October 20th, 2010 Wrap-Up

There was a lot accomplished at this months meeting. The other parent group leaders and myself had the opportunity talk at length about future meetings. A few areas that were covered were:

• Bringing in an attorney to discuss Special Ed Law (Evan Dixon will be coming to the November 17th, meeting to cover this topic.)
• Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) will be coming to discuss the work they do with parents and to talk about the IEP process ( a date has yet to be determined).
• John and Julie Dumprope will be covering Virtual Home Schooling at our December 15th, meeting.
• Brainstormed how to bring awareness/outreach to other families about our group.
  

These were just a few topics of conversation during the evening.

Our Americorps worker that has been helping us out with childcare at our meetings was very ill the night of our meeting and she was hospitalized. Lets hope that she is feeling better and doing well.

Group Leaders

This is a call to all the parents of neurodiverse children that attend our meetings. I talk constantly of parents having ownership of this group. A few of you contact me through email or phone and talk with me about ideas that you have.

I've had a long standing goal for this group to be run by all the parents for parents. I've been watching for a long time now and the group has several parents that are very committed. If any of you are interested in being a group leader (along with me) for your group, please contact me.

Your position as a group leader can look however you want it to. You can commit as much or as little time as you are comfortable with. Same for tasks, you can do whatever you are comfortable doing.

Some areas I would like some help in are:

• Food and beverages
• Childcare (when AmeriCorps can't help us)
• Community outreach
• Pulling in community resources
• Workshops
• Putting together a walk

These are just to name a few areas. If anyone has an interest in any of the above, or if you have some different ideas, please, please, please contact me.

Cheers!

August 31st, 2010 Meeting Wrap-Up

We had a great meeting with Heidi Knuuttila this month. Heidi did a Power Point presentation and discussions revolved around the IEP process, building a strong support team for your child(ren), working together and keeping the air positive (even when there's conflicts), and what parents can do to empower themselves to advocate for their child(ren). This was a great way to kick off the new school year. Thank you Heidi!

Heidi also shared with us that she is working on a website that will help parents and teachers navigate an IEP more successfully. Heidi would like feedback from parents on how to make an IEP a positive and productive process for the entire team. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to leave your comments hear on the blog or you can contact Heidi Knuuttila or Heather Poll.

I want to send out a HUGE thank you to John and Julie Dumpprope and Jason Poll for helping out with the childcare during the meeting. They did a great job, the kids had a blast, and the meeting was able to run smoothly because of them. Thank you!!

August Meeting Flier

Heidi Knuutilla, from Barkell Elementary School in Hancock, will be talking about how to advocate for your child within the school system. Heidi, will touch on how to empower yourself during IEP’s, staffings, and more.

Click the image below to view the full-sized flier.

Childcare: I'm in need of parents or older siblings if we are to have childcare at this meeting. AmeriCorps workers will not be able to assist us at this meeting due to the fact that they are not working on site at the time of our meeting. Childcare can be covered by anyone who is willing and able to help out. Of course, the more people we can pull in to help, the more childcare we can offer to others. If couples would like to tag team the meeting, or an older sibling is available that could help out, it would be appreciated.

Our other option is to bring our children into the meeting. With this particular meeting and topic, there shouldn't be any concerns with having our children present.

Mission Statement

During the summer while the group was in recess, one of the many tasks I wanted to accomplish was a mission statement. It took a long time to figure out what I feel to be an accurate message of the group, and it is as follows.

The mission is to provide information to parents and family members about community resources, school services, therapies, and much more.

The group is comprised of parents of neurodiverse children. The parents offer other parents a safe place to share information, give and receive emotional support, and work together to address common concerns. Parents also help empower each other through knowledge and experiences.

We came together to provide much needed emotional support, knowledge, and a sense of community. To create a place where we can come together and feel no judgment. We can talk, laugh, and cry about the same problems and draw strength from one another.

Together we are a unified voice taking our message to special interest groups, schools, professionals and the community.

*Monthly meetings are held every third Wednesday of the month, from 6-8 at the BHK Houghton Center.*

New Regional Parent Mentor

Many of you know that Kathleen Helppi moved downstate with her family earlier this summer. You'll remember that Kathleen was the Regional Parent Mentor for Michigan Alliance for Families. I'm happy to announce that Lisa Kahnke is now officially the new Parent Mentor for MAF.

Lisa has been attending our support group meetings from the very beginning. She will continue to attend our meetings as a parent/professional. Lisa has offered her resources through MAF for the group to utilize as needed.

If you have any questions about MAF you can review a post here on the blog from March 25, 2010. For additional information you can contact Lisa via email at: lisa@michiganallianceforfamilies.org
or phone: (906) 483-0442

August 31st, 2010 Meeting

It's August already and I'm jump starting the new school year with new goals and new hopes. With that, I'm happy to announce that Heidi Knuuttila, from Barkell Elementary School in Hancock, has agreed to come and speak to our group. Heidi, is the special education teacher at Barkell and she is going to share with us how parents can be proactive in the school system. She'll share some problem solving tips, conflict resolution strategies, and how to create a positive team building relationship between parents, teachers, principals, aids, and so on.

Heidi helped my husband and I work through some very sensitive concerns throughout last year. Our son was in Kindergarten last year and the experience was new to him but also for my husband and I as parents. Heidi helped us work with the principal and teachers to ensure that Noah had a positive and successful school year; and he did.

Again, I know that it's hard to think about a new school year when we're having such a lovely summer. Still, I encourage you to come and hear what Heidi is going to share with us. Even if you're a veteran in the school system, please come and maybe share what has worked for you and your child(ren). For those who aren't looking at school for a little while yet, please come as well, it's never too early to acquire knowledge; and I'm sure that what you'll hear will relieve any anxieties you may have.

The meeting will be held on August 31, 2010 from 6-8 at the BHK Houghton Center. AmeriCorps workers will not be working on site at that time so I do not know if I will be able to guarantee childcare. A flier will be following this post in a couple of weeks and I will know by then if I can offer childcare or not.

Have a wonderful August!