{"id":84,"date":"2015-04-15T16:49:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-15T16:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rf.podcastfixit.com\/index.php\/2015\/04\/15\/see-child-not-autis\/"},"modified":"2015-06-01T19:40:30","modified_gmt":"2015-06-01T19:40:30","slug":"see-child-not-autis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newscoverage.org\/index.php\/2015\/04\/15\/see-child-not-autis\/","title":{"rendered":"See the child, not the autism"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI have learned from my children to look at people and not judge them.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\n
<\/b><\/div>\n
\nBy Robert Frank<\/b>
www.thesuburban.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\nSir Wilfrid Laurier School Board chair Jennifer Maccarone is the mother of two autistic children Samuel, 14, and Bianca, 12. <\/i>In an interview with <\/i>The Suburban, she talked publicly for the first time about how their upbringing has transformed them\u2014and her\u2014for the better.<\/i><\/div>\n

\u201cIn the beginning I wanted to change it,\u201d she admitted. \u201cI was jealous of parents who wished their kids would be quiet, when I just wanted my kids to put two words together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The prognosis was very bad when a phalanx of specialists diagnosed Samuel at age 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told us that there was absolutely no hope. We were told to consider looking for placement [in an institution] and that it was unlikely he would get out of diapers,\u201d Maccarone recalled. \u201cIt was the most difficult thing that I have ever had to live through in my whole life. Samuel had to have 40 hours of therapy a week. Then, we had to do it all over again [two years later], when Bianca was diagnosed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Maccarone wants to let other parents living through the same thing today that there is hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can survive this,\u201d she said. \u201cDon\u2019t give up. You\u2019re going to be fine and your children will be ok.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, both Samuel and Bianca go to school unaccompanied. Paradoxically, their remarkable progress makes the work that they have to do to achieve it less conspicuous.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at my kids and I know how meaningful it is for them to be able to contribute,\u201d Maccarone explained, \u201cbecause they have to work ten times harder than anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSamuel might come home from a challenging day at school where the academics were really tough for him,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s happy to sit down at the table and do three hours of work without complaint until he works it out, because he\u2019s so eager to do a good job. There are a lot of challenges and, in Quebec, there is the added challenge because of growing up bilingual or trilingual.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
Observe before judging<\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThey have to exert more self-discipline than most children or adults ever will, to overcome hurdles that we take for granted.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cSometimes just getting dressed for school is tough,\u201d Maccarone acknowledged. \u201cThey\u2019re way tougher than us: They have to remember to sit still, maintain eye contact and decode the language before they can begin to start listening to the teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her children are also very good at coping when, inevitably, other kids are cruel.<\/p>\n

\u201cSamuel and Bianca will go back to school the next day and have unconditionally forgiven them, still want to be their friends and move on,\u201d Maccarone said. \u201cI have learned from them to look at people and not judge them.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve taught me to persevere and help others,\u201d she added. \u201cThey put me on the path toward seeing what I could do for education.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cIt\u2019s important for parents to understand that you are the best advocate for your children,\u201d Maccarone advised. \u201cThey will flourish if you are involved. Had we not gone to every meeting, sought out as many professionals as we could and participated at school, we would not be where we are today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes a big difference,\u201d she concluded. \u201cIt really does. If I could go back and change it, I wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019re all unique,\u201d said SWLSB chair Jennifer Maccarone, seen here with her children Samuel and Bianca. \u201cSo are people who have autism. They can contribute, be employed and learn in a regular classroom. \u201d<\/b><\/div>\n

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