A few days ago, I blogged about Barb Dittrich and her ministry’s website which Twitter helped me locate. Today’s post is about another Twitter find, Special Needs Parenting Magazine. Special Needs Parenting Magazine The magazine is an online publication which comes out six times a year. It was founded by Chantai Snellgrove who is the parent of a special needs child. The premier issue was...

As I’ve mentioned in previous DifferentDream.com posts, (PTSD Treatment Can Change Your Child’s Life, PTSD and NICU Parents: What About You?, and Critically Ill Kids and War Veterans Have What in Common?) war veterans aren’t the only people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It also affects children who have endured invasive medical treatment, and  PTSD can affect...

In the previous post in this series you met Rachel, the mentally impaired young woman who wanted to live on her own after graduating from high school. In this post you’ll learn more about her mom, Jane Bernstein. Jane Bernstein In addition to being Rachel’s mom, Jane is an award-winning author. Some of her essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Ms and Glamour. She also teaches...

Being the parent of a special needs child is incredibly rewarding, but the role comes with a set of unique challenges. Choosing living arrangements for the child after graduation is one of them. Charlotte Glynn Through Twitter, I recently discovered a film that shows how the family worked through this challenge.  The film was created by Charlotte Glynn, the older sister of Rachel, a mentally impaired...

Every now and then, a book comes along that helps both parents of typical kids and those with special needs kids. When Your Child Is Hurting is one of them. When Your Child Is Hurting The book’s author and mother of five kids, Glynnis Whitwer is transparent as she shares personal experiences and lessons learned while parenting her own children. The chapters deal with every day issues kids face:...

For the past few weeks, National Public Radio (NPR) has been airing a series called The Impact of War.  While listening to several episodes that described the symptoms of PTSD in returning vets, the similarities to our son Allen’s PTSD symptoms (caused by early, repeated medical traumas from 1982 – 1986) were striking. An Interview with General Eric Shinseki In a November 13 interview...

Kids and sidewalk chalk go together, don’t you think? But throw a wheelchair or a walker into the mix, and it becomes almost impossible for some kids to enjoy this childhood delight. Now, thanks to Dwayne Szot, children with disabilities can enjoy sidewalk chalk and a whole lot more. Dwayne Szot Dwayne is the founder of Zot Artz studio in Bayfield, Wisconsin. He’s also the inventor of...

In Part 1 of this series, you met Julie Papievis, a woman who miraculously survived a near fatal brain stem injury. In that post she shared five positive ways her injury and recovery changed her.  In Part 2 of the series, she shared seven valuable tips about how parents can support their brain-injured (or special needs) child. In Part 3, the final post in the series, Julie provides some facts and...

In the first post in this series, you read about Julie Papievis, a woman who survived and recovered from a severe brain stem injury. In that post, Julie shared five positive ways the accident changed her. In this one, she gives advice to parents of children with brain injuries. I think it applies to a broader audience. See what you think. Education Educate yourself about what’s happening to your...

Julie Papievis was a dynamo before the car accident that changed her life. Now, more than a decade after her brain stem was so badly damaged the EMTs were sure she would die, she’s a dynamo again. In the months and years between her injury and recovery, which was remarkable but not total, she struggled with depression and grief for the woman she used to be. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview...