Labels

My oldest child has some special needs. We have known from the beginning that he would struggle in some areas. Almost from day one, we were aware that ADHD was a probability... Then we learned more about his OCD... A couple of years later we started learning about frontal lobe problems...

Each step of the way, we have had testing. We have tried to research our hearts out and make sure that we could find out everything we could about each issue. We have had more conferences with teachers than I could care to count... I have tried to be as proactive as possible.

Two weeks ago, I met a teacher from a local school. She showed interest in my kid... Asked a lot of questions... Had ideas to help him and make sure that he had a future... Having never met my oldest, she asked if he had Aspergers Syndrome... Had never thought of this diagnosis

I immediately hit the computer and started searching and reading. I contacted both the psychiatrist and the psychologist... I requested more testing and meetings.

The more we read and the more we talk about it, this random meeting with a complete stranger is changing our lives.

This fall, my oldest will change schools. He has attended the same school for six years... He is scheduled to graduate in two years...

But

This lovely lady has offered to help my kid

It has taken a few weeks to warm up to the idea, but now my kid is happy about the change. We are going to move to a vocational track and get him a trade... This is going to give us hope and a chance for a great future!

So I am writing this to try to implore you to not be scared of labels... We may not always like them, but if used correctly they can help. My son's new label is going to help us get him the assistance that he needs. His label will ensure that he will get federal assistance with getting a job, keeping a job, and learning to budget his paychecks and such.

Labels can be blessings