Just in case you thought things were all perfect here after my last post about the conference, I can assure you that they are not. This whole no school this week thing is a killer. And we were supposed to go to OT and I had to cancel, again, because I couldn't make it there on time. Scott is wound up like a top and reeking havoc with friends that are visiting, his best (only) friend, and his sister. Not to mention his parents and in particular, his father, who is trying to work from home now.
So, since I seem to be always talking about how smart Scott is, I thought it couldn't have been more appropriate to receive this article via a Google Alert I have set up for Sensory Processing Disorder (a cool service you can set up for anything you like to watch, like your blog name, or even your own name). When I saw the author was Penelope Trunk, I knew I recognized her name. It took me a few minutes to remember that she was one of the speakers at the BlogHer 2007 conference.
Although people will say they want kids who are happy, I know that they often think, well, and smart and athletic, too. The thing with Scott is that he is intelligent and he's also great at sports. But. That doesn't change the fact that he can't have a simple playdate, at age six, and still not have a problem. And that when several kids come over to our house he gets so wound up he ends up hurting people. Or that he is pissing off his classmates at school with his behavior.
Social skills do matter, even more than intelligence. I couldn't agree more with Penelope. You can't just get by on being Smarty McSmarty Pants. You need to get along with people, too. And getting other parents to see the benefit in improving these skills as well as teaching our children academics is vitally important for everyone.
Kristen - I'll send you an e-mail on the google thing - my husband showed me how!
Delilah - Penelope's article addresses parents, primarily, and says that educators are working on these issue. However, I think that changes once your child gets into elementary school, as many of us have experienced. There, the emphasis is strictly on meeting academic standards and whether your child can function with their peers is no longer very important. I know things will change over time as awareness increases about the breadth of ASD/SPD, but our kids won't get to benefit from it!
Laura - Good social skills and street smarts can cover for being less intelligent (or lacking a quality education), but being smart cannot cover for being unable to get along with people and having common sense!
Posted by: Lori at Spinning Yellow | November 21, 2007 at 04:04 PM
My father always said people skills and street smarts will get you a long way in life! Happy Thkanksgiving and can't wait for the Christmas break in another month! UGHH!!!
Posted by: Laura | November 21, 2007 at 02:21 PM
I read this article yesterday and thought the same thing! It really bothers me how our school focuses so much on the academic component. Just because a child does well academically does not mean he/she does not have any social/emotional needs. I think our school tends to forget how wide the ASD/SPD spectrum is, and any child who does not fit neatly into one of their "programs" is left to fall through the cracks.
Posted by: delilah | November 21, 2007 at 01:11 PM
Thanks for the link...good article. One of these days you'll have to walk me through setting up a google alert. I'm clueless on that one, but it sounds like a cool thing.
Sending you a hug, too, because it sounds like you need one. Or a glass of wine. You pick.
Posted by: kristen | November 20, 2007 at 11:26 PM