Pain!

I woke up today with a migraine, not just any old migraine, but a number 9 on the old pain scale. I felt like my head was going to explode! I am beginning to wonder how high my blood pressure is when I am in this kind of pain.
Unfortunately, I have migraines pretty often, sometimes as many as 5 or 6 a week. It makes me think though about children/adults who have no way of telling us how much pain they are in and if I think I am undermedicated for the pain at times, what about those of us who are unable to explain their pain to others.
Yesterday, at one of my favorite healthboards, Braintalk, someone posted an article entitled "The Crisis in Pain Control who are Complex, Nonverbal or Cognitively Impaired " The author explains reasons why pain is often untreated in these children and what a parent can do to make sure this does not happen. What a scarey proposition, to be in pain, to have something wrong and to get no relief because medical professionals don't think your cries are related to pain! I think this is an important article for parents and all professionals who work with non verbal children or adults.

Teaching Angels

The title of my blog "Teaching Angels" is kind of a double entendre. I teach children with multiple special needs, they are angels, although they don't always act like it :) I also teach and have taught children with a genetic syndrome called Angelman Syndrome. In some circles they are labeled "angels" as well. I love all of my students but I have definitely found I have an affinity and special liking for children with Angelman Syndrome.
I am hoping by writing this blog I can offer my experiences and some of the hard lessons I have learned in the 16 years I have been teaching special education. I definitely don't know all the answers, every child and every situation is different, but I might have some ideas on how to help.
Right now I am on summer vacation!!! Although I still have contact with my students from time to time, I am mostly enjoying a little more than 2 months of no teaching. I will be going to a conference in VA Beach in a couple of weeks on teaching children with multiple disabilities, but we ( my wonderful husband and I ) managed to insert it into a two week trip to the Outer Banks, however we will have computers with us and the beach house has WiFi, so I will continue to post.

Goodbye for now!