(Published Saturday, April 14, 2007 12:59:12 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Chris Schultz/Gazette Staff
LAKE GENEVA
Their children suddenly run without looking, tell fantastic stories with the conviction of truth, or just cover their ears and scream.
Raising youngsters with special needs is unpredictable and stressful, their moms say.
Julie, Terri, Nancy and Kim, each have at least one child-Pat has a grandson-with special needs, including autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
They met Thursday with Christine Slawson, a special-needs teacher at Central-Denison Elementary School in Lake Geneva, to talk about their children and experiences.
The women asked that their full names not be published to protect the identities of their children.
"It's so helpful to find someone in the same boat," Terri said.
Her son has ADHD and now is in middle school.
"It feels good to share things."
Kim said her 9-year-old son Zach has ADHD and also "oppositional defiant disorder." She said he has difficulties with anger, tells stories and will sometimes do anything for attention.
Zach was with his mother during the meeting. Quiet and well-behaved, no one would have known he was the boy his mother was talking about.
"This is very good because I got to know parents with similar problems," Kim said. "I get to learn different techniques and programs."
For three years, Slawson has provided a time and place for the mothers to meet and talk about raising children facing special problems.
It's a combination workshop, class, daycare and group therapy session that Slawson calls "chicken soup for the soul."
The informal sessions meet four times a school year and might include real soup and snacks. Childcare is provided.
Slawson said the meetings averaged about a dozen parents. Some who attend have children at Central-Denison, and some do not. Thursday was the last session for this school year.
Children with autism or ADHD usually are bright and want to be good students, but they don't always live in the same world as everyone else, Slawson said. Because of a condition called "sensory integration disorder," faint noises sound very loud to them, and comfortable denim may feel like sandpaper.
Slawson, who lives in Fontana, has 20 years experience teaching special needs children-first in Milwaukee schools and now in Lake Geneva. She's author of "Real Solutions for Real Challenges by Real Teachers," a collection of case studies and strategies for special needs teachers.
No one knows what causes these neurological problems in children, and there's no known cure, Slawson said.
Sometimes children seem to grow out of it. Sometimes prescriptions help. Sometimes the condition seems to worsen.
There is hope.
Slawson's 17-year-old son has ADHD but has overcome it. He graduated early from Big Foot High School and is preparing to attend college in Florida to major in filmmaking.
