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.
Bacteria Keep Swimmers Off Some Fla. Beaches
Police: Houston Found Under Water, Unconscious
Sandusky Can See Grandkids, Have Local Jury
Obama Unveils $3.8 Trillion Budget
Raw Video: Israeli Embassy Car Attacked
Coroner: Don't Know Houston's Cause of Death Yet
Valentine Greetings Sent Worldwide From Loveland
Greek Austerity Measures Spark Riots
Raw Video: Obama Budget Goes to Capitol Hill
Arab League Wants U.N. Help in Syria
Nordic Festival Puts North Korea in Spotlight
'Rumor Has It' Adele's Rolling in the Grammys
Grohl, Grammy Nominees Cut Up on the Red Carpet
Greece Passes New Austerity Deal Amid Rioting
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport
