The Internet makes the world seem small sometimes. As I visited blogs of 5MFSN commenters, I discovered a blog titled “Cornish Adoption Journey.” While exploring the blog, I discovered that the Cornish family lives in the same city as my former in-laws. I also spent a year living with my in-laws, and attended the same…
Wonder In The Journey
This week has been a rough one. It started out with a leaking g-tube. Then a weekly weigh in resulting in yet another loss. When you are four years old and weigh only 23.5 pounds, each and every ounce counts. Losing .5 in a week has a way of making your parents worried out of…
The Power of Words
Have you ever had someone say something to you that changed your world or gave you a new perspective? The first time it happened to me was in the months following 9-11. I was riddled with anxiety about the safety and future of my children and had fallen in a deep depression. My 10 week…
The Evaluation Tightrope
Let me preface this post by saying that I am truly thankful for the behavioral health services we have access to in our state, and that I generally try to focus on the positive. With that being said, here are my top seven recommendations when going into a psychological re-evaluation: Do not speak glowingly about…
Keep On Moving
A friend recently asked what I do to help Zoe calm down on those days she’s having a meltdown. We’ve all had those days: too much stimulation, not enough sleep, schedules that are out-of-whack. Whatever the reason, some days our kids may have a tough time of it. For Zoe, that means lots of extra…
Next On The Pre-Natal Extermination List: Autism?
In an article written for the New York Daily News, Valerie Karr, a Ph.D candidate , and a disability advocate, dishes up some interesting food for thought. *92% of unborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome are now aborted in the United States. *A survey of mothers in the Journal of Pediatrics found that physicians were…
Expecting Too Much?
Unfortunately the conversation related below actually took place. And even though it was five years ago, it probably won’t surprise some parents that not much has changed. I am so very tired of all the school battles, yet this school year is starting off that way yet again. Maybe that is the school district’s strategy…
Building Bridges
We’ve seen the looks. We’ve heard the comments. We’ve witnessed the pity as you have compared our child to yours. And released a sigh of gratitude. At times it seems as though there is not a line drawn, but a wall built, between us. Between those of us whose children are labeled as disabled, and…
Heed My Warning ~ Special Exposure Wednesday
Welcome to Special Exposure Wednesday. Vote for your favorite Special Exposure Model from among the four finalists. Yes! Our readers are choosing the winner. This is Wil. Be afraid. Be vewy, vewy afwaid. He will be sixteen one day. Link your photo below and visit everyone remembering to leave comments where ever you go…and that…
Vote In Our Special Exposure Model Search Contest
People who entered photos…you made this a difficult decision for the judges here at 5 Minutes for Special Needs (who have opted to remain anonymous). The task of choosing only three finalists from the pool of adorable kids photographed for the Special Exposure Model Search Photo Contest was so tough that four finalists, rather than…