Editor’s note: Teresa and I met in the PICU at Primary Children’s Hospital. It’s funny how friendships can emerge so quickly in these types of situations. I will forever be touched by Teresa’s love and total commitment to Samuel. I believe you will too. Hi, I’m Teresa from www.samuelsmiracle.com. I’m excited to be your guest…
The Friendship Station: A Special Needs Ministry
Last week, I shared about some of the challenges we have had with church attendance since our son Michael was diagnosed with autism in December of 2004. Many of you shared your own stories, both uplifting and heartbreaking, in the comments, and I appreciate your openness on this difficult topic. Over the last year, we…
The Invisibility Clause
It’s an invisible illness, this immune deficiency gig. There is nothing obvious about the girl to signal that she is different from her twin, her sisters, the kid standing next to her. Sure, she is a little small and she’s sometimes pale but generally she looks just like your run of the mill (almost) three…
Look Into My Eyes
One of the things I noticed about Zoe when we first suspected she had autism was the lack of eye contact. When the neurologist and the developmental pediatrician evaluated Zoe, frequency of eye contact was one of the many things they asked about. Ask most parents of autistic children and they’ll tell you that getting…
Tell Me A Story
November is National Adoption Month, and I would love to hear from your children! Do you have a child who was adopted and who would like to share their story? Does your child have a voice they would like heard, anonymously or not? If not a story, does your child write poetry or plays or…
Barrack Obama and the normalcy of difference
When the US Declaration of Independence was drawn up, it stated: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” But George Washington, even as he signed this, was…
Special Exposure Wednesday – The Princess Cat
In our house, using our imagination is a great way to escape the reality of hospital, needles, tests and treatments. Yes, imagination is a great thing but a little bit of face paint makes it SO much better! We would love you to share a photo with us this Special Exposure Wednesday — and please…
Sticks and stone and all that
Recently I had the opportunity to spend time with an autistic child. Does that seem like a strange thing to say on a special needs blog? Perhaps….but I don’t know that I’d ever had the chance before, or at least, I’d never been aware of it. If I did, I’m sure their symptoms came across…
Try This Tuesday #16: Micro Schedules
I’ve posted before about how a visual schedule helps Michael move through his day more easily than just verbal prompts. Well, he has still been having difficulty off and on with the specials—art, library, and so on—mainly when something is different than the week before or when he is not clear on what he is…
GFCF Pumpkin Pie
All this month Cooking for Special Needs is focusing on holiday favorites. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this week we’re taking on a classic…pumpkin pie. GFCF Pumpkin Pie (Recipe from About.com) 1 15 ounce can pumpkin 1 cup soy milk 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup corn starch 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla 2…