The Hard Decisions

The Hard Decision 

As we all try to raise are children to the best of ability there are always hard decision that have to be made. I feel that if they were not hard to some degree then they were not all that important.   

Being a parent is not an easy job for anyone but it is the most rewarding one that you will ever have. Being a parent of a child with special needs is that, times 100. I don't care if your child is severely disable or is so far advanced from there peers they have a special need and that just adds to the everyday challenge of raising your child to be the best person THEY can be when they grow up.  If we sit back and let society dictate what is right and wrong for our children then we are not doing the best for them. Society is based on the average or basic person and that is not who I am raising, I don't know about you. 

I think that there is a find line when it comes to inclusion in the classroom of a standard public school / Charter school to a all in inclusive classroom in a specialized school. As much as I want to help my child grow up to the best person THEY can be and reach there full ability level, I also think that in order to so they need to be able to survive in the real world. With inclusion, students of all ability levels get to work together and I think that the public school system has come a long why over the years. With that being said I also think there is still a long way to go and this is where it gets HARD to make the right decision. I know my child is getting a good education in his current standard inclusive classroom but is he getting the best educations? I also know I could pull him and place him is a specialized school where he could easily reach his full potential academically but what about all the other great skills he is learning in the setting he is in now? Skills I feel are vital to being able to live a full and productive life in the real world. 

Medication vs. other forms of treatment plans for special needs. Another HARD decision we have to make for our children. I know personally I am still undecided with this one, I am currently doing both for my son. I also believe that there is never one right answer for every child.

This is why I think that making the decision for your child's treatment is so hard, because you can only lesson to other people's advice or opinions but ultimately you know your child best. Education is never over as a parent or at least should not ever be over because if you do not stay educated on what is available or harmful for your child no one else will. Medication changes daily and so does your child's body, no matter how often you take them to the doctors for check ups you see them daily and so you need to know all you can about the medication YOU chose to have your child take. Doctors can only make suggestions we as parents have the final say. When it come to psychology therapy / behavior therapy or any other kinds of therapy you also need to educate yourself on the person providing the services as well as the services themselves. Children can not be helped with an hour visit once a week so if you are not in there learning what is being taught and how to teach it yourself then it will never work to its fullest potential. You are with you child daily so you need to be the one helping your child.  

Just remember Education is the best help we can give ourselves in making hard decision.