Different Kind of Special Blog

When I was younger, I would sometimes find myself thinking about how I would handle adversity if and when it came my way. I don’t mean disappointments or small setbacks. I wondered how I would react to a really difficult life circumstance. I thought about whether or not I had it in me to behave with strength and grace when things got really hard.

Then, at a routine 20-week ultrasound during my second pregnancy, I started to uncover the answers to those questions. I learned that when...

Does it seem like bad, yucky, awful, unfair things are always happening to you and your family? Is there ever an upside to these bad things? Do you have any control over them?

How did you answer those questions? If you feel like difficult circumstances are always happening to you, and nothing good ever comes out of those difficulties and you have no control over them, you might benefit from reframing your adversity to uncover something more positive.

I am not a delusional optimist. I think...

True confession: I spend a lot of time on Facebook. My husband and kids have made comments about how much time I spend on my computer, and they’re not wrong. However, I don’t think I use Facebook in the same way most people do. Sure, I spend some time following what my friends are up to, and I watch a funny video or two once in a while. But, for me, Facebook is primarily a ‘research’ tool. I spend the majority of my time on Facebook learning more about how I can help...

Are you a parent who loves taking your kids on adventures or do you prefer the convenience and comfort of home? Even if you’re an active, extroverted person who loves adventure, outings can be challenging when you’re a family that includes a child with special needs. And, to be completely honest, sometimes those extra challenges make me second guess whether or not the outing is worth the effort and the worry.

Earlier this summer, my daughters and I had the opportunity for a...

I recently wrote an article for Exceptional Parent magazine about making connections when your child has a rare disorder. Over the years, I’ve found that you can truly rely on other special needs parents for advice, friendship and support.

Recently, there was a meme circulating around the special needs community about what happens when a special needs parent falls in a hole. The theme of the meme is that when you have a child with special needs, the only person who you can truly count...

In my ebook ‘Choosing Joy,’ I talk about self-limiting beliefs – the long list of things I starting telling myself would be impossible after we learned about all of Julia’s medical, developmental and physical challenges. Camping was one of those activities I thought we would never be able to do as a family. Some families might not be disappointed to miss out on camping. But, I’m married to an Eagle Scout, and we have two sons who are Boy Scouts, so...

Julia takes a lot of medications - at last count, she gets upwards of ten different medications each day, many of them given multiple times throughout the day.

The sheer volume of medications Julia needs means that we are measuring and dosing medications for a significant amount of time each day. To make things easier and to ensure that she gets her meds accurately and on schedule, we've spent some time developing a system that works well for all of Julia's caregivers.

There are three key...

When you have a child with special needs, the list of things that aren’t fair can seem nearly endless.

It’s not fair that:

• My daughter can’t walk or talk.
• It’s difficult for her to qualify for physical and occupational therapy that could improve her quality of life.
• Toys designed for kids with special needs are usually three times more expensive than ‘regular’ toys.
• Our family has missed lots of fun things because we had to do not-fun things, like doctor...

I recently wrote an article for Exceptional Parent about the planning process we used for the remodel and adaptation of our bathroom to accommodate Julia’s needs. That article provided insights into the thought process we used to determine how to adapt a small bathroom to accommodate big needs.

As a complement to that article, I thought it would be helpful to talk more in depth about the five things we did that make it possible for a small bathroom to meet all of our needs, both...