Mountains and Valleys, educating the special needs child — parent resources

Once a child receives a diagnosis, especially one with a learning difficulty attached to it, it often feels like every minute they are not trying to learn something new or practicing a skill is a minute lost.  A minute that they will never get back.  A minute that sets them that much further behind.  A minute that spreads the gap that much wider between them and their peers.  That is exactly the panicky feeling that I had for years after my son's developmental regression. And if hours or heaven forbid; a DAY went by that he was not working on...

Making manners matter to children and teenagers is part of our parental duties. One reason we do this is because we want our children to grow into respectful, kind and empathetic adults. And the other reason is we do not want them to embarrass us in public!  We, the parents of individuals with ADHD, Autism, Asperger's, Anxiety and Sensory Processing Disorders, spend so much time on anticipating, avoiding, re-directing, accepting and managing behaviours that arise due to their complex needs and underlying issues. So where do manners fall into play?  The quick answer: Always. Whenever appropriate. Sometimes not at all. ...

As soon as you stamp the word "educational" on the packaging, the price doubles. Marketing is clever. They know parents want what is best for their children and of course we will choose the product that says it will not only entertain my child but also teach some amazing skill at the same time. And for parents of kids with learning difficulties, this is heightened. We grasp at any tool that may possibly make learning more fun, more natural, more effective for our child.  So we spend a FORTUNE! And unfortunately many of these novelty educational toys are barely even...

The title of this post may seem impossible to some. I am one of those people. Me + Math = disaster......  But there is hope. Educators are getting better and better at identifying weaknesses/differences and serving those needs.  For children with learning difficulties, Math can be so frustrating because of it's complexities. Math is both concrete and abstract. And for my fellow Ontarians with children in the school system, Math is mind-boggling! The Ontario curriculum has changed so drastically the way they teach Math that parents are clueless to help even at the primary grades. Children are expected to draw...

*Warning* If you are the parents of children that fall asleep as soon as the car is in motion then I am entirely too envious of you and this post is not for you. This is one area where we are not blessed. My kids NEVER sleep in the car.  From the time my kids were newborn we were trekking them across the province, so you would think that I would be an expert when it came to being prepared for long car trips. Yet this holiday season, I found myself sitting in the van with the kids loud and...