tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27817243.post5350873563131120240..comments2024-03-24T03:28:37.007-04:00Comments on Life With Joey: Don't Be AfraidJoeymomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08254601805621175842noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27817243.post-10646291583650920622007-07-20T14:42:00.000-04:002007-07-20T14:42:00.000-04:00Right on!! The fact that any mention of having a c...Right on!! <BR/><BR/>The fact that any mention of having a child with special needs is seen as "frightening" prospective parents shows the lack of value our society has for people with special needs. Sigh. We had no prenatal testing at all for Brendan. I had worked with developmentally disabled kids for many years & didn't find it a particularly scary outcome- especially in the light of the fact that it took me 7 years to get pregnant... my husband & I were very happy to get what we got, kid-wise. Also, we really didn't want to travel the slippery slope of one test coming out ambiguously & leading to the recommendation of another even more dangerous one. As it is, what we wanted out of the whole experience was to become parents- & that's just what happened! :) We're very happy to be Brendan's parents, special needs & all.The Jedi Family of Blogshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00318743997892332537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27817243.post-27600221731972716182007-07-19T15:31:00.000-04:002007-07-19T15:31:00.000-04:00'These are people who have no idea what an "IEP" i...'These are people who have no idea what an "IEP" is, have never heard of taking a kid to a neurologist, a gastrologist, an endocrinologist, or may even not know what a perinatologist is.'<BR/><BR/>......those people are........Brits! <BR/><BR/>Everyone in the medical profession is a doctor, no matter what the specialty and as for dentists! I'm not sure that we even have any.<BR/>CheersMaddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05828186178060722812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27817243.post-62016231085848731952007-07-19T09:30:00.000-04:002007-07-19T09:30:00.000-04:00Personally, I see no point to prenatal testing unt...Personally, I see no point to prenatal testing until appropriate, high-quality and accurate information is generally and routinely available to expecting parents. testing ought to be for helping a parent prepare for the child, not destroy it.Joeymomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08254601805621175842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27817243.post-75546848048064558612007-07-19T09:24:00.000-04:002007-07-19T09:24:00.000-04:00Even "normal" kids have "special needs."Absolutely...<I>Even "normal" kids have "special needs."</I><BR/><BR/>Absolutely. I believe every kid ought to have an IEP. Then identifying a child's most effective learning style would be just a routine part of a school's responsibilities, and you wouldn't have jerk administrators trying to do as little as possible because they're only dealing with a few "special needs" families.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the link to my essay, and you're right about the woeful lack of information for expectant parents. Some teenagers and young adults with Down Syndrome are now getting involved in advocacy efforts to provide accurate information to expectant parents, so that the parents don't rush to the abortion clinic as soon as they get the prenatal diagnosis. How very sad that these teenagers are growing up in a society where they have to do that.abfhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01228622726560993968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27817243.post-83261427733106973802007-07-19T07:32:00.000-04:002007-07-19T07:32:00.000-04:00Oh you are so right on about the prenatal teaching...Oh you are so right on about the prenatal teaching. In fact, after Nik was born, we still didn't really get any education or support from the NICU social workers. There was no parent support group in EITHER of the hospitals where Nik stayed. We were completely lost and overwhelmed and it took months for us to get our feet back under us at all. That has been the catalyst for me to get involved with the birth to three program in our state and to reach out to parents when I can.Niksmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14715465327343655483noreply@blogger.com