Well, I am so very excited that September is on it’s last day!

I rarely write on Ruthfulness about topics that don’t relate directly to education, access and advocating for autism and early intervention.  But, we are one year in!  Happy Anniversary to Ruthfulness.  It has been a year since I started publicly sharing my story, tips and ideas with the world.  Well, September just about did us all in.  We survived and are preparing for a strong and successful fall.

I’ve been writing this month, in fact I have two unpublished and unfinished articles that never made it out!  We had a huge hurricane that stressed up and messed our month for sure.  Business and family tie up almost all of my free time and bedtime can’t come soon enough.  Some night I wish it was closer to Christmas so I could drive my children around town looking at the lights until they fall asleep because I just don’t want to do bedtime anymore.

This week I had a very good and strong punch in the gut regarding my daughter.  I had to advocate for her but she doesn’t have an IEP or a 504.  I realized the power that a legal document gave me in dealing with my son.  I was able to be protected by the law in dealing with educational concerns because he was legally entitled to a free and public education in the least restrictive environment.  My daughter is a typical child and she should also be able to access fair and equal education within a public school but as many parents know that is not how it works.  This week I was thankful for my fight with my son, thankful for the hours I put into this blog and thankful for the lessons I have learned.

However, I had forgotten the pain.  I had forgotten how badly my heart and soul ached for my son. 

He was neglected and held back for reasons he had no control over.  An adult took advantage of his age and disability.  This week made me realize that even with the stress of September I have to find the time to keep at, keep writing, keep posting and keep on top of my goals.

If a teacher believes your child cannot learn or is a behavior problem then you need to remove your child from that environment.  The transition will be a challenge but in the end you will know that you and your family have made the best decision for the future development of that child.

Cheers to 1 Year!