How we approach our kids will affect them for the rest of their lives!
I’m saying this a lot lately. Printable worksheets, checklists, and forms have saved my ass this last year. As a single mom with a child on the autism spectrum, I have a lot to keep track of. Sometimes the paperwork involved in keeping just one daughter in order is like managing the paperwork of 10 kids!
For the last eight or nine years I’ve always had trouble explaining that I was single, but had help and was in a relationship. I don’t remember the exact date we divorced, but I felt alone and single long before that. Anyway, it got confusing to explain, but lately, I’ve really felt like a single mom. I mean REALLY felt like it.
While I can’t begin to tell you how to help each and every child with special needs, I can tell you how we’ve handled things in our own home for going back to school. It’s a tough time of year for most kids, but when you throw in the transition of changing from one structure to another (summer to school), our kids can turn upside down.
We had a great show with Sally Ross Brown today. There were some insights from being a special needs kid that Sally shared that really got my head spinning! She’s so open and funny. She’s also full of life and has a great spirit despite (or in spite of) having cerebral palsy for 60 years. Below is the post she wrote especially for our blog. You’ll also find the audio player for today’s show.
The school year is starting up for us next week. I can’t believe 2 months of camp and a trip to the hospital is already over with! But, school is full of anxiety for all of us in our house and Friday brought new worries. Let me explain why school is tough.
Julie and I talked about how to figure out when our special needs kids are sick enough to take to the doctor. We came up with some ideas that might help you explain to hospital staff who your kid is too. There are lots of tips and suggestions in this short 20 minute chat. Listen in, and I’m listing below some of the points we hit on while on the show!
Maybe you missed our posts last week? They didn’t happen because I spent four days in the hospital with my youngest daughter, the one with autism. It was a first for us, though she’s been in the ER lots of times, this was our first overnight stay. It was actually kind of fun.
Today, I’d like to share how we started to pack up bug out bags for each member of the family. Since we live in Tornado alley, we get lots of chances to practice our skills of weather watching and getting to the shelter in time. However, until this year, we didn’t have quite the handle […]
Ego is the part of us that wants to be noticed, wants glory and acknowledgement and can often derail our relationships. My experience as a special needs mom is that my ego gets squashed often by my child and the adults who don’t understand her.
Does it feel that way to you? Does it feel like you never get “heard”?
It’s National Disaster Education and Preparedness month! Since I’m no stranger to natural disasters – and a few man made ones too – we’ll be covering how to prepare for disaster for you and your family. Throughout July, we’ll also be taking a look at resources to learn more and products and services that can specifically help you with your special needs kids and family.