Re: Supporting young people

[Guest guest]

Actually Ian, that's a really good idea! Maybe we can open the floor to the

young people, have them ask us if they would like that? I certainly wouldn't

mind writing a letter (I'm not sure if I'm " adult " enough, most parents still

look at a 24 year old as a kid). I would be open if anybody needed that. Quite

frankly, I don't see any cons...I feel it would only further validate and

solidify the case of the young people to their education establishment and

parents (and sisters and brothers too, which can be difficult).

Good call Ian!

>

> Most of us here are adults and can - to varying extents - advocate for our own

needs at home, at work, and elsewhere (like dealing with health professionals).

>

> We have here, though, some young people who are still at high school (or

junior high, or middle school, etc) who are not in a very strong position to

advocate for themselves. Being an older male in a far off country, I am in a bit

of a bind about helping young females in that position, but as a father of

teenage girls (one with 4S) I cannot help feeling sad when young people are

struggling on their own without any support.

>

> I don't know how realistic this idea is. I was wondering whether any adult

females here can write an email to the parents or the schools of young people

who post here, to explain 4S and point out the seriousness of the problem.

Perhaps if schools (or parents even?) heard from adults, rather than just

hearing a student's complaint that they can ignore, it might help.

>

> In other words, is there anything we can do to help na to get some adult

recognition for her 4S? I fantasise about a team of adults turning up to explain

to parents and to school teachers about 4S, to give support to some young,

isolated sufferer. I know that is unrealistic, but can anyone appropriate write

an email, if that is a useful thing to do? I am feeling out of my depth, but not

lacking in concern.

>

> This might at least be worth discussing. I can see that there might be " cons "

as well as as " pros " in this idea.

>

[Guest guest]

I actually decided to sign out of high school and get my G.E.D. at the age of

16, (I'm now 18) one of the biggest reasons being because of my lifelong

suffering from 4S. The school principals, teachers, and counselors never had a

clue what to think of, or how to accommodate my disorder. No one understood it,

no one could help, school was miserable every day from start to finish. I

believe that because they saw in front of them a healthy, capable, smart,

walking talking, breathing girl, they weren't able to look past and recognize

that there was something seriously affecting my ability to concentrate and sit

in class everyday. The only thing that was ever suggested was to wear earplugs,

or to be put in a separate room when taking standardized tests. Earplugs never

worked. Not only did they not eliminate sounds 100%, they also made me paranoid

of missing something important that the teacher or someone else said. Being

placed in a separate room was a more sensible idea, but what would happen is I

would get placed in a room with a handful of other children that were there for

their own various reasons. I might as well have been back in my normal

classroom. No matter what there was still other sounds, other pencils, other

flipping papers, other shoes tapping, other sniffling noses. I needed to be

absolutely alone or it wouldn't work. Anyways, solutions for my problem were

very limited and had almost no effectiveness. If only the administration were

more educated, or even just believed in 4S...

>

> Most of us here are adults and can - to varying extents - advocate for our own

needs at home, at work, and elsewhere (like dealing with health professionals).

>

> We have here, though, some young people who are still at high school (or

junior high, or middle school, etc) who are not in a very strong position to

advocate for themselves. Being an older male in a far off country, I am in a bit

of a bind about helping young females in that position, but as a father of

teenage girls (one with 4S) I cannot help feeling sad when young people are

struggling on their own without any support.

>

> I don't know how realistic this idea is. I was wondering whether any adult

females here can write an email to the parents or the schools of young people

who post here, to explain 4S and point out the seriousness of the problem.

Perhaps if schools (or parents even?) heard from adults, rather than just

hearing a student's complaint that they can ignore, it might help.

>

> In other words, is there anything we can do to help na to get some adult

recognition for her 4S? I fantasise about a team of adults turning up to explain

to parents and to school teachers about 4S, to give support to some young,

isolated sufferer. I know that is unrealistic, but can anyone appropriate write

an email, if that is a useful thing to do? I am feeling out of my depth, but not

lacking in concern.

>

> This might at least be worth discussing. I can see that there might be " cons "

as well as as " pros " in this idea.

>

[Guest guest]

I actually decided to sign out of high school and get my G.E.D. at the age of

16, (I'm now 18) one of the biggest reasons being because of my lifelong

suffering from 4S. The school principals, teachers, and counselors never had a

clue what to think of, or how to accommodate my disorder. No one understood it,

no one could help, school was miserable every day from start to finish. I

believe that because they saw in front of them a healthy, capable, smart,

walking talking, breathing girl, they weren't able to look past and recognize

that there was something seriously affecting my ability to concentrate and sit

in class everyday. The only thing that was ever suggested was to wear earplugs,

or to be put in a separate room when taking standardized tests. Earplugs never

worked. Not only did they not eliminate sounds 100%, they also made me paranoid

of missing something important that the teacher or someone else said. Being

placed in a separate room was a more sensible idea, but what would happen is I

would get placed in a room with a handful of other children that were there for

their own various reasons. I might as well have been back in my normal

classroom. No matter what there was still other sounds, other pencils, other

flipping papers, other shoes tapping, other sniffling noses. I needed to be

absolutely alone or it wouldn't work. Anyways, solutions for my problem were

very limited and had almost no effectiveness. If only the administration were

more educated, or even just believed in 4S...

>

> Most of us here are adults and can - to varying extents - advocate for our own

needs at home, at work, and elsewhere (like dealing with health professionals).

>

> We have here, though, some young people who are still at high school (or

junior high, or middle school, etc) who are not in a very strong position to

advocate for themselves. Being an older male in a far off country, I am in a bit

of a bind about helping young females in that position, but as a father of

teenage girls (one with 4S) I cannot help feeling sad when young people are

struggling on their own without any support.

>

> I don't know how realistic this idea is. I was wondering whether any adult

females here can write an email to the parents or the schools of young people

who post here, to explain 4S and point out the seriousness of the problem.

Perhaps if schools (or parents even?) heard from adults, rather than just

hearing a student's complaint that they can ignore, it might help.

>

> In other words, is there anything we can do to help na to get some adult

recognition for her 4S? I fantasise about a team of adults turning up to explain

to parents and to school teachers about 4S, to give support to some young,

isolated sufferer. I know that is unrealistic, but can anyone appropriate write

an email, if that is a useful thing to do? I am feeling out of my depth, but not

lacking in concern.

>

> This might at least be worth discussing. I can see that there might be " cons "

as well as as " pros " in this idea.

>