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L

J

Elizabeth Thomas
AppleTree Staff Writer

class-size of 30 — just lost." She
pulled out a tissue.
The rest of us tried to encourage
wring a speech-therapy
her in her quest to get help. After
training course last
all, I'd recently got my son into a
January, I was explaining
morning program for special-needs
to a group of mothers gathered
children. But I had to nag, send
around a coffee machine what I'd
letters, and basically hound spe-
been doing to help my autistic
cialists until they took action.
son, Mikey, through the maze of
This woman made me want to
special-needs services in
cry, too. Earlier, I had an
our area. Suddenly one
attitude that the other par-
of the women bent down
ents in my class who went
her head.
on and on about their chil-
"Sorry," she said. "I'm
dren were wasting my
not crying. I really do
time. But once I could
have something in my
really see their suffering, I
eye."
understood that it was just
After the break, we sat
a way to share their pain
down for a discussion
and receive support,
Elizabeth Thomas ideas and encourage-
with our teachers about
AppleTree
how we could get our
ment.
! children into the special-
Staff Writer
So what if they're
needs inside track. While
using a speech-therapy
we exchanged ideas, I became
class as kind of support group? I
aware of sniffling behind me. It
was fortunate to get help for my
went on for 30 minutes. Then I
son, and that makes their pain all
realized the same woman who
the worse. Their children are still
had something in her eye was sit-
trying to get help.
: ting behind me. She was weep-
To finish our class, we watched
! ing. Weeping for her son, and
videos of our children. As I saw
what she hadn't been able to do
one boy lying listlessly on the floor
for him.
as his mother desperately tried to
"My son isn't in a special pro-
get his attention, and another
° gram yet," she told the class. "The
shrieking and running in circles in
people I talked to said they would
front of his mother, I realized how
get back to me on his assessment,
much progress my son had made
but I' haven't heard anything. Do
since I started the class. Then I
you all think it's too late? He's due
was overwhelmed by the depth of
to start in mainstream school in
the anguish of these parents.
September, but he'll be lost in a
What an important class this
had been for me. I probably
could read about speech therapy
Elizabeth Scanlon Thomas is
from a book, but the lesson I'd
I a native of Mississippi who now
learned that night about empathiz-
lives in Hampshire, England, with
ing with others was invaluable. [i]
her husband anc two children.

D

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Music Reviews in
JINI Entertainment

3/13

1998

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