Every day, teachers make a thousand little sacrifices for their students. Sometimes they choose to make the ultimate sacrifice, too. The world witnessed this on Friday in Newtown, Connecticut, when a school principal, psychologist, special education teacher, behavioral therapist, and 2 general education teachers put themselves in the line of fire in an attempt to [...]
Does your child play with toys? If so, this article isn’t for you. You should probably Google “hottest toys of 2012.” Is your child scared of blinking, beeping toys? Is your child unable to understand the rules of most games? Does your child lack interest in typical toys? Is your child delayed when it comes to basic [...]
When a child is diagnosed with special needs, it’s natural for parents to start looking for ways to improve their child’s quality of life. Diet is one area that can be modified relatively easily. Sometimes dietary changes are necessary due to allergies or celiac disease, and sometimes families choose a new diet for overall improvements [...]
As part of his history lesson about the Thanksgiving holiday, my kindergartener’s homework was to make a list of 10 things for which he is thankful. This is what he wrote: TV Books Food Bears DVDs Pets House Toys Family Love Holidays Are Tough Holidays can be tough for some families of children with special [...]
In October my younger son started Sib Nights at Friendship Circle. He was extremely shy at first – so nervous that he couldn’t even speak. Within a few minutes, he looked around the room and realized he belonged there. Everyone else in the group had a brother or sister with a disability, just like him. Everyone else [...]
As the mother of a child with special needs, I often find myself in sticky situations. The solution is always to maintain a healthy sense of humor. Here are 20 parenting lessons that my friends and I have learned the hard way – there’s a long story behind every one of these. 1. To remove [...]
Last weekend there was an earthquake on the west coast of Canada and the USA, and a tsunami warning in Hawaii. Now the east coast of the USA is being battered by Hurricane Sandy. How do parents explain events like these to a child with special needs? More importantly, how do parents prepare their children [...]
When I walk my children to school in the morning, we often see other families getting ready for school, too. Sometimes we hear crying. Sometimes we hear parents yelling. Sometimes a neighbor holding a fussy toddler will ask me to walk her third-grader to school. Sometimes I’m the one carrying or walking with a crying [...]
At the PTA meeting on the first day of school, the principal announced a schoolwide ban on edible birthday treats. Most of the audience fell silent. I was the obnoxious parent who clapped and cheered – loudly! But as Halloween approaches, costume parties are being planned at school. Almost every classroom has at least one [...]
Now that my 11 year old son is able to participate in more community activities, I am often asked, “Do you have any tips for working with Louie?” As the population of children with special needs continues to grow, more and more scout leaders, soccer coaches, religious education instructors, librarians, music teachers and other adults [...]
