Parent, advocate begins new educational support group

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September 1, 2010

By Sarah Lang Staff writer The Lebanon Reporter Wed Sep 01, 2010, 02:07 AM EDT

Lebanon — Alishia MacKinnon has an 11-year-old son who was diagnosed with autism when he was 18 months old.

And since that time, MacKinnon has learned a lot about autism and the education system as it relates to children with special needs.

“You wouldn’t believe the stuff I’ve learned,” she said. “There are a lot of parents that call, struggling, asking ‘Can they really do this? Do I have to do this?’ And most of the time, the answer is no.”

But, she said, it’s important to know why and how the answer is no. So MacKinnon, a certified advocate, is starting a new parent group called Lebanon Parents Education Group.

The group will educate parents but also give them a place for support. It isn’t to “bad talk” schools, MacKinnon said, because for the most part, they do a good job.

“But still, there are just things that happen that really shouldn’t be happening,” she said. “This isn’t a group to bash on the school system, but to educate parents according to the law.”

For example, MacKinnon explained that every child is guaranteed a free and appropriate education. And every child is an individual, so special needs students should have an individual education plan drawn up with goals.

Last fall, MacKinnon taught a seminar on this topic, and she said there was a great response from parents.

“They shared their stories and really enjoyed it, and they said they were glad I gave it,” MacKinnon said. “So I just felt there was a need for parents to understand and have a place to go talk and ask questions.”

Being a certified advocate, MacKinnon said she has taken classes, so she isn’t “just doing this willy-nilly.”

“We’ve all been through the trenches, so to speak,” she said of her and the other parents of special needs children. “I’ve been through it as a parent, and somebody helped us. So now I’m paying it forward.”

The first meeting of the Lebanon Parents Education Group will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Centenary United Methodist Church, 910 Fordice Road. It will continue the first Thursday of every month.

For more information, contact MacKinnon at (765) 894-4599 or at alishiamackinnon@yahoo.com.

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