My MicHAeL

The Letter

Are...."004N..,110

If they're old enough
to get married, they're
old enough to get their
own Jewish News

If You have family or friends who are marrying, consider
giving them a subscription to The Detroit Jewish News.

It's the community's "book of why." With it, they'll keep in
touch with Jewish life. Interesting articles about their heritage,
the holidays, current events and politics. Plus art, literature,
dance, kosher cooking...who's having a baby, who's
having a bar mitzvah and who's passed away.

Give your newlyweds...at any family and friends who
want to stay in touch, a useful way to do it. Give them
The Detroit Jewish News by calling (248) 354-6620 today.

I'd like to send a 52-week Jewish News gift subscription
Plus 5 free issues of Style Magazine

A$68

value ... just

Please bill me

Payment Enclosed

Card No.

Exp. Date

$48 ($65 out of state)

Visa

MasterCard

Signature (Required)

Your Name

Your Address

Your City

State

Zip

Phone

Gift Card Message:

Name

Address

_

State

Mail to: Detroit Jewish News,
P.O. Box 2267, Southfield, MI 48037-2267

Phone: (248) 354-6620
Fax: (248) 354-1210

9/18

1998

188 Detroit Jewish News

I

s

Zip

Phone

I Allow 2-3 weeks delivery of The Detroit Jewish News

has been Mikey's biggest weakness. i can do," he said after he had
- i reviewed my case, "until you collect
He requires extra instruction to
1 more evidence that Mikey can't han-
understand what is being asked o f
dle- mainstream school. Which means
I him. A teacher would only need to
that he'll have to attend a normal
issue a series of instructions'to the
school while they assess him, and he
class for Mikey to become totally
1
tries to handle the new challenges."
confused.
I put my head in my hands and
1 Mikey starts "big" school next
sighed.
"And that," I said, "means
year. This year he has been attend-
I that Mikey has to possibly waste up
! ing a special-needs nursery. I'd
1 to a year in a mainstream school
fought for him to enter a special-
needs school next year. I knew there I while the Education Department
1 decides that maybe he needed to
were only three places available,
but still, I thought we had a - chance. I go to a special school all along."
"I'm afraid so," he agreed.
i
My mind returned to the letter I
was holding. How could the Educa- I I made an appointment to talk
tion Department have possibly have 1 over these problems with a sympa-
• I thetic teacher at Mikey's nursery. As
turned him down? On what
.1 our conference ended, and I was
ground ? Then I read: "Parents
i report 'amazing progress' general- 't walking out the door, she called m
ly. „
I I turned to look at her and she said
i - quietly: "You will never have a rest,
Elizabeth Thomas is a native of 1 you know. You'll have to fight for the
Mississippi who now lives in Read- I rights of your special-needs child all
1 ing, England, with her husband,
I of his life." Now I see what she
Mel, and children Kate and Mikey. 1 means. El

III

I Send the Gift Subscription to:

City

I was exasperated. I had reported
couldn't believe what I was read-
progress to the Education Depart-
. ! ing. The letter I had just received
:
ment
so workers would realize that
from staff at the Education
1 the special-needs environment was
1 Department informed me that they
really helping Mikey, that it wasn't a
I weren't proceeding with a formal
waste of their resources. A year
assessment of my son, Mikey, whom
ago, they had wanted to deny him
i only last year they had diagnosed
I access to the special-needs nursery
I as autistic
,
Not proceeding with an assess- . 1 because he was autistic and would-
I n't have benefited from it as much
ment meant Mikey would not be
I as a child with just delayed-lan-
receiving a statement saying he
guage problems.
required special-needs edu-
Rrm,,,,,.
The letter continued,
cation. And that meant he
"Michael
remains a very
would go into a mainstream
young pupil who is mak-
school with 37 other chil-
ing progress." To me, that
.:::,,..,:4-
dren in his class next year I
translated into We don't
was crushed. I thought we
want
to be bothered with
were getting somewhere
N., . . 0!
. . . .„. : ,. ,.:
your son again until he
within the special-needs sys
,0.: ::..-:'•
fails in a normal main-
tem, and now we'd
stream school."
crashed and burned.
Elizabeth Thomas
I called a parent's
All I could think about was
T
App leree
advocate who is trained
my poor, vulnerable boy,
Staff Writer
to help people like me.
hopelessly lost in the crowd
"There's nothing you
of 37. Working in groups

OLDN6H