Challenges, Hope, Scripture, Special Needs Parenting
Kara Dedert
When Thankfulness Seems Impossible

Are you scrounging for thankfulness this holiday season? Holidays can be a challenge for those walking through hard days. Perhaps you feel like you've been handed the short-end of the stick; your child is struggling, you’re exhausted and it seems like everybody else has life with a bit more gravy. It’s easy to focus on our circumstances, take stock of what we have and where we are and end up feeling completely void of thankfulness. Is there a cure for this? 

When Thankfulness Seems Impossible
Autism, Caregiving, Challenges, Hope, Special Needs Parenting, Spiritual Growth
Sunita Theiss
Discovering What God Already Knew About Me, ...

I first suspected I had ADHD as a teenager, but finding the right professional to take me seriously was much harder than I expected. Previous attempts only ended in frustration and tears.

Discovering What God Already Knew About Me, Through My Children’s Diagnosis
Caregiving, Challenges, Living Life Daily
Jolene Philo
Enjoying the Holidays with a Food Allergy

Enjoying the holidays with a food allergy sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? After all, eating together is an integral component of the holiday season. I looked forward to making our traditional holiday foods until I was diagnosed with a dairy allergy in 2012. What was to enjoy about the holidays when the foods associated with it were off limits to me?

Enjoying the Holidays with a Food Allergy
Caregiving, Challenges, Grief, Hope, Special Needs Parenting
John Fela (Felageller)
A New Home

It was a short, ten-minute drive from the hotel to the residential facility. I maintained composure while I navigated the busy public roads, and then residential streets. I had a whole range of emotions racing through my body, mind and spirit as we pulled into the campus. This was not just a pleasure drive or a routine errand, this was a significant milestone in the life of my son and our family.

A New Home
Autism, Caregiving, Challenges, Special Needs Parenting
Mark Arnold
Halloween & Special Needs: How to Make it ...

While Halloween is a fun time of year for many children, it can be a really difficult time for some, including many children with additional/special needs. For them it can be a confusing, anxiety-inducing, or even utterly terrifying time. But it doesn’t have to be like that. If we stop for a moment to think about the things they might find hard and how to put things in place to help them, children with special needs can safely join in the fun, too. So what are some of the things about Halloween that children with additional needs can find hard?

Halloween & Special Needs: How to Make it Fun for Every Child

advocate

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Empowering Kids with Disabilities, Part Two: The Need for Love and Belonging

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Empowering Kids with Disabilities, Part Two: The Need for Love and Belonging

In part two of Empowering Kids with Disabilities, Jolene Philo focuses on love and belonging. What can you do or change so your children with disabilities have more opportunities to feel loved and increase their sense of belonging?

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Empowering Kids with Disabilities, Part One: Meet Basic Survival Needs

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Empowering Kids with Disabilities, Part One: Meet Basic Survival Needs

If my experience of raising a child with special needs is anything like yours, empowering my kid with disabilities rarely reached the top of my parenting priority list. In part one of this five-part series, Jolene explores how to empower kids with disabilities by using William Glasser's Choice Theory.

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The Challenge of Caregiving for Those with Hidden Disabilities

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The Challenge of Caregiving for Those with Hidden Disabilities

“I don’t see anything wrong with that child.” Give it 10 minutes; give it an hour. Take time to be with “that child” or “that adult,” and then you will be able to discern what makes them different, where they excel, and where they need additional help.

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12 Ways to Prepare Yourself for Back to School as a Caregiver

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12 Ways to Prepare Yourself for Back to School as a Caregiver

We often think school is all about our kids, and a lot of it is, but a lot also rests on us as parents. As parents of a child with special needs, our attitude and how we approach teachers and situations are invaluable. Here are 12 Ways to Prepare Yourself for Back to School as a Caregiver.

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Six Disability Allies in the Bible

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Six Disability Allies in the Bible

Disability ‘allies’ are people who are not necessarily disabled themselves, but who advocate for, journey with, campaign for, or in other ways support disabled people of any age. Here are six real and story-based people from the Bible who could be viewed as disability allies.