Spring is here, and yet there is talk about the end of the school year. With less than two months to go, summer vacation will be upon us. Teachers and children are anxiously waiting for school to end, while parents are anxiously scrambling to plan for what to do with their children for two months [...]
I’m 53 and the younger sister of an older brother (by two years) who had undiagnosed Asperger’s while we were growing up (1960s and 1970s). My brother and I grew up with very unaware, self-involved parents. Short story…I spent years in therapy sorting through our family dynamics and learned so much about the kind of [...]
With about six million children requiring special education services, you may very well be the parent of a special needs child. Your journey may be difficult. How can you be sure you are getting the best care for your child? Are there programs to help your child that you don’t know about? What can you [...]
My husband and I rejoiced last week when our son achieved a milestone that was years in the making – just shy of his twelfth birthday. Since our son has global developmental delays, his milestones are different from the charts published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. And besides, we have a different way of [...]
“Mom, I hate having Down Syndrome.” My 14-year old daughter told me this the other day. Honestly, I sat there for a minute because I didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t a big surprise to me because she had implied in the past that she wanted nothing to do with Down Syndrome. Our family [...]
There is often a lot of anxiety around talking to children with special needs about growing up, relationships and sex. Parents worry their children may be vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. But by teaching your child about sex and relationships you can help keep them safe. Whether your child has special needs or not, they [...]
Have you ever wondered why parents of kids with special needs always seem to be so cranky? Or why we tend to make really inappropriate remarks so often? Or why other parents of kids with special needs laugh at those inappropriate remarks like it’s an inside joke? The Life We Live Special needs parenting is [...]
Albert Einstein was two and a half years old when he saw his baby sister Maja for the first time. He immediately asked, “Yes, but where does it have its small wheels?” He had been told that he would be able to play with the baby, and he fully expected this new toy to come [...]
Someone asked me this question after I wrote a blog post regarding overcoming fear as a parent of a child with special needs. They were arguing with their husband who was pushing back at plans to get their daughter a cell phone. He insisted it was unsafe and that she may end up purchasing apps via [...]
Love is in the air this week, but when you’re the parent of a child – or adult – with special needs, keeping a relationship strong can be difficult at times. Having a child with a disability or chronic illness can put a significant strain on your partnership. The following tips have been sent in to Netbuddy [...]
