Feb 1, 2012 Posted by Jolene

Calling All Parents of Kids with PTSD

Regular visitors to DifferentDream.com know I occasionally climb on the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) soapbox. If you’re a new visitor, type PTSD in the website search box and see how many posts pop up. Pretty substantial soap box, isn’t it? The PTSD Soapbox This particular soapbox is a logical response for a parent whose son lived with undiagnosed, untreated PTSD until he was 26. As a... read more

Sep 29, 2011 Posted by Jolene

Self-Care for the Caregiver

For guest blogger Rebekah Benimoff and her family, successful outings require a little extra planning. She relearned the importance of self-care for the caregiver during a recent visit to a crowded restaurant, as he guest post shows. Braving the Crowds Braving the crowds on a holiday with two wiggly boys and a husband with PTSD is not my idea of fun. Yet recently family came into town and wanted to take... read more

Sep 28, 2011 Posted by Jolene

Sesame Street, Kids, and PTSD

For the past few months, I’ve been researching the subject of kids and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While the body of information about older children with PTSD and resources to help them is growing, the same can’t be said for younger kids. Fewer resources exist for young children who’ve experienced trauma. And even fewer resources exist for families of children who’ve... read more

Sep 2, 2011 Posted by Jolene

Laurie Wallin: 6 Ways to Overcome the Fears We Face

Guest blogger Laurie Wallin is back with common sense advice for moms. In today’s post, she helps moms like us face the fears that accompany doing life with a child who has special needs. 6 Ways to Overcome the Fears We Face As moms, we don’t have time to be afraid. When something stirs fear in relationships, parenting, jobs, or health, it’s immediately bulldozed by diapers, carpools,... read more

Jul 25, 2011 Posted by Jolene

We’re a Stressed-Out Group of Parents

Stress and parents of kids with special needs. Not a winning combination, but as this post from guest blogger Laurie Wallin shows, an all too common one. See what you think. We’re a Stressed-Out Group of Parents I sat with jaw dropped and tears flowing down cheeks as I watched the documentary. A UCSF expert in cellular aging was explaining that special needs moms were one of the best groups to... read more