No! Your Child is Not Behind!

There is no such thing - it is impossible. And, sorry to burst all you've been taught within the current systemic educational paradigm in one swoop, but the summer slide is also a myth and does not exist either!

There are three separate points here that are inextricably linked:

1. When you understand that every individual is a brilliant natural learner with their very own strengths, challenges, interests, and internal timeline, the artificial developmental schedule based on age and grade level makes zero sense. 
   
2. Once you really learn something, you can't lose it. Yes, if you don't use a particular piece of knowledge for a time, you may have to dig for a few seconds to find it - but if you really learned it, it will always be there in the depths. 
   
3. Even though the world is constantly changing, the knowledge considered vital 100, 50, 25, 10, or even 5 years ago is still taught - through memorization and dissemination from teacher to student, and deemed valid and current! We know that following interests and aspirations and working collaboratively in a diverse multi-age group with a trusted mentor - instead of competitively in a coercive setting is much more conducive to learning what we truly need as a society. 
   

But why are these myths so firmly ingrained and perpetuated if they don't exist?

In one word, FEAR. The establishment knows most parents will do anything to help their child and prevent them from being labeled incapable, incompetent, slow (dumb), a failure, or (heaven forbid) BEHIND!

Therefore, they buy into the "treatments" - more coercive, compulsory, rote, and remedial  interventions with little value or effectiveness toward authentic learning.

Simply stated, by definition, there is no room for the individual in standardization. Therefore, the traditional age and grade level developmental schedules can't be used to determine anything actually useful about an individual child (teen or adult). Except, as previously mentioned, to instill fear.

Neurodivergent folks are usually the biggest losers in this game. We will always appear to "be behind" in some skills - but "above" standard in others. And most professionals do not (will not) take the time to comprehend how we intentionally use our strengths (create hacks) to compensate for the things we "suck" at. And that, at our very core, we are on the leading edge of innovation precisely because of how our brains work. We are the questioners, the problem-solvers, the deep thinkers, the creators. We are who you want, leading the way in our constantly changing world.

If we all believed the stories we were told about being behind, we would still be forced to stay on task, learn things that make no sense to us, look at people when they speak, and assimilate to become "normal," all while being shoved into those tiny, predetermined, uncomfortable, and utterly predictable, unimaginative, yawn-inspiring boxes.

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DRC True Story

This one is a joke from one of our Massena crew while they were making brownies on Friday: "Are you kneading or beating?"
One more example of word play, and camaraderie in our comfortable environment.

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DRC News

If you follow us on FB or Instagram or have tried to call - you know we have had some phone issues over the past few days. We apologize if you have been trying to reach us. DRC now has a temporary phone number: 315-323-1435. We will post on our social media and on the website when the issue is resolved and we get our phone number back. In the meantime, please use the temporary number. Our email, and other methods of contact have not been impacted.

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Our Annual Appeal continues - please consider a donation. Remember, we make it easy to honor a loved-one by gifting to Deep Root Center.

Donate

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Huge gratitude to @WalmartMassena for donating a $100 Gift Card to @deeprootcenter
DRC-EAST in Massena will be using it for much needed art & cooking/baking supplies.
Thank you to Chris C a DRC parent and Massena Walmart employee for initiating and promoting our request.

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Photos from this past week. Thank you to Artist Kris R. of Kris A Lis Design for coming in to make holiday cookies and sing karaoke with the Canton Peeps.

Learn more about DRC