Melanie Harper

Recent Activity

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  Melanie signed the petition | 14 days ago

  Stand with StudentsFirst and Support Comprehensive Anti-Bullying Legislation
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  Melanie signed the petition | 14 days ago

  Tell the FDA: Label genetically engineered foods
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  Melanie commented on the petition | 14 days ago

  Do not remove Asperger's Syndrome and other Autism Sub-Types from DSM

  My son has classical autism, diagnosed at age 2, 31 on CARS scale. This matters!

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  Melanie signed the petition | 14 days ago

  Do not remove Asperger's Syndrome and other Autism Sub-Types from DSM
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  Melanie signed the petition | over 1 year ago

  Should the front row center seat in the White House press briefing room go to FOX News or NPR?
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  Melanie commented on the article | over 2 years ago

  Mallrats We Ain't

  We've taken our boy to several malls in the Atlanta area, and as long as we have a chewy item for him, plenty of snacks and the jogging stroller for him to ride in, he's pretty good.  But then, what 5 year old does't need bribes in order to go shopping?  He really seems to like new things to look at, but we do have to be aware of sounds and smells.  W're careful at the food court, and we'll always avoid passing directly in front of Abercrombie & Fitch.  Who needs to lose hearing in order to shop, anyway?  And someone mentioned elevators - my boy is obsessed with them, and those are great bribes (No fussing while Mama tries on shoes, and we'll ride the elevator and YOU can push the bottons!)  It's also a great place to practice self-help skills, like paying for a snack and getting change, identifying police officers, etc.  And in the Atlanta summer heat, sometimes you just need to kill time somewhere wtih a/c until the pool opens!

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  Melanie commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  Special Ed "vs" Gifted?

  I also was the girl hiding behind a wall of books to avoid falling asleep out of boredom in elementary school, and then getting in trouble on purpose to avoid recess, since recess where I always got picked on by the bigger kids.  I was younger, smaller, clumsier and smarter (got skipped up a grade), and didn't have the social sense to NOT brag about being smart.  Good thing I wasn't a boy, or I probably would have been stuffed in a locker or gotten my head flushed in a toilet. 
  
  But, I also have dyscalculia - which no one diagnosed in the 1970's - I was just a girl who hated math and "wouldn't try."  No one clued into the ways that my recognized verbal and pattern giftedness could be tied directly into my problems with math.  That took getting my gifted teaching certification in college.  The teaching techniques that we learned in those classes, by the way, would be great for a lot of ADHD/autistic kids, too, since it's all about differentiating the content and delivery method for kids' individual learning profile.  What an original concept ;)
  
  On a positive note though, I have to say, that back in the 70's,the state of North Carolina where we lived (in a very rural area) mangaged to legally tie its gifted program together with its federal special ed funding so we at least always had some sort of pull-out or supplementation for identified gifted kids.  We also had a great parents' advocacy group locally and state-wide, and I know that helped a lot with avoiding backsliding to mediocrity during the school budget cuts of the early- to mid-80s. Without parents in my house who didn't let me get away with slacking off and bad behavior in school, I personally would have had a far worse outcome.
  
  And it is ironic, as Nancy Nelly posted - hubby and I are both extremely social and verbal (last ones to leave any party) and then our son is classically on the spectrum.  The universe does indeed have a sense of humor...

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  Melanie commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  Accommodations and Skill Substitution for the Numbers

  It's so nice to hear someone, somewhere talking about dyscalculia!  I was in college before being diagnosed - until that point I was just a girl who hates math, never mind the fact that I aced all my other classes, even science! Thank goodness I was able to take computer and biology courses to fill most of the math/science undergrad requirement, as i had to take algebra 4 times (pass/fail of course) before it ever even remote made sense. I have no mental blackboard, so of course I can't add numbers in my head, and at age 37 I still have to count on my fingers or use a calculator to be sure of any arithmetic.  The only plus to my having this, IMHO, is that I am quite sympathetic to my autistic son's need to learn things totally differently.  We think sideways in this house, I guess.