I am known for my Charlie-isms; little bits of accumulated experience that serve a variety of situations. I have decided to share some of ones that most people have found useful:
- "We do not need better kids we need better tools in the toolbox to support and teach them".
- "Assistive technology is not the icing on the cake, it is the cake."
- When faced with a stubborn school district, look at them squarely and ask "what is your authority for that ?"
- Too often schools lack the ability to adjust to change "they act like plow horses who only know how to plow north and south."
- "Inappropriate behavior does not make it unreasonable" especially when the child has little if any means of communicating his or her needs and has inadequate behavioral supports. Any one of us given the same circumstances would likely act out.
- The golden rule for relationships with parents is "when I talk you listen, and when you talk I listen" with an emphasis on mutual respect.
- When faced with a district that wants the parents, their advocate or attorney to just shut up and sign the IEP my response is "I am not here as a potted plant." [this one is borrowed from Oliver North’s attorney during his Congressional testimony].
- "School districts that call all behaviors ‘task avoidant’ are being task avoidant."
- "A FBA that finds the antecedents for the behavior to be ‘internal causes‘ is really saying we did not collect enough data."
- "If you treat my son like furniture he will respond by doing a very nice likeness of a chair."
- "If we are simply saying that which we all agree about, then just put it in writing."
- "Time is the friend of schools and the enemy of parents."
- "When it comes to due process be like a Doberman pincher, do not bark at all, just file."
- When a school district wants to reduce a child to a simple label my
response is "I am sorry but I have never met autistics, or CP kids, or
sweet Downs children. I have met individuals with autism. I have met
individuals with cerebral palsy. I have met individuals who have Downs.
These individuals, whatever their ages, are not the labels you give them." - "I am sitting here at the table as a right, not a privilege."
Maybe some of these Charlie-isms will come in handy when the situation presents itself, or if nothing else are good for a good chuckle.