Sometimes parents long for a boost to keep them focused and positive about the challenges that accompany caring for a child with special needs. Meet Steve Siler Steve Siler is the parent of a son with special needs and a musician with the heart to help people as they navigate their way through difficult times. He created his ministry to encourage people engaged in a variety of life struggles including...

When our son was born and flown 750 miles away for emergency surgery and a 3 week NICU stay, people wanted to help us. There’s No Stopping Good Friends But we were so wrapped up in our son’s needs and negotiating the hospital, our minds went blank every time they asked. However, that didn’t stop our friends. And from what I’ve learned from other parents in similar situations,...

In the last DifferentDream.com post, you learned about Balanced Living All Year, Joan Celebi’s new book for parents of kids with special needs. In this post, you’ll hear about her favorite new IEP resources. IEP Phone App One of Joan’s picks is the IEP Phone App available at no charge, compliments of the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC). You can download the app...

If you are looking for a way to assist a family caring for a child with special needs, a new series at the Life Dreams Channel will give you lots of ideas. Go to WebTV4Women to watch the series introduction. Then visit weekly for each new installment of the three part series. You can leave your suggestions about how to support families below. Or you can rate the clips and leave feedback at the Life...

How can the parent of a child with special needs live a balanced life? In Balanced Living All Year, Joan Celebi shares the strategies that help her accomplish the feat. Meet Joan Celebi Joan is the mother of two children, one of whom has special needs. She’s also the creator of www.specialneedsparentcoach.com, a website featured in a DifferentDream.com blog post in December of  2009. Each month,...

Recently, I found a letter written by my father, and it reminded me of something urgent I need to do for my kids, something my Dad couldn’t do for me. EParent.com The whole story is posted at my EParent.com blog. If you read it and decide you need to do the same thing for your kids, come back here and leave a comment. Or if you think of another legacy parents should leave for their children,...

As promised in the first post in this series, here’s Jennifer Schultz to tell you why she created her food preparation system, Freezer Meals in Minutes. It Reduces Stress Freezer Meals in Minutes is a service that helps the stressed woman organize a freezer meals session.  Why would a stressed woman organize more activities you may ask?  Because it will reduce stress and save time and money...

One role every parent plays is that of being a child’s advocate. Parents of kids with special needs sometimes have to advocate for their children in special ways. The role can seem intimidating for young parents preparing to ask questions and share concerns with people in the medical community. Special Kids Need Special Advocates In this short video, I share seven ways to become a better advocate...

During the years when I was both caring for a son with special needs and teaching full time, the question “What’s for supper tonight?” was guaranteed to make my heart race and my stomach churn. If we weren’t returning home from an unexpected trip to the hospital or doctor’s office, then I was exhausted from work. Since we lived in a remote part of South Dakota at the...

If you’ve heard of the Make a Wish Foundation, raise your hand. Do the same if you’ve heard of Dreams Come True. Yeah, that’s what I figured. Unless you live in the southeastern part of the United States, you probably haven’t heard of Dreams Come True. Dreams Come True I learned about the organization from a mom who emailed me after finding www.DifferentDream.com. The Dreams...