So here goes, today was the orthopedic appointment I talked about 2 weeks ago. No surgery this summer, is what the doctor said. But he may need it further down the line probably 2 more times. I checked to make sure he wasn’t near retirement yet…he assured me he had at least another 15 or…
Category Archives: Skill Development
Eating Issues
We’ve developed a really good system for getting the child to eat when we are together as a family. Like most things now that it has become the routine she doesn’t even need a lot of support for this most of the time, but occasionally she is too tired, anxious, excited, distracted, or angry to sit…
Dealing With Anxiety in Our Kids
It’s the same every summer. We leave the routine of school and it throws my girls WAY off. We’ve got anxiety and stress-related behavior challenges coming out our ears in our house. So I thought it would be a good time to repost this short vlog I shared at the start of the school year….
Out of the Blue
Are you ever taken by surprise by something your kids say…out of the blue? Today at lunch my daughter started a conversation that surprised me on many levels. She was tuned in, took multiple appropriate turns, answered questions and absorbed complex answers. I will savor this one for a long time: The Child: “Mom, I…
Leaping Past the Labels
Monkey is 8 years old and does back handsprings in my living room. Not my favorite place for that, admittedly, but considering as a toddler in foster care she was Failure to Thrive, and that she has Bipolar and Anxiety… I’m just happy she’s doing any leaping at all! Gymnastics and dance get her through…
Anticipation of Orthopedic visit
It’s the night before surgery, and the house is a wreck. Tristan is sleeping but the bag is not packed. I’m on the internet, Steve’s watching t.v. We’re both in denial that it’ll soon be here. Early to rise, to arrive at 6:00, not looking forward this, I feel sick at the thought. I think…
iPod Touch and iPad Apps for Special Needs
In my last post I mentioned how we use an iPod Touch to help Peanut communicate. Dana, a speech pathologist, asked me what apps we have found useful in helping Peanut with her communication. We have found a few apps that we like, but I thought it would be fun to see what everyone else…
Language is Amazing
For the most part the child’s language seems pretty typical now, but every once in a while something pops up that just highlights how differently she processes words. The exchange yesterday between the child (age 7) and her little sister (age 3) went something like this… 7 yo: “You Dare!” 3 yo: “I’m not a…
Lessen the Burden
As a special needs parent, we realize that one day we will be gone. More often than not, siblings of our special needs kids are called upon to assume a caretaker role. What can we do today to lessen the burden on them?
You Don’t Know That
Imparting parental wisdom to a child is difficult, but offering advice to those with special needs can be challenging. Using your life experiences, you advise them about possible mistakes. But in their world of absolutes, the response you get from them could be something like … YOU DON’T KNOW THAT.