Former New York Jets and Michigan State University linebacker Taiwan Jones is on a mission to make all children feel included and a part of the rewarding world of sports. Inspired by a neighborhood friend with special needs who went to Jones’s gym and confided in him that he’d always wanted to play sports, Jones […]
Special Needs
70th Percentile in Bad Joke Telling (And Other Test Scores I’d Actually Enjoy Seeing)
By Jennifer Brunton of Full Spectrum Mama Dear Persons, This spring, I received the voluminous results of a huge barrage of testing for my son G’s three-year evaluation for his IEP (Individualized Education Plan). Among many, many, many other outcomes, I was informed that G had scored under the first percentile in “Irony.” Although we […]
On Armadillos and Icebergs and Other Futures I Can’t Predict for My Kids
By Jamie Sumner of The Mom Gene There are dead armadillos all over Nashville. The roads are littered with their armored bodies. Everywhere I look there’s a tail hanging limply over a curb. It’s the armadillapocalypse. This is opossum country. Don’t they belong in Texas? Don’t you think they’d be more at home in the […]
Tricks of the (Special Needs) Trade
By Jamie Sumner of The Mom Gene Last week I collectively spent three hours on the phone with the office of my son’s geneticist. It was over the space of four phone calls with an average hold time of twenty minutes each. This gave me plenty of time to think. It was a snafu on […]
The Long Wait For Everything To Be Okay
By Jen Gregory of The Runaway Mama Dr. V. wore a pinstripe collar shirt and a light gray tie with small brown dogs printed all over it. It matched his personality. During my son’s assessment, he laughed at all his jokes and answered every one of his questions, even the silly ones. Dr. V. spent […]
My Daughter Has Social Anxiety and It’s None of Your Damn Business
By Ailish Delaney of Mumma in the Middle My daughter is 12, and if I do say so myself, she is pretty, funny, and smart. She also has a big personality, but the thing is – she keeps that for the people she knows. When she is comfortable and at ease, she comes out of […]
Thank You, Jimmy Kimmel
By Mia Carella of (this) mom with a blog I was recently sent several text and Facebook messages with a link to a breaking news story. “Thought you might want to see this.” “Saw this and thought you would be interested.” “Thought of you when I watched this.” The story was about Jimmy Kimmel. During the […]
Leaving My Heart in the NICU
By Kathryn Leehane of Foxy Wine Pocket My husband and I had finished packing our things and were leaning against the hospital bed holding hands when the pediatrician returned from the discharge exam … without our newborn daughter. The serious expression on her face sent a wave of panic across my body. I squeezed my […]