So things have been going pretty good for Jake since I last posted. We've had some little issues and some meltdowns but nothing that we couldn't handle. Jake has once again taken up the torch of being the voice of Tourette's at his school.
As I said before, Jake is in scouts and he loves it! Unfortunately he's not very good about getting started on stuff so I gave him a nudge as far as his badges went. I picked out a handful that I knew would be relatively easy for him and said 'Here ya go. Now go do something." lol The first badge he chose to work on was Disability Awareness. Easy peasy right?
One of the requirements of the badge was for him to do a presentation on disabilities to a cub scout or other group. I suggested he talk to his counselor at school and see if maybe she could assist him with that since he already had a presentation for Tourette's put together. She was more than happy to help him out and arranged for him to talk to a 3rd grade group of students.
As always, Jake shined in the only way that he can. I was given multiple comments from teachers and the principal and even received a phone call from the counselor telling me how proud she was of Jake. Again his capacity to love brought tears to my eyes. He and the counselor then set out to have him talk to more classes at school. I was so thankful that he was able to do this. He is helping others to not only understand a disability but helping himself communicate and deal with his own disability.
It became especially relevant a month or so ago when I was approached by a teacher that knew Jake and had dealt with him in some after school activities but had never had him in their class. Overnight one of her students has started ticing. She has been familiar with Jake for a good two years at least and she knew about his diagnosis so she approached me for possible suggestions I might have for her student.
I gave her a brief rundown of things I had done for Jake and some things his 4th and 5th grade teachers had used with him. I also gave her a brief overview of the disability itself. Ironically, a couple of days later there was an article in the local paper about a study Washington University was doing about tic disorders. God works in mysterious ways sometimes. =) I mentioned the article to her and she was very interested in the information it included and passed it on to the parent.
Unfortunately the situation is not something that is a good one. I am almost positive this student has Tourette's because I have watched said student and it's like Jake all over again. Suffice it to say this student does not have the support and understanding that Jake does from his family. My heart nearly broke when I realized this.
My son will be a productive and successful adult because he has a support system to rely on. At school he has caring educators and an Individual Education Plan that allows him certain concessions to help him be successful. Of course he also has the Disabilities Act which is a tremendous help should the need arise.
I have never understood parents who don't want to have their child 'labeled' so they choose to ignore the problem. While my son is not my whole life he is the most important thing and I would move heaven and earth to give him the help he needs. When you choose to ignore the issue, you only make the problem worse and make it that much harder to overcome the obstacle your child is faced with. If it is a serious problem and gets in the way of their education and their ability to function you should do something about it. Make noise! Be heard! Do whatever you can to get your child where they need to be.
Every situation is different and I understand that. Some children are borderline or don't have any issues at school and that's great. But why would you hold your child back because you are afraid of what others would think? Because let's be honest. That's the main reason that most people don't want the label. They might be viewed as the source of the problem and heaven forbid someone think they weren't perfect.
I have learned a lot about myself through dealing with Jake's issues. Since 4th grade I felt 'different' but had no way to explain what was going on with me. I didn't have the outlets or understanding that Jake has. Things were different back then and progress is always a great thing. I'm growing along with my son and I'm enjoying every minute of it.
My only wish is for others to experience the same thing and help their kids out when they need it. Kids don't always know how to say things and sometimes they tell their story in other ways. Listen. It's the most important thing you can do for them besides loving them. They just want to be heard and understood.
Listen to the song they are singing....
