If you are the parent of a special needs child, you know how hard it is arrange for care so you can get away. Even if someone is willing to stay with your child, explaining the care giving routine is such a hassle, many parents decide it’s just easier to stay home. Care Giving Document for Special Needs Kids At a recent speaking engagement, I met a mom who created a document for her child’s...

Recently, a friend sent me a URL and a very short email. “Check this one out,” it said. “PLEASE WATCH: R. C. Sproul, Chuck Colson, & Joni Eareckson Tada talk about families & disabilities.” What Could R.C. Sproul, Chuck Colson, & Joni Eareckson Tada Have in Common? Since I wondered what those three people have in common, I clicked on the URL and began watching a...

A few days ago, I posted an article about www.SpecialNeedsBridge.com, the informational website developed by Julio and Ruthey Morales. At their website, I noticed the Nathaniel’s Hope/Buddy Break graphics sprinkled here and there. Curious, I dug around and learned about this wonderful organization. Buddy Break Buddy Break is a free respite service for parents of special needs kids. Nathaniel’s...

Not long ago Lisa Copen, founder of Rest Ministries, asked me to take a shot at answering this question sent by a struggling mom. Heart-Wrenching Question I am a mom of a 2-year-old who was just diagnosed with autism. I also have had fibromyalgia for 5 years. I don’t know how I am going to get through this. I had assumed that, with my husband’s help, I could be a pretty good mom despite my illness....

Every now and then I update the progress of families profiled in A Different Dream for My Child, to give you an idea of what life is like for them on an ongoing basis. A week or so ago Scott, the father of seven-year-old Evan sent this link to a recent article about his son. Noonan’s Syndrome Evan has Noonan’s syndrome, a heart condition which typically includes a thickening of the heart...

A few weeks ago Lisa Copen, founder of Rest Ministries, a website for chronically ill adults, asked me to participate in her Invisible Illness Week Web Seminar. She wanted me to encourage chronically ill parents who have special needs kids. I felt a little funny addressing those parents since I don’t have a chronic illness. But since my dad was chronically ill, and my son had special needs,...

For families caring for a chronically ill, homebound child, it’s very hard for both parents to work outside the home. But depending on the severity of the child’s condition and the amount of care required, working at home could provide extra income without transportation and day care hassles for one parent or the other. Jill Hart, a friend of mine, recently released her new book, So You...

Why I Get Aggravated I get so aggravated when big, burly guys try to negotiate Grandma Myrtle or Great-Uncle Oscar’s wheelchair over bumps in sidewalks and slightly raised thresholds, or onto a shallow-stepped landing. Their standard method of operation is to ram the wheelchair at the obstacle, jarring Grandma or Oscar in the process and nearly scaring them to death. “What’s the...