The Waltham Special Education Parent Advisory Council has not met for close to three years, but a recent surge of devoted parents and school officials have revived the organization.
"I was in various places and people were asking me about the council," Susan Sutherland said. "I was at a school function and somebody asked me about it and I was at a Special Olympics function and someone was asking me about it."
Sutherland, the council's parent resource liaison, said the group was active until 2005. The new council plans to reinstate its elected positions in November and provide information and resources to parents of children with special needs across the district.
For Sutherland, the group's mission hits close to home.
Her 11-year-old son Evan is a fifth-grader at Stanley Elementary School and is diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder, a form of autism. The disorder can include difficulty socializing with others, repetitive behaviors and heightened sensitivities to certain stimuli, according to autismspeaks.org.
Sutherland said at the end of last year parents and school staff asked her about the council's status. She said that inquiry lead to the reorganization of the group.
Sutherland sent e-mails to parents of special needs students, researched online and contacted the city's Director of Special Education Ed McCormack to discuss reactivating the council.
"Getting simple answers to simple questions is difficult, so I can't imagine what it's like for someone who has a more complex problem," she said. "When I asked questions about the school system, I got many different answers and had to figure out which one is the most viable."
Her efforts were rewarded when the group held its first meeting on Oct. 16.
Let's get together
Sutherland said in the past she usually gathered information about her son's condition from a variety of places.
"I tend to go elsewhere for information, from the doctors who treat my son, therapeutic service providers, autism support centers, etc.," she said. "I probably get most problems addressed by speaking to other parents, especially those I meet in the waiting rooms of service providers that we frequent, since we can compare notes and brainstorm ways to resolve issues."
Sutherland said finding information and resources for special needs children can be time consuming.
"Many of us don't have the time to research information about education in a city as large and progressive as Waltham," she said. "This should be readily available for everyone."
Sutherland said finding resources within the school district has been a challenge and that's why the council is important. Many parents have shared her struggle.
"Without a diagnosis it is very difficult to get any services from the schools. My child has (pervasive developmental disorder) so there was an 18-month wait to get a team evaluation from (Boston) Children's Hospital," said Christopher Martin, parent and council member. "I did receive preschool services pretty quickly once she was diagnosed."
Council member Susan Saulnier's son also has pervasive developmental disorder. Now a second-grader at Stanley Elementary School, Saulnier said her son struggled to receive the support he needed since the start of his schooling in the city.
Saulnier said after preschool (in Weston) her son, who was having a hard time "connecting and maintaining his emotions" underwent an early intervention evaluation through the Waltham school system at age 3.
"The Waltham schools diagnosed him with a developmental delay and entered him into a preschool program at Stanley for two years," she said. "It was only for a few hours a day and it was extremely difficult not to have him attend a full day because both his parents are working full time."
Saulnier said after searching and waiting for doctor appointments, her son was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder.
"When it was time for kindergarten, we requested that he continue at Stanley (Elementary School) to keep the familiarity and to get the services he needs," she said. "For some reason he was sent to MacArthur (Elementary School) to receive a shared aide and speech and language services weekly."
Saulnier said her son was eventually sent back to Stanley, where he is currently a student, because she felt he was not getting the proper support and structure he needed.
"There were so many times that I felt like I failed him because I had no idea on how to channel through the school system's services. I called the special (education) office looking for members of a (parent advisory council) group and I was disappointed to hear that we did not have one," Saulnier said. "I contacted other agencies for support and it has been a long five years of searching for answers."
A new beginning
Now that the group has reorganized, Sutherland said the 11-member council's first set of goals is to develop a road map to guide families through the special education system.
The council has also enlisted the help of Erin Hurney, a preschool teacher at Boston College Campus School and an intern in the Waltham special ed department. Sutherland said Hurney approached a council member at their kick-off meeting and offered to help the council with community outreach efforts.
"We are lucky to have an intern, Erin Hurney, who is working toward a director of special education certification, to help develop this matrix," Sutherland said. "She will begin by visiting every school and finding out what special education services are offered and who the contacts are for each service."
Hurney will interview parents, educators and district administrators to identify areas of concern so council members, district leaders and city officials can work together to resolve issues.
At their next meeting in November, the council will also elect officers. A date for that meeting has not yet been set, she said.
Council members have posted a survey on the Waltham schools web site to recruit members for the council and to learn what topics should be addressed.
The survey is available online at www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=XkolgxmaWjc5vZ3ymKNM6A_3d_3d
Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or jgilbrid@cnc.com.
