Successful parenting is hard work, even under the best of circumstances. From potty-training a toddler to watching a young adult earn a driver’s license or a high school diploma, every milestone leads to another.
For parents of special needs children, there’s often a cloud of uncertainty about how to help them reach their full potential. The Lake Washington School District’s (LWSD) Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) Special Needs Group offers guidance and encouragement to parents who might otherwise feel isolated, as well as teachers who need strategies to better accommodate kids with special needs.
The group’s current chairperson, Beth Angelo, has a 14-year-old son with Down Syndrome, who will likely be educated in the LWSD until he turns 21.
“I didn’t start the group,” Angelo noted. “It was started in the late 1980s. At that time, kids with special needs weren’t included (in regular classroom settings).”
And she doesn’t do this important work single-handledly, she emphasized. There are special needs liaisons at every school in the district, except International Community School and BEST High School. Plus, there is a parent advisory committee whose members interface with district administrators.
But while helping to create a special needs resource book for Washington state, Angelo learned about “an incredible array of disabilities among students ages 3 to 21,” she said. This is a large and diverse population, so finding the right information can be an overwhelming task.
Not all students with Down Syndrome are exactly alike, nor are those with diagnoses such as autism or dyslexia. Individuals within each group may have vastly different personalities, strengths and weaknesses.
“But we look for general topics of interest, look for the commonalities,” while planning presentations with informed speakers, said Angelo. The free presentations take place at the LWSD Resource Center, 16250 NE 74th St., at 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesdays of the month, except during summer break and December.
“Organizing for a Successful School Year,” how to navigate the IEP (Individual Education Plan) process and emergency preparedness for special needs students have been some of the themes in recent months.
On April 28, experts will address employment prospects for special-needs students. The May 26 meeting will feature an overview of estate planning for children with special needs.
Parents and teachers who can’t attend the meetings can still borrow reading material from the special needs cart at the LWSD Resource Center or access links to special needs information through the LWSD PTSA Special Needs Group.
“One of the biggest needs I see is for parents to network,” said Angelo. “Many stay to chat after the meetings. I’ve seen people with tears in their eyes,” when they connect with other adults who truly understand their fears and frustrations.
However, she added, “The meetings are not a place to air gripes. We advise parents to go through proper channels if they have grievances, to respect people and give them a chance to work with you as a team, rather than being adversarial. We have great support from the PTSA and the school district administration.”
For more information about the LWSD PTSA Special Needs Group, visit www.lwsd.org/PARENTS/SPECIAL-EDUCATION/ , e-mail 4bangelo3@verizon.net or call (425) 702-3200.
