I have been there, done that, got the tee shirt and lived to tell about it!
My name is Kathleen, and I was a Family Resource Specialist (formerly called a Parent Advisor) for the PEAL Center in Central Pennsylvania from 2016-2022. I handled 22 counties in the middle of the state but took calls from all across PA. This is when I came to realize that the central part of the state is terribly underserved when it comes to special education advocacy. As the Parent Training and Information Center for PA, PEAL trained us to support families raising children under any disability category.
I am the mother of twins, a boy and a girl. While my daughter is neurotypical, my son was diagnosed with autism before the age of three. Through my advocacy, he was included in regular education classes throughout school, graduated and has been gainfully employed ever since. He was even voted onto the Prom Court and loved every minute of it.
I was born and raised in central PA (Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg). In 2011 I joined the board of directors of the Autism Society Greater Harrisburg Area, became Vice President and then President. I still help them a bit as their Executive Assistant. I am committed to empowering parents. Fortunately, I have had incredible mentors along the way and am determined to pay it forward. Every child with a disability has gifts to offer the world. “If I had to do it all over again, I would, considering all that I have learned and how much it changed me for the better.”
Something else, I feel, is important to share about my family and our journey. A few weeks after my son was diagnosed we started him on a dairy free and gluten free diet. The changes were immediate and drastic. The early intervention therapists could not believe the changes they were seeing and how quickly things were improving for him. So, for our family it made sense for all of us to be on his diet, also going mostly organic and free of artificial colors and preservatives. We all felt better in one way or another. So I continued to dive down the biomedical intervention rabbit hole. We added vitamins, minerals, and amino acids at the recommendation of specialty doctors and the dramatic gains were astonishing. (Not to mention his allergies, eczema and asthma all but disappeared.) He also went through Tomatis, an auditory integration training program that nearly eliminated his sound and sensory sensitivities as well as increasing his focus and fine motor skills. He has become a very creative cook and can read food labels like a pro.
Each family has their own path to choose and journey to take.
I graduated from Millersville University with a Bachelor’s in English.
I also wear two proverial hats. I also work at Bradley Goldsmith Law Offices as their Senior Advocate and Educational Specialist.
They are extremely knowledgeable education attorneys in all areas of special education and Heidi Goldsmith has been a wonderful mentor to me these last few years.
I am excited to be part of a law firm that has also strived to help families regardless of economic means. She has increased my
depth of knowledge immeasurably.
You can reach me there at: kathleen@bradleygoldsmithlaw.com
This is the website: www.bradleygoldsmithlaw.com