Different Kind of Special Blog

The other day, I noticed a small, tender bump on the bottom of my foot. It seemed to appear out of nowhere. One minute, I was going about my normal routine, and the next, I was shifting my weight, wincing every time I took a step.

In two months, I'm supposed to be walking the cobblestone streets of Spain, France, and Italy — my first trip to Europe and a dream I've looked forward to for years. Long days of exploring, wandering, and soaking in every bit of beauty I can find. And now, here I am, ...

When your child’s developmental age does not match their chronological age, it can be challenging to find age-appropriate gifts that they will truly enjoy. That’s especially true for tweens and teens with significant disabilities. My daughter Julia is 18, non-mobile, and non-verbal. Developmentally, infant and toddler toys are most appropriate for her. But, she’s a teenager and her patience for musical, light-up toys is running out.

Over the years, I’ve frequently shed tears of frustration in t...

By the time Julia was two years old, buying toys for her could be described as bittersweet on a good day and tear-inducing on most days. She had reached the chronological age where she should be playing with her tricycle, play kitchen and building sets. Yet, developmentally she was still at the level of an infant; non-mobile, non-verbal and unable to play with toys meant for kids her age.

When holidays and Julia's birthday rolled around, I found myself brushing aside my tears and gathering enou...

As special needs parents, it can feel like we have zero time for ourselves. We might even laugh if someone suggests ‘self care’ to us because really, when would we have time for that?

But, is it possible that you are missing out on opportunities to take care of yourself in little pockets of time? Self care doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. Even if you only have five minutes, you can do something that can have a big impact on your mood.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

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Does it seem like bad, yucky, awful, unfair things are always happening to you and your family? Is there ever an upside to these bad things? Do you have any control over them?

How did you answer those questions? If you feel like difficult circumstances are always happening to you, and nothing good ever comes out of those difficulties and you have no control over them, you might benefit from reframing your adversity to uncover something more positive.

I am not a delusional optimist. I think tha...