Parapro Posts

What does he decide to do once he finally gets the notes he'd been struggling to see? He stops listening to his teacher and doodles on the paper I gave him.

Just another one of those annoyed but amused moments in my job.

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

“Eleven-year-old Melody is not like most people. She can’t walk. She can’t talk. She can’t write. All because she has cerebral palsy. But she also has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She’s the smartest kid in her whole school, but NO ONE knows it. Most people—her teachers, her doctors, her classmates—dismiss her as mentally challenged because she can’t tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by her disability. And she’s determined to let everyone know it…somehow.”

Carly’s Voice: Breaking Through Autism by Arthur Fleischmann

“A remarkable story of Carly Fleischmann, who was diagnosed with severe autism and an oral motor condition at the age of two. Her oral motor condition makes her unable to talk beyond some hums and minor sounds. Her doctors told her family that she would most likely not develop abilities beyond that of a young child. With supportive family and very dedicated therapists, Carly beat the odds and flourished, even communicating by typing on a laptop.”

Ghost Boy: The Miraculous Escape of a Misdiagnosed Boy Trapped Inside His Own Body by Martin Pistorius

“In January 1988 Martin Pistorius, aged twelve, fell inexplicably sick. First he lost his voice and stopped eating. Then he slept constantly and shunned human contact. Doctors were mystified. Within eighteen months he was mute and wheelchair-bound. Martin's parents were told an unknown degenerative disease left him with the mind of a baby and less than two years to live.

Martin was moved to care centers for severely disabled children. The stress and heartache shook his parents’ marriage and their family to the core. Their boy was gone. Or so they thought.

Ghost Boy is the heart-wrenching story of one boy’s return to life through the power of love and faith. In these pages, readers see a parent’s resilience, the consequences of misdiagnosis, abuse at the hands of cruel caretakers, and the unthinkable duration of Martin’s mental alertness betrayed by his lifeless body.”

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison

“Ever since he was young, John Robison longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother, Augusten Burroughs, in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” It was not until he was forty that he was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way he saw himself—and the world. A born storyteller, Robison has written a moving, darkly funny memoir about a life that has taken him from developing exploding guitars for KISS to building a family of his own. It’s a strange, sly, indelible account—sometimes alien yet always deeply human.”

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm

“Ellen’s personal experiences as a parent of children with autism and ADHD, a celebrated autism author, and a contributor to numerous publications, classrooms, conferences, and websites around the world coalesce to create a guide for all who come in contact with a child on the autism spectrum. This updated edition delves into expanded thought and deeper discussion of communication issues, social processing skills, and the critical roles adult perspectives play in guiding the child with autism to a meaningful, self-sufficient, productive life.”

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 

“Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

The ESE department at the school where I work has been doing a lot for October as anti-bullying month. The past few days, there were posters around campus about something called “Kindness Rocks.” The students painted rocks and wrote sweet things on them. The rocks were placed around campus for students and staff to find.

My Rock:

Things are gonna get sassy but today, we’re starting super sweet. 

The ESE department at the school where I work has been doing a lot for October as anti-bullying month. The past few days, there were posters around campus about something called “Kindness Rocks.” The students painted rocks and wrote sweet things on them. The rocks were placed around campus for students and staff to find.