From Miami to New Jersey: A Parent’s Journey

(October, 2018) | Share this personal story with parents and families who are on their own disability journey with their child.

This blog post has been written by Myriam Alizo (at SPAN of NJ and the CPIR) for the OSERS monthly blog for October, which is Learning Disabilities/Dyslexia/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness Month. The blog tells the story of a new mother (Myriam) recently arrived with her husband to the USA from Venezuela and living in Miami, Florida. Soon thereafter the couple had a baby they named Veronica. And there began Myriam’s journey into parenthood.

She describes her early quandary over whether to speak to her young daughter in English or Spanish (or both) and the eventual discovery that Veronica (then 4 years old) had speech delays and attention issues. What to do? Like so many new parents, Myriam knew nothing about early childhood delays, IEPs, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), or the help that was available for families whose children have disabilities.

We don’t want to tell Myriam’s story here—she does that better than anyone—but her family’s journey is a fascinating one, particularly relevant to Parent Centers and the families they help because of the pivotal role that Parent to Parent of Miamiplayed in Myriam’s subsequent journey. From Miami to New Jersey, indeed, it’s a journey that has taken Myriam deep into the heart of the Parent Center network…but we’ll let Myriam tell the story herself.

https://sites.ed.gov/osers/2018/10/from-miami-to-new-jersey/