker, and workshop facilitator for organizations, and businesses.
What I’m most known for is a practice and programs that help people emerge from “curveballs” and “crossroads” such as these, and others.
Now this is important to know: One of the unexpected highlights for my son (and others) evolves from out-of-the-box solutions. These are the things that are most often found by families and people who know them the best.
One of the most valuable lessons we learned is how to spot out-of-the-box solutions that are not taught in schools, or known by medical teams, or paraprofessionals, yet can be shared with them. One such bright light is a program related to speech, language, and social communication that will be enhanced based on the feedback we receive from this study we are requesting your feedback from.
We know that the golden information is, more often than not, from parents. This helps the people who help serve you and these wonderful souls we love. So, please, don’t second-guess or undercut the value of your input. And, know that more value will come to you as a gift for participating.
If you fit the study profile as a parent, guardian, grandparent, adult sibling or adult with Asperger’s, please participate in the study, and/or forward this to someone who is.
Simply click: http://tinyurl.com/Asperger-Communication-Study-O
Thank you for this excellent article. I will forward to a couple of relatives and a friend with autistic sons.