Seeing Past Their Intelligence to Their Learning Disability
“Another Day, Another Challenge” is the biography of an atypical child with Williams syndrome (WS). It deals with the unique challenges of a special needs child who was falling through the cracks of every service designed to support her needs. Yet, it served as a continual reminder that there was always help available. It was just a matter of finding it.
The issues:
- Behavior problems
- Mental illness nightmares (threatening voices, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive behavior)
- Frequent obsessions
- Fixation with the fire and police departments
- A critical lack of impulse control
Michelle was a challenge for everyone who worked with her, and the older she got, the more problems she created. “Another Day, Another Challenge” clearly shows where the system failed and how conscientious providers actually improved the situation. It also gives insight as to what was going on behind the scenes in the home.
The support system:
- Know-it-all doctors and school faculty
- Ignorant family members and friends
- Judgmental church leadership
- Ineffective MRDD (Mental Retardation / Developmental Disability) Services
- Untrained agency staff members
Williams syndrome affects different people in different ways. And while these children deal with developmental delays and mental handicaps, they usually talk very intelligently and are gifted in music.
Yet most people can’t see past their intelligence to their learning disability.
That is a common complaint among Williams families. And that was one of the biggest challenges I faced with family, friends, and the school system. That is also one of the main reasons I wrote the book; to educate people on a syndrome that few know anything about – key people, like doctors, teachers and school aids, family members, churches, agencies, DD services, and EMS personnel.
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