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Pam Wood - Advocate For Special Needs Children And Their Parents
01/09/2008 - By Lauren Covino
Pam Wood
Advocate For Special Needs Children And Their Parents
Pam Wood agrees the road to raising children is a rewarding yet challenging one. With two teenage boys of her own, Robert and Grant, she recalls the many important decisions she and her husband have made over the years. Pam, how-ever, has experienced parenthood in a very different way than most, and when her younger son, Grant, developed an adverse reaction to a vaccine at 16 months old, her unexpected journey began. Pam, who has lived all over the world as a military daughter, originally went to school for a career in social work/guidance. As the director and co-founder of “Someone Special Needs You” (SSNY) and “Parents Reaching Out and United with the District” (PROUD), Pam has become an advocate for children with special needs and the parents raising them.
Grant Wood, now a freshman at Colts Neck High School, became Pam’s inspiration after being classified by doctors as having auditory processing difficulty and communication impairment. “He’s kind of like the Rosa Parks of Colts Neck,” Pam says with a laugh. She explains that the first educational environment available to Grant was a self-contained pre-school handicapped program at Conover Road Elementary School. At the time, there were only four other children in her son’s class and the group had little to no interaction with other students. “Since socialization is so key to early development, I acquired this passion to have children with special needs mainstreamed with the rest of their peers,” explains Pam. With the help of several other parents from the district and a loyalty she still carries today, in 2001 Pam developed “Someone Special Needs You.”
Giving children the opportunity to meet others with disabilities in a safe and welcoming environment, SSNY now consists of approximately 30 members who meet once a month, from September through May at The Colts Neck Reformed Church. The group enjoys activities, crafts, outside guests, and a unique “Buddy System” that encourages older teens to volunteer their time and befriend a boy or girl with special needs. “Once we have a true match between a child and a volunteer, a real bond is formed and they actually look forward to seeing one another,” Pam ex- plained. Many times these disabled children have special gifts that aren’t even tapped into until they’re placed in a setting like SSNY.
After seeing the success of the social organization and speaking with the parents involved, she realized a support group for the adults was also necessary. As parents are faced each day with new struggles raising a disabled child, it helps to have an open platform for learning and advising. In May of 2004, Pam reached out to the superintendent, Dr. Richard Fitzpatrick, and presented her idea for PROUD. A collaborative effort among Pam, Dr. Fitzpatrick, the Board of Education Curriculum Director, and the Director of Special Services helped to foster the blueprint of PROUD. Also meeting monthly, the group stays current with state and federal resources, conducts educational training sessions, and discusses future plans within the district and school system such as a peer mentoring program. Pam also feels the organization should recognize the special education faculty who remain dedicated in their demanding line of work. “PROUD threw a picnic honoring teachers, aides, bus drivers, therapists, and the overall community for working so hard and helping our students, which had never been done before,” she says. In addition, the organization strives to strengthen the bridge between teacher and student by devising user-friendly tools within the classroom. Today, PROUD is recognized as New Jersey’s state-mandated support group for parents with disabled children.
“I feel very lucky to have had the time to devote to both organizations., Pam says.” Often she will spend time on the phone with a troubled parent consoling him or her; she feels her college degree in social work and guidance is being utilized in ways she never would have imagined. Her son Grant Alexander, whose name means “great helper of mankind,” continues to be Pam’s hero even as he grows up. His sense of humor, photographic memory, and cheery disposition remind Pam that his disability is truly a blessing. “The most rewarding thing about these two organizations is the common goal of giving children with special needs the opportunities that other kids so easily have.” —by Lauren Covino
Are you or someone you know in Colts Neck a “Person on the Move”? If you’ve got a story to tell this could be you! Email a brief description to us at info@livinginmedia.com and let us know who you are.
Boxes (side notes):
STATS
Favorite restaurant: Matisse in Belmar
Favorite musicians: Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, and Sting
Favorite movies: Ray, Braveheart, and The Notebook
Pet peeve: people of power who knowingly violate the law
Three people you would like to have dinner with: Robert F. Kennedy, Anne Sullivan (taught Helen Keller), my late grandmother
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