January 2013
October 2012
The New SEPTA Mission
SEPTA recently voted to expand it's mission to include not only the Springfield School District, but all of the surrounding school districts in the Southwest Missouri corridor. SEPTA's goal is to help improve the quality of education for children with special needs by supporting positive communication between parents and teachers, to serve as a fundraising platform to help provide things like assistive technology or other resources that our children may need in the school setting, and to be an educational rallying point for parents who children with special needs in public schools.
SEPTA is recruiting parent volunteers who are willing to serve as a point of contact for their child's school on special education issues. Parents are encouraged to form a group for each school in all of the Southwest Missouri school districts, and to build relationships and maintain contact with the regular education PTAs in the process of working on SEPTA specific projects.
One of the great advantages that parents in the smaller schools will be able to benefit from is the fact that SEPTA is 501C3 Non-Profit organization. This will give parents at smaller schools more autonomy to raise funds for their child's school and donate the proceeds to go toward need equipment, assistive technology, or other needs that the parent group may identify at their child's school. Working closely with teachers to help identify these needs can also help to foster more positive relationships and a greater sense of partnership between parents and teachers. When parents and teachers enjoy a positive relationship in partnership, it will be easier to navigate toward solutions when difficult issues arise that need to be worked through.
Becky Shaw's experience as a special education director and special education teacher, combined with her experience as a parent to several children with multiple disabilities will be a great asset to SEPTA and the school districts she will be working with to help improve education for children with special needs. Jerry Rowland's experience as a teacher currently serving in the Springfield School District at Lakeland, her unique perspective as an adult on the autism spectrum, and the fact she is also a parent of a teenager on the spectrum serve to make her a tremendous asset to SEPTA as well! Dawn Rethman, one of the original founders of SEPTA, is an anchor in the autism community. She has an extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of being an autism mom through her experience with her teenage son Joe, and her work in the community as a long time autism advocate on various issues and causes that affect autism families. Kathy Lutz, Nichole Price and Tishia Chambers also serve with SEPTA and have vital support roles. We look forward to seeing great things for parents, schools, and especially children with special needs in public schools through the hard work and efforts of these ladies to rally parents of children with special needs!
SEPTA recently voted to expand it's mission to include not only the Springfield School District, but all of the surrounding school districts in the Southwest Missouri corridor. SEPTA's goal is to help improve the quality of education for children with special needs by supporting positive communication between parents and teachers, to serve as a fundraising platform to help provide things like assistive technology or other resources that our children may need in the school setting, and to be an educational rallying point for parents who children with special needs in public schools.
SEPTA is recruiting parent volunteers who are willing to serve as a point of contact for their child's school on special education issues. Parents are encouraged to form a group for each school in all of the Southwest Missouri school districts, and to build relationships and maintain contact with the regular education PTAs in the process of working on SEPTA specific projects.
One of the great advantages that parents in the smaller schools will be able to benefit from is the fact that SEPTA is 501C3 Non-Profit organization. This will give parents at smaller schools more autonomy to raise funds for their child's school and donate the proceeds to go toward need equipment, assistive technology, or other needs that the parent group may identify at their child's school. Working closely with teachers to help identify these needs can also help to foster more positive relationships and a greater sense of partnership between parents and teachers. When parents and teachers enjoy a positive relationship in partnership, it will be easier to navigate toward solutions when difficult issues arise that need to be worked through.
Becky Shaw's experience as a special education director and special education teacher, combined with her experience as a parent to several children with multiple disabilities will be a great asset to SEPTA and the school districts she will be working with to help improve education for children with special needs. Jerry Rowland's experience as a teacher currently serving in the Springfield School District at Lakeland, her unique perspective as an adult on the autism spectrum, and the fact she is also a parent of a teenager on the spectrum serve to make her a tremendous asset to SEPTA as well! Dawn Rethman, one of the original founders of SEPTA, is an anchor in the autism community. She has an extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of being an autism mom through her experience with her teenage son Joe, and her work in the community as a long time autism advocate on various issues and causes that affect autism families. Kathy Lutz, Nichole Price and Tishia Chambers also serve with SEPTA and have vital support roles. We look forward to seeing great things for parents, schools, and especially children with special needs in public schools through the hard work and efforts of these ladies to rally parents of children with special needs!
September 2012
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Mompreneur Networking OpportunitiesRunning and owning a home-based business offers owners an inexpensive way to enter the market and begin generating income with low overhead. 40 to 44 percent of all home-based businesses require less than $5000 for start up. From a survey done by Home Office Computing Magazine, 98% are happier working from home. 96% would recommend working from home. 88% would never return to the corporate world. It offers moms and dads of children with special needs who live lives that are often interrupted much needed flexibility to take care of their families.
At today's meeting we heard the stories of moms who not only believed in the benefits of their products and services, but who were also searching for a way to make some money without sacrificing valuable time away from their children. To help parents of children with special needs who have businesses, we're going to dedicate a page on this website for sharing business contact information. If you have a business and would like your information posted on this page, simply send in a JPEG image of yourself, or your business logo with your contact information. We will post it on the web page and link it directly to your email address, website or facebook page. If you know someone who is in the market for a particular product or service, encourage them to purchase from a parent who is in business to support themselves while raising a child with special needs! |
August 2012
Ann graciously shared her speaking notes with us for those who could not attend!
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July 2012 Meeting
Creating Social Opportunities for Summer and Beyond!
At June's meeting, Dr. Grant introduced a handbook he created for parents to use as a guide to help them focus on skill building with their children. Some of the tips he shared with parents who want to form a Parent-Led Social Group include keeping groups smaller to make it easier for the children to bond with each other. Keeping the groups to around six children will also make the groups more manageable for parents.
Some of Dr. Grant's other recommendations include grouping children of similar interests, abilities and ages together. Keep the activities natural and playful, and remember that even when the children are just playing and having fun - without a lot of structure, that social skills are still being used. The great thing about Parent-Led Social Groups is that when a public outing is scheduled, parents will have other parents to lean on for support if a challenge should arise. Groups offer a safety net for all the parents involved. If the outing is going to take place at a restaurant, or some other public facility, it might even be good to call ahead to discuss ways to make the outing successful with the manager or owner.
Dr. Grant also suggested to parents that hosting groups in the home settings would be a great first step, and then as the children get to know each other, and as the parents feel more confident that the children are ready, an outing to a park might be a great next step. The great thing about Parent-Led Social Groups is that parents are in complete control and can structure the outings and get-togethers in ways that everyone is comfortable with.
To download a copy of Dr. Grant's handbook for parents, click on the link below. He has also provided a questionnaire for parents to fill out as they form groups that will help them put children of similar abilities and interests together. Remember hosting a social group is not rocket science, parents can do it! The experts who work so hard with our children in a clinical setting cannot do it all. What good does it do to take your child to a clinic and then never have them practice what they learn there outside of the clinic in a real life setting? Kids have to be able to generalize those skills and use them in natural settings...who is in a better position to help them do that than their parents? Let's make this a great summer for our children!
Some of Dr. Grant's other recommendations include grouping children of similar interests, abilities and ages together. Keep the activities natural and playful, and remember that even when the children are just playing and having fun - without a lot of structure, that social skills are still being used. The great thing about Parent-Led Social Groups is that when a public outing is scheduled, parents will have other parents to lean on for support if a challenge should arise. Groups offer a safety net for all the parents involved. If the outing is going to take place at a restaurant, or some other public facility, it might even be good to call ahead to discuss ways to make the outing successful with the manager or owner.
Dr. Grant also suggested to parents that hosting groups in the home settings would be a great first step, and then as the children get to know each other, and as the parents feel more confident that the children are ready, an outing to a park might be a great next step. The great thing about Parent-Led Social Groups is that parents are in complete control and can structure the outings and get-togethers in ways that everyone is comfortable with.
To download a copy of Dr. Grant's handbook for parents, click on the link below. He has also provided a questionnaire for parents to fill out as they form groups that will help them put children of similar abilities and interests together. Remember hosting a social group is not rocket science, parents can do it! The experts who work so hard with our children in a clinical setting cannot do it all. What good does it do to take your child to a clinic and then never have them practice what they learn there outside of the clinic in a real life setting? Kids have to be able to generalize those skills and use them in natural settings...who is in a better position to help them do that than their parents? Let's make this a great summer for our children!
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