An IEP for Molly

Today I participated in an IEP for Molly.  Molly is not her real name, I changed it to protect Molly.  But Molly is a bright young girl with a lot going for her, however she has a diagnosis of autism.  She is high functioning autistic, perhaps Asperger's syndrome, but she does not want to be called autistic.  She does not think of herself as autistic and therefore no one else should.

At first glance at Molly, she is pretty, social and alternates between social and shy.  But when you look at who she really is, you will see that she is only 'trying' to be social. She does not seem to understand what a true friend is before announces that she has all these friends.

I have to wonder if children who are artistic often find themselves wanting what they do not know they want?  Do they seem to strive to be like the others even when they do not fully understand that they are not like the others?  Will the others see Molly as who she is, uniquely Molly?  I certainly hope so.  She is a beautiful girl with a lot of potential.  She is very lucky that the proper diagnosis was placed on her conditions so that she can find the best solutions to what is the attributes of autism.  I hope that Molly doesn't see herself as autistic, but as a very special young lady with a world of possibilities a head of her today and all of her tomorrows.

Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn 

Autism Should Not Be Seen as a Death Sentence: Mother Kills Her Children Because They Have Autism

A mother in Irving, Texas strangled her 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter because they were autistic and she wanted normal children. Autism should not be considered a death sentence. There are treatments and services that can help.

A mother in Irving, Texas made a decision to take the lives of her children because the children were not 'normal'. Saiqa Akhter, 30-years-old tried to feed her 5-year-old son Zain and 2-year-old daughter Faraal bathroom cleaner to kill them, but the children refused to drink the chemicals. Akhter took a wire and wrapped it around her children's throats to kill them.

Zain was pronounced dead at the hospital after his blue body was found in a bedroom in his home. His sister was placed on life support but later taken off life support and pronounced dead. Their young lives were extinguished before they were able to begin to live all because of a disorder that is often unfamiliar to the general public as to what it is and the affects on the individual and family.

Autism is a spectrum disorder. This means simply that the individual with autism can be affected in one of the following categories: Asperger's, mild, moderate, severe and profound. Asperger's syndrome is still a form of autism but is in a relative sense, very mild form of autism. The child with Asperger's may appear to be a little professor. They have great knowledge about certain topics. However, this disorder also means that the child has obsessions about certain objects, executive function issues and other issues such as social awkwardness.
Each of the remaining degrees of autism builds on these issues and limits the ability for the child with autism to communicate with others. There is also limits in which the child with autism can take cEven with the limits mentioned, there are many tasks that a child with autism can accomplish as well as many tasks that can be learned by the child with an autism diagnosis.

There are agencies in nearly every community that can assist parents in this process of teaching, reteaching, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and respite services. These services will allow the parent time away from the child as an opportunity to take care of their own needs as well as give them time to pursue relaxation and stress relieving activities.

There are financial resources that are available to children with a diagnosis of autism that will allow them to have these services as well as any supplemental devices to enable the child to live life to the fullest. Schools have programs for students with developmental disorders and offer great success in assisting children to learn as much as they can.

There is absolutely no reason for a mother to kill her children simply because they have autism. It may not be an ideal situation, but it is a situation that can be made easier for the individuals and families involved. These children did not deserve to be killed because of a disorder that was not ask for but simply occurred.

James Rose, News, Fox NewsFil Alvarado, News, Fox News
Autism Speaks, Home Page, Autism Speaks