Communicating with your child’s teacher is a must for every parent. For parents of a child with special needs it is critical. So the big question is how and when do I speak to my child’s teacher? The answer is not so simple: Phone Calls Managing the time between when the kids come home from [...]
Have you considered having your child with disabilities fully included in a typical classroom (with their supports and services)? A Tale of Two Parents This month I met two mothers within minutes of each other that shared different experiences. As an author and presenter I meet many parents working to raise children with disabilities. Usually [...]
The month of February is the month of love. Here is a beautiful love story. A couple fell in love, got married, and was blessed with three beautiful children. Their first child was born with special needs. They cried and prayed together inside hospitals surrounded by the new people they were meeting. They worked to have [...]
Don’t Worry! Let me assure you that life will get easier. When my daughter was young, I was sure that life as I once knew it was over. Kids will be Kids Going to the grocery store with two toddlers seemed impossible. One of my children could not walk and the other child was running [...]
For about a week I have been asked to submit a post for the Friendship Circle Blog. Where is it? Maybe this will help It’s the week before Thanksgiving and we are in the middle of parent-teacher conferences. So where is my blog post? The dog ate it. Not really, but sometimes as the parent [...]
I can think of many ways to create wonderful learning opportunities for students within our typical classrooms. I cannot think of one child that I would not want included in these lessons. Inclusion Benefits Everyone! Trying to incorporate the learning needs of a child with disabilities requires that all the best teaching practices are implemented. [...]
The Stress of Advocacy In addition to the typical day-to day activities of homework and extracurricular activities, I have the physical and emotional stress of knowing that my thirteen year old daughter is very dependent on my decisions for her success in the world. Regardless of my parenting at home, my two sons will be [...]
Try going to a dinner party and telling people that you want your child with special needs fully included in school. I used to do this! One mother looked at me flatly and said, “Oh, you are one of those mothers. You just want your child included without any learning expectations.”
Even on a good day, being a mother of three children challenges my organizational skills. One of my children has special needs. Sending my daughter with disabilities to our neighborhood school takes extra organization and planning. I have discovered an important survival strategy for a happy life–Always get things done ahead of time. If something [...]
Since the very beginning of my daughter’s educational career, it was clear that she was going to need extra supports in order for her to reach her full potential. Since my daughter had identified needs as an infant, her educational career was supported by the school district long before kindergarten. Children with delayed skills or [...]
