Pervasive Parenting
By Kodey Toney
A Year In The Life
As I reflect on the past year I see the many things that we have accomplished. I see things with Konner that were awesome. His reading level and math levels have increased. We have some things to work on, but then we probably always will. The Pervasive Parenting Center has worked to serve this area very hard this year. We have talked to more than 500 educators in eastern Oklahoma about autism and People First Language. We gave out more than $500 in grant money to local special education departments. We had a successful autism walk in April, partnered with the Oklahoma Skate Slam to raise funds and awareness for our cause, started a Sibshop to help siblings, and have many new ideas for the upcoming year.
I finished a great program to help advocate for people in this area thanks to the Oklahoma Disability Law Center.
With all of this you would think that I would be satisfied, but somehow I'm not. I'm happy and grateful for all the things we have accomplished. I'm extremely thankful for the support we have received in donations from the community.
What I would like to see more of is participation from families. I'm not saying this to upset anyone. I'm just trying to help families understand that we, and all the resources we partner with, including the Oklahoma Family Network, Oklahoma Parents Center, Oklahoma Disability Law Center, Sooner Success, Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council, and many more, are here to help.
When we have conferences, meetings, and events I have noticed that it is mostly attended by professionals. Parents and families are a rarity. I'm not sure I understand why. If someone wants to tell me I will listen. You can email me at ktoney@pervasiveparentingcenter.org, I'll work to do whatever I can to make this more friendly and appealing if I can.
In the new year, I want to challenge families to attend more of these events. These are designed to help you. They are held to help get your child the best resources, and in turn the best possible life and future. Please help us help your children.
Thank you for a great year. I hope you all have a happy new year.
