News 12 School Closings

Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 10:15 am

News 12 School Closings, Long Island mom Alison Giangregorio read the story of Gigi Jordan with tears streaming down her face.

She c News 12 School Closings ried for Jude, the 8-year-old autistic son Jordan allegedly killed in a Manhattan hotel suite last week.

But she cried for Jordan, too. She said she felt such a strong connection to the tortured mother, she even considered sending her flowers. Here is her story:

I feel for his mother. I can empathize with her pain and can even understand what drove this mother to an unthinkable solution.

It’s not that I condone what she did, but I can relate to the feeling of desperation she must have felt.

I am the mother of a nonverbal 8-year-old boy with autism – just like Gigi Jordan. Like Gigi Jordan, I stay home to care for my son.

If, by the time I die, he can say, “I love you,” I would faint. That would be great. I just want him to be able to dress himself so he’s not totally dependent on others for everything. What frightens me most is that nobody will be there to care for him when I’m gone.

I took him to the dentist today, and they had to restrain him and put the bite blocks in. He screamed through the whole thing. But toward the end, the nurse said it was almost finished, and he said “okay.” The nurse had no idea what a gift that was.

When I’m around other people with “typical” kids and people start sharing their problems, I feel like such a downer. It’s hard to find people who truly understand. It’s isolating.

When I get really down, I have to tell myself that no matter how bad it is, it could be worse. I actually cheer myself up thinking that at least I’m not a mother in Africa hiding from rebels who want to steal my children. That’s my coping mechanism.

To educate a child with autism is very costly. Many families have to battle with their school district to get appropriate services for their child. There is insurance discrimination for people with autism. Services are lacking when a child reaches adulthood. Individuals with autism are at a higher risk for abuse, both physically and sexually. The list is endless.

God gave me Nicky the way he is, and while I would be first in line for a safe way to make his autism go away, I’m deathly afraid to do anything experimental that might harm him.

If I had the financial resources like Gigi Jordan, I would hire a staff of special education teachers and speech therapists. With a staff of three or four, my son would be “on task” constantly from the time he wakes until the time he is sleeping. Imagine wanting that for your child.

I don’t know what her staff was like, but even with all that money, she didn’t find the help she felt she needed. It’s a very lonely existence, and there’s not one place to get the answers. There isn’t one thing that’s going to fix our kids. And with all her money, maybe she went down a path she regretted. I don’t know, but my heart breaks thinking about it.

April is Autism Awareness Month, and my other son – who’s 10 years old and “typical” – is preparing to do elementary school assemblies with my husband on “How to Be a Friend to Someone with Autism.” We feel that starting at the elementary level will give us a greater chance to reach the leaders of tomorrow who can make the changes we need.

News 12 School Closings

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