So lets get back to the overview of transactions in Java with Spring Framework.
Bean-managed transactions can be:
- container-managed transactions or declarative transaction management
- application-managed transactions or programmatic transaction management
Declarative transaction management can be XML-based or annotation-based. A disadvantage of declarative transactions is: when a method is executing, it can be associated either with a single transaction or no transaction at all.
Programmatic transaction management gives more liberty. Take as example this pseudocode from Java EE 6 Tutorial (quite old but makes the point):
begin transaction ... update table-a ... if (condition-x) commit transaction else if (condition-y) update table-b commit transaction else rollback transaction begin transaction update table-c commit transaction
This fine-grained programmatic dependency of when to commit or rollback can only be achieved without declarative transactions.
Not mentioned so obvious is the fact of what is the DEFAULT propagation in Spring transactions.
- The default propagation is REQUIRED
|PROPAGATION TYPE||no current transaction||there’s a current transaction|
||throw exception||use current transaction|
||don’t create a transaction, run method outside any transaction||throw exception|
||don’t create a transaction, run method outside any transaction||suspend current transaction, run method outside any transaction|
||don’t create a transaction, run method outside any transaction||use current transaction|
||create a new transaction||use current transaction|
||create a new transaction||suspend current transaction, create a new independent transaction|
||create a new transaction||create a new nested transaction|
Table is from ninjalj’s blog.
So lets see what this means in the context of a database connection and what the other propagation types.
And because I never went in too much detail here, I recommend to read Marco Behler’s blog to get the full picture.


Today, the House of Representatives is scheduled to take a vote—its second—to fully repeal Obamacare. House Speaker John Boehner (R–OH) said it best: “We will not flinch from our resolve to make sure this law is repealed in its entirety.”
Repealing the massive law may seem like a tall order, but the history of health policy shows that it can be done. As research by Heritage Foundation health policy expert Bob Moffit concludes, “Based on Washington’s record of health policymaking, ending or rolling back Obamacare is hardly implausible.” Moffit points to the repeal of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988 and President Bill Clinton’s failed attempts at reform in 1994.
As Moffit explains, the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988 was originally enacted with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, but it was repealed one year later. It was the disapproval of the American people that drove the law’s removal. President Clinton’s 1,342-page health reform plan of 1994 was initially so popular that its enactment was considered inevitable, but it later collapsed on the Senate floor. Again, it was the growing opposition of the public that changed the course of health policy.
Two attempts at reform; both lost public support when the American people found out the actual effects and true costs. Both represented out-of-control costs and new mazes of bureaucracy. Sound familiar? Most importantly, both examples offer important lessons about the power of the American public and the future of Obamacare.
Moffit states, “In order of magnitude, the level of bureaucracy embodied in [Obamacare] is beyond anything previously attempted.” But as history shows, it’s not just the Supreme Court that can change the direction of the law. The American people still hold the fate of this seemingly endless battle against government-run health care in their hands.
Currently, 53 percent of likely voters at least somewhat favor the repeal of Obamacare. With such a lack of public support, history may very well repeat itself as the fight for full repeal rages on.
Grant Hodges is currently a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. For more information on interning at Heritage, please visit http://www.heritage.org/about/departments/ylp.cfm.


Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint is defined as:
The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
In other words: When you drive a car, the engine burns fuel which creates a certain amount of CO2, depending on its fuel consumption and the driving distance. (CO2 is the chemical symbol for carbon dioxide). When you heat your house with oil, gas or coal, then you also generate CO2. Even if you heat your house with electricity, the generation of the electrical power may also have emitted a certain amount of CO2. When you buy food and goods, the production of the food and goods also emitted some quantities of CO2. (http://timeforchange.org/)
To measure your own footprint, take the following quiz.


The problem with using meters on solutions with limited solubility. [ESPECIALLY "PPM" meters set up to measure salt water which is very highly soluble]
The ionic portion of CS has very limited solubility and some portion will convert into an un-measureable colloid depending on variable environmental conditions.
The Silver is still in the water, but a meter won't detect it.
The instant power is off, conductivity starts dropping.
The stronger you made the solution, the more it will drop...by around 40%
Each time you bump it back up, it will drop by about 1/2 as much as the previous time, but anything over 30 uS will drop back to 30 uS over time.
Using conductivity to measure something where conductivity changes is not the best way to do anything.
It's like using an ox to pull a freight train.
A better way is by Faraday prediction, [which is what the programming button does] but that only says how much silver was emitted, not what happens to it [doesn't account for waste] But the SWAP function limits waste to a great degree over using DC current.
All hand held PWT/TDS/PPM meters work the same way. They actually measure conductivity not PPM. They are simply not the same thing.
TDS (PPM) meters such as the TDS3 also measure conductivity but then convert that measurement to an estimated PPM using water industry standard tables for dissolved salts. [NaCl in this case] (also known as Total Dissolved Solids or TDS)
Since Ionic/Colloidal Silver is not a mineral salt, it behaves differently and requires a different technique for reading the TDS meter.
The reading can generally be taken ‘as is’ when checking pure distilled water or when checking any other water source such as tap or well water. (ie 200 on the meter = 200 PPM)
However, when checking Colloidal Silver made with pure distilled water the reading should be doubled. [If it reads 10, it’s actually 20 PPM of colloidal silver]
Due to range and resolution limitations, when measuring colloidal silver with this meter you should also allow for an error factor of at least +/- 10% . So for example 10 on the TDS meter could be as high as 22 PPM or as low as 18 PPM (when doubled).
Meters such as the Hanna PWT, the HM Digital EC3 and COM-100 read out directly in Microsiemens of Conductivity [uS].
The COM100 also reads out in 3 different scenarios for PPM depending on the suspected dominant mineral salt content.
Silver water is NOT salt water.
To get an idea of what the PPM is in CS, use 1uS = ~1 PPM.
Since the conductivity will start dropping as soon as power is off, Use Meter immediately after shutdown.
Concentrations over the saturation point of Ionic Silver in water [~ 10 PPM ] will progressively and variably form more and more non-conductive “particles” accounting for some of the difference between Faraday Equation Prediction vs Conductivity Monitoring.
Beyond around 25 PPM in silver water a meter reading will have considerable slew towards the low side and a batch may never register more than 30 uS the day after it’s done even though it may really be 50+ PPM
This method has been checked against samples tested by an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer at a range average of 12 PPM
Getting anything but an eddicated guess is beyond our capabilities. [ "eddicated" is a step or two below 'educated' ]
To get that eddicated guess, use the meter the instant that power goes off.
The generator does it that way, then adds a time related prediction after current has become a constant in the equations.
But even then, it's probably going to be the low end of actual as it doesn't include what it took to make current into a constant.
The only REAL way is to use an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, which none of us can afford [50 to 250 thousand dollars] and requires high training to operate...and is as big as a desk or a closet and uses a great deal of heat by electric furnace or acetylene flame to evaporate the water and turn the metal itself into a light emitting gas plasma.
..or pay a "good" lab ~$200 per sample to do that for us. [Even most labs have problems and they ALL average at least 3 tests of the same sample ]
Don't worry about it.
In the "real world"....USING CS is entirely "seat of the pants" and nearly impossible to over do with the least application of common sense.
No use recommendations I've ever seen make any scientific sense at all.
When making your own CS, it won't break the bank to go 'full tilt' in the short run...where any danger is in the long run coupled with massive over indulgence.
..it doesn't really matter how strong it is, so long as the job gets done, which makes *intuition* as good as anything else. [when, frankly, nothing else is reasonably available]
Personally, I use the Pitui test.
Can't taste it?..make it stronger
Doesn't taste very strong?...use more.
Pitui!! [Making faces] YUP, a little bit should be enough.
In the past, store bought CS was only 3 PPM, only fairly recently going as high as 20 PPM as processes have improved...more generally at 10 PPM.
..and commercial producers aren't all equal [not all of them have an AA Spectrophotometer] as some samples have tested out at only 3% of the stated content.
A meter can't tell the difference between Silver and anything else that might be in there...and as you may have just experienced, "when" the meter is used makes a huge difference.
The 'earlier generators' [Silver 5-7] worked the same way as the Silver 9, but turned itself off at well beyond saturation point where sometimes environmental conditions delayed turn off or it failed to turn off all-together.... and made no automatic predictions...leaving it up to "ignorance is bliss". [which is better than ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE between 1 and 500 PPM *mud* made with uncontrolled exponential *run-away* DC, quite often in salted water..or.. IOW...TOTAL ignerance is totally blissful ]
An airplane is a long way from being a bird, but a whole lot better than diving off a cliff and calling that flight.
An "Air speed indicator" is not the same thing as a odometer/speedometer that measures distance directly...it won't tell you exactly how long it will take to arrive or exactly where you are.
Flying with a wheel on the ground isn't an option.
This is the best that I’ve ever heard it stated.
Dosing is not a science. The key word is "enough."
If you've used CS before, then you already know that you're not allergic to it, therefore you don't have to start with the few drops on the tongue that I suggest to new users, "just in case."
Beyond that, it would be good if we knew what kind of CS you've got. If store-bought, which brand and what supposed strength? If home made,what kind of generator and how brewed.
The usual advice is to start small and ramp up the dose until you have the effect you want. This is measured by either the symptoms improving or by the symptoms worsening (temporarily) in a Herxheimer reaction.
In general, flu-like symptoms and a general yucky feeling mark the Herxheimer reaction. In severe cases Herx reactions can be life threatening, particularly in people who are already weakened. If there is a bad infection that is destroyed very rapidly by the treatment it can overwhelm the body, leading to a shock reaction that could require emergency treatment.
Thus the caution to start small and ramp up until some effect is noted, then hold at that level until effects subside. When that happens, ramp up the dose further until effects resume, but remain manageable, and so on. Keep at it a few days longer if all seems to be well, just to be sure...
So what sort of dose might you want to work up to?
First, I will *assume* an "average" CS brew of some 5 to 20 ppm in plain distilled water made with a simple generator.
For a very aggressive treatment, some of our members have reported good `results taking a good mouthful (very precise measurement unit there!), swished around in your mouth for at least a couple of minutes before swallowing, taken every waking half hour to an hour.
To start slowly, just to be cautious of any severe Herx, I would probably wait a couple of hours between "swallows" at first.
One other thing is to consider adding Gatorade to the protocol. If you search the archives on that subject, you'll see that it is used to *drastically* increase the rate at which the CS enters the bloodstream.[note: Mix CS with Gatoraid and use immediately…do not store it ]
Lastly, I want to say that, if push comes to shove, going to the doctor for antibiotics is not out of the question. I doubt it will be needed, but if your self-treatment is not effective within a reasonable time, the conventional alternative will serve as a safety net. Not without side effects, true, but safer than no treatment.
You must judge the risks and only you are responsible for the consequences of your health-care decisions. Don't take my suggestions as a substitute for your own judgement or that of your professional advisors. [Authors name with-held by request]


Due to new regulations, it is now required that manufacturers test for phthalate in a variety of commercial products including those that are used in children toys.
Phthalate testing is often performed on those products composed of polymers, specifically plastics due to its use as a softener. Recent research indicates its long term exposure risk can cause damage to endocrine functions and metabolism regulations. The concern over testing for phthalates comes mainly from use in children’s toys, food contact materials, packaging, and other plastic items. Avomeen’s scientists can perform phthalate trace level detection and testing services.
Not all types of phthalates at this point are banned though, so it is important for manufacturers to keep up with current regulations and ensure that their products are not violating these regulations.
Avomeen’s Scientists perform a range of similar testing on chemical detection and identification of chemicals:
- N-Nitrosamines & N-Nitrosatables
- Volatile compounds
- Heavy Metals
- MBT and 2-Meracaptobenzothiazole
- DEPH or di(2-ethylhexyl)
Related Testing Services:


Women are the substitute of god. It is well said: God can’t be everywhere caring the child, so he made Mother. Women deliver the child, nourish him/her as foetus for nine months. With mixed feelings of pain and joy she gives birth to the progeny. The mother, daughter, sister, wife, employee and the explicitly diverse relations are extraordinarily handled by her.
Most of us would even agree to the fact that their mothers have been the driving force and pillars of their lives. Women as we see it now in this present world play a very diverse and colorful role. They have even reached positions which men have not able to reach.
When we look around us we can see that our present day women are in a much better position than their predecessors during the old times. Women in the past were considered stereotypes. They were supposed to stick to their traditional roles only, supposed to stick to raising the kids and looking after the family, discriminated and prejudiced. They were not considered as equals to men and had to face various oppressions in this male dominated world. The few who broke out of restrictions in past few years were faced with discrimination and harassment at work place and in the public.
Women Empowering World
Women have individually and collectively struggled to bring about changes to their pathetic situation which they were in. Now they have the right to study, work at places of their choice etc. The situation of women have improved in various spheres of life like health, legal reforms, education, job opportunities etc. In developing countries, women are even responsible for up to 80% of food production. Women have broken the chains of unwanted restrictions and emerged victorious in their struggle for equality and right of choice to do what the wish to do. A women’s role has changed greatly with large impact in our society today. Women are standing tall and are playing a major role in many important areas such as Politics, Professional Training Jobs, Medicine, Business and Law. They are creating their own spaces in various roles in the society and economy.
In India itself women are now holding prominent posts in various fields. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, India’s richest woman, is Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon Ltd, a biotechnology company that makes enzymes. Naina Lal Kidwai is the Chief executive officer of the HSBC Bank in India, Kidwai is the first Indian woman to graduate from the revered Harvard Business School. Sulajja Firodia Motwani is the joint managing director of Kinetic Engineering Ltd and managing director of Kinetic Finance. She has played a pivotal part in transforming the Kinetic Group from a niche moped manufacturer into a maker of a full range of two-wheelers.
What they face from society?
Even after women seeing so much development, in many parts of the world, women still struggle for recognition of their value to the economy, and for equal pay. There have been reports of honor killings still taking place in various parts of the world and even in as close as North India. Most of these victims are women. Lately even in Dakshina Kannada women were harassed in the name of moral policing. Every girl’s freedom level varies, not necessarily from place to place. As a girl grows into a woman her husband is in charge of her freedom. The status of each woman is even now in the hands of the men in her life who decide her level of freedom. Even after proving their worth to the world, women are still finding it difficult to break away from the restrictions in their life.
As we celebrate women’s day on March 8th we acknowledge that we still have a long way to go to achieve full emancipation of women from the hardships they have experienced because of their race, gender


: one that sinks; specifically : a weight for sinking a fishing line, seine, or sounding line
: a fastball that sinks as it reaches the plate —called also sinker ball
First Known Use of SINKER
Rhymes with SINKER
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up sinker? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).


Amnesty International, Amnesty International Report 1997 - Cameroon, 1 January 1997, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a9fb8.html [accessed 28 February 2015]
This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Dozens of critics and opponents of the government, including journalists and members of opposition political parties, were arrested; some were convicted and imprisoned. Most were prisoners of conscience. Torture and ill-treatment of detainees and prisoners remained routine. Many prisoners died because of harsh prison conditions amounting to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. An opposition politician was killed by a traditional ruler's personal force; no action was taken against those responsible. A revised Constitution was promulgated in January. However, the amendments retained extensive presidential powers and did little to strengthen the independence of the judiciary. Local government elections took place in January. Although President Paul Biya's party, the Rassemblement démocratique du peuple camerounais, Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), controlled a majority of local authorities, opposition parties including the Social Democratic Front (SDF) and the Union nationale pour la démocratie et le progrès (UNDP), National Union for Democracy and Progress made important gains, particularly in major towns. A subsequent government decree nominated government representatives to replace elected mayors in 20 significant authorities, including those held by opposition parties; protest demonstrations resulted in arrests and at least five deaths. Opposition parties called for an independent electoral commission to oversee legislative and presidential elections scheduled for 1997; this was rejected by the CPDM. In April, fighting broke out between the armed forces of Cameroon and Nigeria over a long-standing border dispute in the Bakassi peninsula. Intergovernmental organizations sought to mediate between the two countries. Twelve Rwandans accused of participation in the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 were arrested in March and April. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda requested in June that four be extradited but President Biya had not authorized their extradition by the end of the year; all 12 remained held. Nine journalists were tried on criminal libel charges and sentenced to prison terms, although most were not imprisoned. Several others were held for short periods without charge. Newspapers were suspended. Some judicial procedures against journalists were marked by serious irregularities; prosecutions appeared to be attempts to inhibit criticism of prominent government members, their close associates, or government policies. In May, Vianney Ombe Ndzana, publisher of the newspaper Génération, was sentenced to five months' imprisonment and a fine for libel following publication of an article accusing a company director of professional misconduct; the court also ordered the suspension of Génération. Vianney Ombe Ndzana was not imprisoned, but in August he was seriously injured in an assault by unidentified armed men in Yaoundé. The following month, Nicolas Tejoumessie, editor of the weekly newspaper Challenge Nouveau, was abducted by four men claiming to be members of the security forces. He was taken some 30 kilometres outside Douala and severely beaten. In October, the Douala Court of Appeal convicted Pius Njawe, editor-in-chief of Le Messager, and a colleague, Eyoum Ngangué, of insulting the President and members of the National Assembly. The charges related to an article in December 1995 about draft constitutional amendments presented to the National Assembly. Initially only fined when the case was first heard in February, they had their sentences increased to fines and prison terms: Pius Njawe received six months and Eyoum Ngangué one year. Pius Njawe was imprisoned in the Central Prison, New Bell, Douala, where he was denied access to his doctor and medical treatment. He was conditionally released after 17 days. Eyoum Ngangué had not been imprisoned by the end of the year. Paddy Mbawa, publisher of the Cameroon Post, was released in August after a year's imprisonment for libel and publishing false information (see Amnesty International Report 1996). However, several similar cases against him were still pending. Four journalists associated with Le Nouvel Indépendant and Le Front Indépendant, established when Le Nouvel Indépendant was temporarily suspended, were detained in November and December; all were subsequently released without charge. Seven UNDP members held since 1994 were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in March and remained imprisoned in Maroua Central Prison, in Far-North Province. Their appeal against conviction and sentence had not been heard by the end of the year. Another defendant was sentenced in absentia to 15 years' imprisonment and eight others received three-year suspended sentences. Twenty-eight UNDP members had been arrested and charged with complicity in various offences following clashes in Maroua in July 1994 (see Amnesty International Reports 1995 and 1996). There was no evidence of individual responsibility for any criminal act against those convicted. They were prisoners of conscience. Officials and members of other opposition parties, in particular the SDF, were intimidated, arrested and detained. Six SDF members arrested in Mbanga, Littoral Province, during the January elections were charged with public order offences; they were conditionally released in August. In March, dozens of SDF members and supporters were arrested in Limbe, South-West Province, following demonstrations against the appointment of government representatives to replace elected mayors; 32 were held in administrative detention in Buea for six weeks, despite a court order that they be released. In June, shots were fired by security forces at the home of SDF Chairman John Fru Ndi in Bamenda, North-West Province. Also in June, Joseph Lavoisier Tsapy, a lawyer and SDF local government leader in Bafoussam, West Province, was abducted and held for four days by unidentified men, apparently members of the security forces; and Ndang George Achu, an SDF official in Santa, North-West Province, was held for two weeks under legislation introduced in December 1990 which allows administrative detention without safeguards against arbitrary imprisonment. Suspected government opponents were frequently held longer than the 72 hours allowed by law before being referred to a judicial authority or released. In May, up to 30 striking teachers were arrested in Bafoussam; two women were reportedly seriously injured during beatings by the security forces. Most were released without charge after a week, but four trade union officials were charged with public order offences. In June, up to 200 striking students at the University of Yaoundé were arrested. The arrests followed violent confrontations between students and security forces, and also a vigilante group known as auto-défense operating with the acquiescence of the university authorities and the security services. University buildings were burned and a university lecturer was assaulted. Most of the students were released shortly afterwards, but others remained held, in various places of detention, by police, the Centre national d'études et de recherches (the security police) and special units of the security forces. They were held until mid-July before being charged and conditionally released. Further arrests of students accused of provoking continuing unrest were made in October. Several students were detained overnight at the university by members of auto-défense, and were then transferred to the Ministry of Defence; all visits were refused for a week. They were later charged with public order offences. None had been tried by the end of the year. At least three people arrested in 1995 during the collection of signatures for a referendum on independence for Cameroon's English-speaking provinces, organized by the Southern Cameroons National Council, remained held without charge in the Central Prison in Yaoundé, known as Nkondengui Prison, throughout the year (see Amnesty International Report 1996). The case against four members of the Mbororo Social and Cultural Association was dismissed by a court in Bamenda in September, after their trial on charges of defamation and abuse was repeatedly adjourned because the complainant failed to appear in court. The charges related to tracts critical of an influential landowner and businessman who was also a prominent CPDM member (see Amnesty International Report 1996). However, the same charges were brought two months later and the trial was adjourned until early 1997. In northern Cameroon, traditional rulers known as lamibe continued to illegally detain political opponents with the tacit approval of the government and to operate unofficial prisons in residences of the lamido and local dignitaries. At least seven men, two of them held since 1992, remained held on the orders of the lamido of Rey Bouba, North Province, a prominent supporter of the CPDM (see previous Amnesty International Reports). Some of those detained were reported to have died in detention as a result of ill-treatment and neglect. Torture and ill-treatment of both political detainees and criminal suspects by the security forces remained routine. Beatings of detainees, who were often stripped, held in severely overcrowded cells and denied sanitary facilities, were common. Torture and ill-treatment of students arrested in June and October included beatings to the head, buttocks and feet, and electric shocks to the genitals. A student died in June, apparently after being stabbed and beaten during a confrontation between students and members of the security forces and auto-défense. No action was taken against those responsible. Although prosecutions of those responsible for torture and ill-treatment were rare, in July a police inspector was convicted of assault and fined. The victim, a woman arrested in 1995, sustained serious injuries after being beaten, punched and kicked (see Amnesty International Report 1996). Prison conditions throughout the country, and particularly in more isolated areas, remained extremely harsh and amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Severe deficiencies in food, sanitation and medical care resulted in a high mortality rate. For example, at the prison in Mantoum, West Province, and at New Bell prison in Douala, several deaths a week were reported. Seriously ill prisoners were denied medical treatment. Prisoners were punished by being tied up, suspended upside down and beaten; others, including prisoners under sentence of death at Tcholliré II prison, North Province, were permanently shackled. A UNDP National Assembly member from Mayo Rey, North Province, died after being attacked by men acting on behalf of the lamido of Rey Bouba. Haman Adama Daouda, another UNDP politician and their delegation were attacked with sticks, knives and machetes while campaigning for the elections in January; Haman Adama Daouda subsequently died from head injuries. No action was taken against those responsible. At least five people were reported to have died in incidents where excessive force appeared to have been used by the security forces. The victims included a criminal suspect shot while held at a gendarmerie headquarters in Douala in March. Courts continued to pass death sentences and more than 100 prisoners remained under sentence of death. No executions took place. Amnesty International called for the release of SDF members arrested in March; their subsequent release was confirmed in a response from the Minister of Justice. The organization also called for the release of imprisoned UNDP members. It called for the release of Pius Njawe and other detained journalists and urged that no journalists be imprisoned solely for their professional activities. Amnesty International urged that students arrested in June and October be protected from torture and ill-treatment; it called for safeguards to protect all prisoners and detainees from torture and ill-treatment and for impartial investigations into reports of torture, in order to bring those responsible to justice.


Getting a diagnosis of a disability for your preschooler can be anxiety producing. Finding the right educational setting that will allow them to learn and flourish – which is difficult for any parent – just became a lot more challenging for you. There is help available through Build Up Michigan, part of Michigan’s Early Childhood Special Education program. Build Up offers specialized instruction designed to help 3- to 5-year-old children – and their parents – overcome learning challenges and unlock the abilities and talents each child has.
Iris Falconer is the mother of Apollo, a 5-year-old boy with autism. Robb Drzewicki has two sons, Jackson, 9, and Jameson, 8, who are on the autism spectrum. Both have navigated the process of getting services for their children, and both have useful advice for parents at the beginning of this journey. “Don’t look at it as a roadblock,” says Falconer of the obstacles parents can face finding help for their children. “Look at it as a way for you to find a detour.”
Here, Falconer and Drzewicki share seven things they’ve learned from their own experience of being parents of young children with special needs.
1. Soak up every bit of information you can from the school and from your child’s team.
Preschools are nearly as much about teaching parents how to help their children at home as they are about teaching the children themselves.
2. Embrace the lessons your children are getting that go far beyond ABCs and colors.
For Drzewicki, who works with people with disabilities, his sons’ experiences in a very neuro-diverse classroom will carry lessons that last the remainder of their lives. “My children are going to be immune from thinking differently of people with disabilities,” he says. “I see adults deal with stigma on a daily basis – to know my children won’t be the ones producing that stigma for them is quite heartening.”
3. Reach out to other parents – they can be a road map for you as you can for them.
Falconer says she reaches out to parents everywhere she goes, and offers herself as a resource for parents just at the beginning of their journey. Drzewicki is active with the parent-teacher association at the school where his children attend and finds the other parents are very accepting of his kids and are able to offer them stability and support at school activities.
4. Academics are important – and children can do very well with early interventions – but so are social skills, and that’s what you’re likely to see emphasized in a special education preschool.
“The real value of schooling is the social interaction – how to get along with human beings who are a similar age group to you,” Drzewicki says. “I know a lot of those soft skills came out of their preschool program and I know they wouldn’t be where they are right now had we not had those early interventions.” Falconer started reinforcing social skills with her son when he was very young, asking him to go over and introduce himself to other children and coaching him through the process of making a friendly connection to other children.
5. Find the people in your child”s school who are constants and get to know them – and make sure your child does, too.
While classroom teachers can change as a child moves through a school, the special education teachers, custodial staff and resource teachers are often the same year to year and can be a much-needed source of stability and calm for kids.
6. Learning happens outside school as much as it does in the classroom, so sign your child up for activities and use family outings as learning opportunities.
It allows them to practice their social skills in less stressful environments, with you right there to help them. Falconer took her son to ice skating and swimming lessons, and she’s seeing the effects now as his social skills have begun to blossom. “You don’t want to isolate your children,” she says. “You have to get them out to meet other family members and make friends.”
7. Be persistent in advocating for your child.
Digging for information isn’t always easy, but it’s important to find the right environment for your child early so that they can reach their full potential. “You have to know you are creating leaders,” Falconer says. “Find resources. Keep fighting. You are not alone.”
Content brought to you by Build Up Michigan. For more information, visit buildupmi.org.