Stanhope man speaks for those who cannot | Sparta NJ | Entertainment

Stanhope man speaks for those who cannot | Sparta NJ | Entertainment

By Thomas Bias
SPARTA — On Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 12:30, customers at Sparta Books will have a chance to meet a seemingly ordinary man who has written a most extraordinary book, based on his even more extraordinary work.

Richard S. Stripp, Sr., 60, of Stanhope, is an educator of special needs children, most of whom are affected by one of the many forms of autism spectrum disorder.

He has written a book about his experiences, but it is not a memoir: it is rather a call to action.

The book’s title sums up the book’s message: “Mommy, I Wish I Could Tell You What They Did to Me in School Today.” It is subtitled, “Everyday Atrocities Faced by Special Needs Children.”

Stripp will be joined by Shelby LaBar, 15, whose father is Stripp’s foster son. She has recorded a song that Stripp wrote, which has the same name as the book. They will be signing copies of the book and compact disk of the song at Sparta Books.

The first ten chapters of the book each focus on a different child. Each chapter is divided into two parts: the first is an attempt to tell the child’s story in the child’s own words. Most of the children described in the book are incapable of verbal communication, so the author speaks for them. A boy named Adam, afflicted with cerebral palsy, is given these words: “I can’t believe that Mom is making me go to school again today. Doesn’t she know what they do to me there?” The second part is Stripp’s account of his actual experience caring for that child.

The accounts are heart-wrenching. They tell of abuse and neglect at the hands of those entrusted with the children’s care and of the incalculable value of a smile and a kind word. Stripp says, “I have a simple test that school personnel can give themselves:

“1. If someone was treating me in the same manner in which I’m treating this child, would I be fine with it?

“2. If someone was treating my son or daughter in the manner in which I’m treating this child, would I be fine with it?

“3. If this child’s Mom and Dad were standing there watching me, would I still be treating this child in this manner?

“I believe that if one can answer ‘yes’ to all three of those questions then they are most likely fine in how they are treating that child.”

He points out that most special needs caregivers would pass his test. He says, “It’s important to remember that the majority of people that work with special needs children in our schools are very dedicated and caring.”

Stripp points out that too many school systems require little or no special training for those work with special needs children, when in fact, special needs educators need more training than those who work with neurotypical children.

He also has a suggestion that many might consider controversial: he proposes putting cameras connected to internet websites throughout the schools which special needs children attend, enabling parents of special needs children to log-in with a private password and observe their children’s school experience.

The book is dedicated to Noah Varcadipane, who was afflicted with mitochondrial disease.

The mitochondria are the parts of the cell that process glucose to provide the cell with energy. Noah lived 13 years, a longer life than anyone expected. Stripp gives him these words: “Treat me like you would treat your child or a loved one of yours...Just be nice and try to make sure that everybody else is being nice too; at school, at home, everywhere. And if you see someone who is not, please speak up for me — I may not be able to speak up for myself.”

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