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The Bornstein Boys

Gale Osborne
Gale Osborne

1) The document introduces Joshua, a 10-year-old boy who is autistic and thriving in the Ein Gedi program at Charlotte Jewish Day School, which provides him individualized support. 2) It describes Joshua's early developmental delays and diagnosis, and how his parents prioritized early intervention to help him. 3) The author shares Joshua's story to raise awareness for a Mah Jongg fundraiser supporting the Ein Gedi program and emphasize that those with disabilities like Joshua are "different, not less."

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DIFFERENT, NOT LESS BY BONNIE BORNSTEIN
I love to watch my son, Joshua, walk into school each morning. He tells me goodbye, blows 3 kisses, and skips into Charlotte Jewish Day School. To you this may sound nice. To me, it is a gift. Joshua is a compassionate, curious, and affectionate ten year old boy. He loves his school, his friends, and his family. He likes Tae Kwon Do, camp, and learning new languages. He loves going to the zoo and on vacations. Joshua is also autistic. I always knew Joshua was different. By preschool it was clear. His speech was delayed. He wouldnt climb on playground equipment. He had a hard time transitioning from one activity to another. My husband, David, and I had him evaluated and got a 2 hour lesson about sensory processing disorder and how delayed he was in fine motor and gross motor skills. We left the meeting feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. Most of all, we felt alone. When Joshua was 4, we had the autism diagnosis. We also had Charlotte Mecklenburg schools come into preschool for speech therapy, occupational therapy, and self help skill training. Friends and family would compliment us on all we were doing for him. To us, there was no option. Joshua was our child. Early intervention was more important to me than anything else in the world. Was it difficult? Sure. Was it time consuming? Yes. Expensive? Absolutely. Worth it? 100% Not just for Joshua, but for our family. So we did the best we could in preschool. Then it was time to decide on which grade school to send Joshua. Both our psychologist and preschool director told us to look into the Ein Gedi program at Charlotte Jewish Day School. I learned that the program allows for all Jewish children to get a quality education. That included my Joshua. I learned that the program was named after the oasis region in Israel and was an oasis in school. The program allowed Joshua to be in the resource room when needed, and mainstreamed with the other children when appropriate.
Joshua is in his fifth year in Ein Gedi. The class size has varied year to year. Several of his classmates have moved or graduated. One thing has remained the same, however. As the name implies, Ein Gedi is a true oasis. Joshua is thriving, learning, and getting so much love and attention. He is in the third grade classroom for most of his day, but goes to the Ein Gedi room for math, reading, and for Judaica. Unfortunately, special education comes with a large price tag. Like the rest of the school, our tuition only covers a portion of the costs. Just as the school has fundraising efforts, we have Ein Gedi fundraisers. For the last 3 years our big fundraiser has been a fabulous morning of Mah Jongg, silent auction, and nosh. This year is no exception. I invite you all to play with your regular group, learn how to play, or just come and schmooz. It is not only for a great time, it is for a great cause. Please consider a donation to the program, even if you cant make the event. Temple Grandin is an autistic professor and inventor who has been making a lot of headlines recently. Her Emmy winning movie was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I had the pleasure of hearing her speak and the Autism/Aspbergers conference in Charlotte this past October. The first thing she said was I cant stress enough the importance of early intervention. Im sharing Joshuas story for two reasons. First, is to let everyone know about the Mah Jongg fundraiser for the wonderful Ein Gedi program. I also share our story for anyone that has ever loved a disabled child. There was a line in the movie Temple Grandin that brought me to tears. Different, not less. No truer words can be spoken about Joshua. David and I have been a part of the wonderful Charlotte Jewish community for 10 years. We hope to see continued support for all families with exceptional children.

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The Bornstein Boys

  • 1. DIFFERENT, NOT LESS BY BONNIE BORNSTEIN
  • 2. I love to watch my son, Joshua, walk into school each morning. He tells me goodbye, blows 3 kisses, and skips into Charlotte Jewish Day School. To you this may sound nice. To me, it is a gift. Joshua is a compassionate, curious, and affectionate ten year old boy. He loves his school, his friends, and his family. He likes Tae Kwon Do, camp, and learning new languages. He loves going to the zoo and on vacations. Joshua is also autistic. I always knew Joshua was different. By preschool it was clear. His speech was delayed. He wouldnt climb on playground equipment. He had a hard time transitioning from one activity to another. My husband, David, and I had him evaluated and got a 2 hour lesson about sensory processing disorder and how delayed he was in fine motor and gross motor skills. We left the meeting feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. Most of all, we felt alone. When Joshua was 4, we had the autism diagnosis. We also had Charlotte Mecklenburg schools come into preschool for speech therapy, occupational therapy, and self help skill training. Friends and family would compliment us on all we were doing for him. To us, there was no option. Joshua was our child. Early intervention was more important to me than anything else in the world. Was it difficult? Sure. Was it time consuming? Yes. Expensive? Absolutely. Worth it? 100% Not just for Joshua, but for our family. So we did the best we could in preschool. Then it was time to decide on which grade school to send Joshua. Both our psychologist and preschool director told us to look into the Ein Gedi program at Charlotte Jewish Day School. I learned that the program allows for all Jewish children to get a quality education. That included my Joshua. I learned that the program was named after the oasis region in Israel and was an oasis in school. The program allowed Joshua to be in the resource room when needed, and mainstreamed with the other children when appropriate.
  • 3. Joshua is in his fifth year in Ein Gedi. The class size has varied year to year. Several of his classmates have moved or graduated. One thing has remained the same, however. As the name implies, Ein Gedi is a true oasis. Joshua is thriving, learning, and getting so much love and attention. He is in the third grade classroom for most of his day, but goes to the Ein Gedi room for math, reading, and for Judaica. Unfortunately, special education comes with a large price tag. Like the rest of the school, our tuition only covers a portion of the costs. Just as the school has fundraising efforts, we have Ein Gedi fundraisers. For the last 3 years our big fundraiser has been a fabulous morning of Mah Jongg, silent auction, and nosh. This year is no exception. I invite you all to play with your regular group, learn how to play, or just come and schmooz. It is not only for a great time, it is for a great cause. Please consider a donation to the program, even if you cant make the event. Temple Grandin is an autistic professor and inventor who has been making a lot of headlines recently. Her Emmy winning movie was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I had the pleasure of hearing her speak and the Autism/Aspbergers conference in Charlotte this past October. The first thing she said was I cant stress enough the importance of early intervention. Im sharing Joshuas story for two reasons. First, is to let everyone know about the Mah Jongg fundraiser for the wonderful Ein Gedi program. I also share our story for anyone that has ever loved a disabled child. There was a line in the movie Temple Grandin that brought me to tears. Different, not less. No truer words can be spoken about Joshua. David and I have been a part of the wonderful Charlotte Jewish community for 10 years. We hope to see continued support for all families with exceptional children.