You know this child. He pushes his way to the front of the line, to the front of the class, to the front row of the photo. His hand is the first one up, his answer shouted out before he’s actually called on. He sings the loudest, dances the most […]
Special Needs
5 Reasons ADHD Isn’t All Crap
Many look at ADHD as a bad thing, finding faults in a child diagnosed.Well, I’m here to shed some light on ADHD and say it does have its positives. My son has ADHD, and it’s a learning process for sure. No two ideas work the same for him and his […]
Autism: Lost in a Lingo-Laden Land
[nextpage title=”Page 1″ ] Seventy-four. The number of new terms I’ve come across since the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder was placed on my child. And the list keeps growing. Just days before I received my three year-old son’s diagnosis of ASD, I’ll never forget what I said to a […]
ASD Meltdowns: “You ain’t Seen Nothin’!”
[nextpage title=”Page 1″ ] Whenever my friends describe “meltdowns” their young children have, I have to restrain myself from busting out into maniacal laughter. They really have no idea. If you’re a parent, you know what meltdowns look like. They’re not pretty. If you’re a parent of an aggressive child […]
10 Steps to Living (a Good) Life Between Doctor Appointments
[nextpage title=”Page 1″ ] Are you a parent with a sick child, a child with a sick parent, or a spouse with a sick partner? Chances are that you felt like you were drowning when the tidal wave of information and responsibilities of being a caregiver flooded your life. In […]
A Mother’s Guide to Surviving the NICU
It’s a common prospective mother’s nightmare: something will go wrong at birth, landing her baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). As often as this nightmare never comes true, there are some mothers for whom it becomes a reality. The NICU is a terrifying place. From the constant beeping […]
The Cost of Having a Child With Special Needs
Ask any parent how much free time they have, and they’re likely to respond, “What’s that?” Parenting is a full time job, one that doesn’t come with sick or personal days. And while the reward of this particular career is not financial (in fact, ask any parent how much money […]
Oasis: The Importance of Friendship for “Medical” Moms
[nextpage title=”Page 1″ ] You just took a call from your child’s doctor. It wasn’t his staff calling with the results; it was the doctor himself, which we all know only means that the test came back positive for (fill in the blanks). You hang up the phone. Maybe you […]