Colette Corry's Page

My gorgeous (I've got pix), adorable (I've got corroboration), happy, loving, developmentally disabled, 8 year-old son has no overall label or diagnosis. He has what I call Lukism. He is in a special education classroom within a community public school where he receives speech, PT and OT. His IQ is in the mental retardation range, but he loves books and stories and he can read at least 200 words. Toilet training has been a five-years-and-still-counting affair. Currently, he is in casts on both feet after corrective surgery. He is as tall as a ten year old; he speaks like a toddler; he plays like a preschooler. Asthma and seizures are currently successfully controlled with medication. He is my heart's joy; my husband is fine with becoming a close second.
I am a learning specialist and reading tutor (I really mean it about the 200 sight words), and I have two education masters, one in special ed. My own students are very bright, high-functioning, usually learning-disabled kids in a competitive private school. I have a private practice that enables me to work only when my son is in school. I love my students, but there are emotional ramifications to my work situation. It also means that I am in the role of the professional for other parents of children with (relatively mild) special needs.
I live in New York City with my husband and Luke; he is the only child, except for a nineteen year-old cat and a guinea pig we inherited from Luke's Kindergarten. We are rich in everything that really matters, but we are not wealthy in a city where both private and public resources are accessed with money. This is something to talk about. I am not sure yet what to do about it!
No diagnosis, no label. Single child. Significant speech-language disorder. New York City. Special education mom. I guess those are the main points. I am so happy to be here.