RE: LIfe Goes On/Sara

[Guest guest]

Hi Sara,

is from PA. I met and his parents. The Mom told me that Chris

worked very hard to memorize his scripts. I can only imagine how hard it was for

him. Chris's speech is also not a crisp and clear as it was on tv, thanks to

filters. Zeb wasn't born when this show aired but I think it gave the public an

awareness that people with DS can do things and have real feelings. Although a

lot of the show wasn't portrayed exactly as it is in real life I loved the show.

Charlyne

Mom to Zeb 13 DS/OCD/ASD?

sara cohen wrote:

True that show gave us all hope. But I used to cringe when was in

regular math and didn't have a clue. What was he really learning there??

Burke - maybe some of you would like to read the book that his mom

wrote on raising Chris.

NEVEr travels alone. HE cannot handle money. He memorized, one line

at a time, his role.

Chris's girlfriend in the show drives, went to college, but will never

do eaither.

When he travels with his band, either a family member or a band member

travels with him and stays with him.

He too has limits. I believe that he functions somewhere in the 8-10 yo

range. Now my Elie is still in the 3-7 yo range. Both still need LOTS of

supervision, hands on care.

Sara - Choose to make lemonade, not complain about the lemons.

>From: " CK "

>Reply-To:

>To:

>Subject: LIfe Goes On

>Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 16:19:15 -0400

>

>Hi everyone,

>

>Yesterday, I dug out my home-taped videos of Life Goes On, the show that

>ran from 1989-1993, and started watching the first few episodes. Ian was

>only 7-8 months old when Life Goes On came on the air, and the show gave us

>a lot of hope.

>

>Now, I see what Corky could do, and Ian doesn't even come close. Could I

>leave a 6-year-old with Ian as a babysitter? No, I can't even leave Ian

>alone to take care of himself. Could Ian sit in on a 9th grade English

>class, memorize " The Raven, " and understand Shakespeare? Nope, nor could

>he have some of the conversations Corky has, nor could he make a 2-sentence

>speech in front of a hundred 15-year-olds. That's okay. Not even

> Burke could do the things Corky did. It's a Hollywood image of

>a mentally retarded teenager with a soul of gold -- it's what Hollywood

>wanted to teach the world back then, and I can understand what role Corky

>had in shaping what happened with special education in the 90s.

>

>I don't know, I feel a little seasoned, a lot more cynical, than I was back

>then. Perhaps the autism spells the difference between Corky at 18

>( Burke in his young 20s) and Ian at 17. But there's a level of

>emotional understanding that I see portrayed in Corky that I just don't see

>Ian ever having. He was home this weekend, and he was devastated when a

>friend couldn't have lunch with us -- and doesn't understand that this

>friend might not be working at Perkins in four years so that when Ian

>graduates he can go to Perkins and work there with him. Ian has the

>emotions of a 17 year old, but the ability to handle them of a 4 year old.

>

>Anyway, I'll keep watching. Rose has been watching with me, and I think it

>gives her some insight -- plus all those hair styles and huge glasses make

>her giggle.

>

>CK,

>Mom to Ian (2/89),

> (9/90),

> and Rose (6/94)

>

>