Bouncing her legs up and down and biting her fingernails, Amie Glass glances over at her husband who was holding his breath. They were both so nervous as their daughter, senior Leah Glass, spoke to members of the Springdale School Board about special needs in schools. It wasn’t until after Leah had finished that Mrs. Glass calmed down, overjoyed that her daughter had addressed a room full of 200 people.

“Talking to the school board built her confidence a lot,” said Mrs. Glass. “I think the recognition that she had something to say and people wanted to hear it helped.”

Leah was recommended to talk to the school board by special education teacher Mrs. Shari Reed.

“Dr. Brackett asked me to hand-pick someone. I recommended Leah because I thought she would be the best to show that our perception of special education students isn’t always what we think,” said Mrs. Reed.

Leah spoke to the school board about being a special education student in Springdale Schools. She talked about what it meant and how people perceived her because of it.

“People perceive me as a child that doesn’t know what they’re talking about,” said Leah. “Because I am a special needs student they don’t listen to what I have to say.”

The senior was diagnosed with Autism when she was four years old, but her family knew something was wrong before that. Leah didn’t walk until she was 18 months old, didn’t talk until she was four, and was very sensitive to sensory stimuli. According to www.autismspeaks.org, one in 88 children are diagnosed with Autism.

“My first reaction was that it was pretty scary,” said Mrs. Glass. “I didn’t know anything about it at the time. No one had any advice or indication of what her life would be like.”

Her family learned through trial and error how to balance the family’s needs with Leah’s needs. Their extended family helped the family adjust.

“Leah is a gift and a treasure that I wouldn’t trade for anything in this world,” said Mrs. Glass. “I learn something everyday from her. It is a long process, and there are days that are frustrating like any other child.”

Leah has had to overcome many difficult obstacles. One of the toughest situations she has had to overcome is socialization.

“Leah’s socialization is difficult and sensory sensation makes many things difficult, but not undoable. We just have to accommodate her,” said Mrs. Glass.

She has also had trouble in school. She was bullied when she was younger.

“It’s hard to accommodate sensory needs and people haven’t understood them,” said Mrs. Glass. “To fix it I’ve tried to talk to the schools about policies. I also donated books to encourage students to find better ways than bulling.”

While there have been hardships throughout her school career, Leah is excited to be a senior. She has taken AP Chemistry and a college math class this year, and has been successful with the help of the special education program.

“The goal of the program is to help the kids be successful in school,” said Mrs. Reed.

Mrs. Glass’ advice to a parent with and Autistic child is to get information early and be patient.

“My advice would be to get as much early intervention as possible and do everything you can to make your child’s life better,” said Mrs. Glass. “Let people help you. Don’t get stuck-up on artificial timelines. Your kids might be maturing slower, but they will get there. It just might be a different timeline.”

After she graduates, Leah plans to attend NWACC and major in Chemical Engineering. According to her mother, her daughter has overcome many obstacles and is continuing to impact those around her.

“Every time you have a child, you’re given a gift that words can’t explain. And Leah’s even more special,” said Mrs. Glass. “She’s showed me what it’s like to be on the fringe of society. She’s taught me how to treat people better.”