Ralphs World of Love

15/02/2025

One of my fears😞💔

Isaiah Trammell, a 19-year-old with autism spectrum disorder spent 10 harrowing hours in an Ohio jail before he died. His mother, tells his story.https://www...

14/02/2025

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14/02/2025

My Ralph💖💖🫶

So many sweet hearts. ❤️ Happy Valentine's Day!

13/02/2025

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The boy, who is autistic and non-verbal, may have been left alone for more than five hours, strapped in a harness on a Reynoldsburg school bus.

13/02/2025

This would be devastating 😞

If Congress cuts Medicaid, vulnerable patients will lose health care. Which means some will die. We need to know how many.

13/02/2025

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30/01/2025

The more you know💜

26/01/2025

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"Trusting the experts is not a function of science, it's not a function of democracy. It's a function of religion and totalitarianism and it does not make for a healthier population."
RFK

This post will be controversial, but, thanks be to God, we live in a nation where our free speech is still protected, and controversy is considered one of the marks of a healthy society. So, here it goes.

I'm tired of governmental and medical systems treating special needs parents like they are simpletons who cannot take care of children without them. Yes, I'm grateful. Yes, they have played instrumental roles in the survival and well being of my special needs children, but in many of my experiences, I am not treated as their equal. I am spoken to as a subordinate that will be disciplined if orders are not followed. Rarely am I asked, "mom, what do you think we ought to do? You're the expert. You know your child best."

Recently, I was told that the public school should have direct contact with one of my children's doctors. I assume they believe that I don't have the intelligence to convey medical information to the people who are working with my children. I politely said "no," but was repeatedly pressured to give that consent. Parents, if this makes you angry, it absolutely should. No entity should ever pressure or guilt you into surrendering that right if you do not want to. Your special needs child belongs to you, not the state, and it is created to serve us not enslave us.

I'm also tired of the experts not understanding that it is OUR choice as special needs parents about what we put into our children's bodies AND how we choose to care for them. The notion that one can just make a CPS call, or passive aggressively allude to one, for compliance, is an absolute farce and inflicts unnecessary turmoil on an already suffering population. Medicine is not canonized. It is a practice that is ever changing and challenged to become better. Which means, an "expert" could be dead wrong. We as parents must protect our freedom of choice to avoid the potentially catastrophic consequences of their errors.

I have never experienced more overreach than in the parenting of my special needs children.

Here's what I want to say to the state and medical entities:

Back up and trust parents. When it comes to our kids, you should be a support, NOT an authority.

If you will treat parents as the experts and stop asking them to "trust the experts," you will have special needs parents lining up at your doors to seek your expertise. But, the moment you make us feel like we no longer have choices, or speak to us as subordinates, we will run for the hills-once an ally, now an enemy.

Special needs parents, you are smart and fully capable of making the best decisions for your children. Do your research, avoid people you don't trust, and partner with professionals who value what you have to say.

"Trust the expert" only makes sense if the expert has earned our trust. Never give it out of fear or abuse of power, and remember, look to the TRUE expert to light your path.

Hold your head up and be brave special needs parent. Your expertise is invaluable. Trust the expert ONLY if you TRUST the expert.

24/01/2025

Info💙💙

A great tool parents can share with first responders, school staff & neighbors. Link in comments.

20/01/2025

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Good morning! Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿✊🏼✊🏻 … 🤎

17/01/2025

Info💙

Those with could have one or more...

17/01/2025

Interested in this!

In this workshop, you will discover how to support your loved one with a developmental disability to create their best life with a life plan.

17/01/2025

Update: The missing 18-year-old was located and reunited with family on Tuesday, according to the Pelham Police Department. Original story — PELHAM, N.Y. (PIX11) – Police are searching for a vulnerable teenager with autism who went missing in Westchester County on Thursday. An 18-year-old was la...

16/01/2025

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Emirates will soon become the world’s first commercial Autism Certified Airline by training staff to support passengers with autism.

15/01/2025

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