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Monica Pincus
New York, NY
Recent Activity
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Monica commented on the article |
Every sibling has different reactions and ways of interacting. I come from a family of 5 where the 3 older brothers were definitely negatively affected by my autistic brother (I was the youngest and the only girl). I think that they remembered life "before" and "after" him, and they resented the upheaval and chaos. This was back in the 1950's and 60's, when there was no help available. We finally had to institutionalize him -- which was tragic -- and the guilt was like a hole that never healed. There really was no other solution.
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Monica commented on the article |
My autistic brother, Stephen, lives in a group home outside of Minneapolis. Our family was visiting him there one afternoon, along with the parents of one of his housemates, another young man with autism. The two parental units began to socialize with each other (as parents do) and all the parental back-and-forth chatter began to dominate the visit, yada yada yada. Stephen couldn't have cared less, but the other young man, apparently having had enough, walked over to his mother, gently put his hands on either side of her face, turned her face towards his, and looking steadily into her eyes, quietly but firmly commanded, "Say bye-bye."
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Monica commented on the article |Charlie's right: Vigorous biking and McDonald's just don't fit into the same category!
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Monica commented on the article |I laughed so hard reading your plumbing piece! When he was a young child, my older brother Stephen (autistic) flushed lots of things down the toilet (there was a little half-bath connected to his room), including his underwear, stuffed animals, plenty of toys, etc. All were somehow retrieved until one fateful afternoon -- the ultimate flushee -- The Block. When he flushed a 2" X 2" child's alphabet building block down, we had to call a plumber, who had to remove the toilet, lay it on its side, and attempt to pull it out of the trap and out the bottom. Even the plumber couldn't do it -- his hands were too big, and the block was really jammed in there. I was finally prevailed. Yuck! I was only about 5 years old. But my tiny hand fit in there, and I was able to work it loose. Success!
We kids thought it was pretty funny. What else could you do but laugh?
By the way, even though this seems to be no longer an issue for you, I'll pass on the plumber's advice, which we followed: We disconnected the flusher handle from the wire that attaches to the flapper and float ball. Thus, the flusher was disabled, but could be reconnected when necessary. Stephen didn't appreciate his toilet being altered; I remember a lot of unhappy vocal expressions while he wiggled, flailed and tapped the handle, all to no avail. Poor Stephen! He didn't understand why his favorite "machine" suddenly no longer worked! -
Monica commented on the article |What a pleasant-sounding little trip! I wish my kids were half as helpful as Charlie! (We live in New York City so every trip to the grocery involves onerous self-hauling, accompanied by much grumbling.) Charlie's achievements are to be lauded and applauded.
I'm mulling over what you said ... "school districts in towns that are not exactly the most liberal have tended to have better programs for special education students in general and for autism in particular ..." I wonder why that is so? (Not that it much matters ...) Perhaps the "individualism" so prized by our "republican" (I mean that generically) countrymen bodes well for special ed programs; no waste, no patronizing, hands-on, let's see results! After all, if you train and educate people to become self-sufficient members of society, that's government money wisely spent. Of course, I don't want to get "political" here ... according to what Ms. Barton reports, autism and politics don't mix well! (Did they ever??) Soccer moms, artist moms, professor moms, we all just want the best for our kids, and to support them, and if we can find common ground and community and help each other along the way, it's beautiful. -
Monica signed the petition | -
Monica signed the petition | -
Monica commented on the article |Sounds like teacher-union solidarity stuff. I would be curious to know how on earth such a teacher achieves ESE certification, and how she was trained to address classroom behavioral issues. Also, why is she teaching alone? Up here in New York City, inclusive special ed classrooms (which have two collaborative team teachers -- one general ed and one special ed) are the model. Sometimes a one-on-one para or aide is hired to keep a child "on task" so that the classroom teachers do not become "bogged down" in disciplinary issues. But Ms. Portillo had no right to use a group of 5-year-olds as judge and jury of another child's behavior. It was totally unprofessional, never mind insensitive and cruel. If I were the parent of another child in that classroom, I would fear for my child's well-being under her care. Furthermore, has anyone taken into consideration the other children involved? I'm sure they don't feel justified in being forced to play judge; they must have felt, "I could be next". After all, they're only little kids. How have the other parents and kids weighed in on this? After all, if Ms. Portillo has her collegial support, you and Alex should have yours!
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Monica commented on the article |
Ms. Portillo is obviously not trained to teach children with special needs, and should not have been in charge of a classroom that includes special needs children. Alex should be in a classroom with collaborative team teaching: one general ed teacher, and one special ed teacher. That way, his behavioral issues would have been addressed appropriately. Disciplinary measures that "work" with "neurotypical" children -- such as time-outs -- don't "work" at all with Asperger's children -- these children simply do not understand. To further isolate them from their peers is devastating to them, because they often feel "left out" because they have difficulty "reading" social cues, engaging in reciprocal conversation and play, etc. It's terrible what Ms. Portillo did; she may be a good kindergarten teacher for general education students, but she is totally inappropriate for a child like Alex. From preschool and kindergarten on, these children need to feel included, and it takes a great deal of effort, sensitivity, and proper training.
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Monica commented on the article |I agree absolutely. As the younger sister of a 56-year-old autistic man, I have seen his needs change as he has aged. I think that no two autistic individuals are alike in their needs or abilities, and therefore that makes life planning very difficult. The proper support and educational services have been, and must continue to be, created from the "bottom up", on an individual basis, rather than administered from the "top down", on an institutional level. As with any disability, the focus of organized, institutional advocacy tends to be on the disability, and what the common needs are, rather than on the individual, and his or her unique needs and abilities. It's very complex, Whitehouse.gov on autism is just beginning to address this.
