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Autism/PDD – The News You Need This Week (11/14/11)

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Autism/PDD – The News You Need This Week

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The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism

When Matthew ran Cross Country and Track in High School, it was so amazing to watch his social development improve. He literally blossomed like a flower. But it was equally wonderful to watch the change in the other kids and how they interacted with Matthew as a Freshmen and how it had changed by they time he was a Senior. What a loss it would have been for all of them if Matthew had been hidden away in an institution. This is a sad reality that may face many more of our Family Members as budget cuts threaten our lives.

The author of this post on The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, Lydia Wayman of Autistic Speaks says it perfectly: “The world would lose so much of its color, its differences, and its interest. People with disabilities are people, first and foremost. I’m really not so different from you and yours. Really, I’m not.”

 

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For Families and Caregivers – The News You Need This Week (10/26/11)

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For Families and Caregivers – The News You Need This Week

Is your Family Member still in school?

Here are some great tips from Special Education Advisor for writing IEP Goals.

And if you need help with a Behavior Plan, Terri Mauro from Special Children on About.com has some good resources in this article.

Do you have to deal with restraint and seclusion of your child?

Disability Scoop has posted some very good information on Restraint and Seclusion here.

I’ve written about Matthew’s bullying experience here.

This article tells about a wonderful program in Colorado to help special kids stay safe. I hope it spreads!

Are you trying to deal with a new special needs diagnosis for your baby?

This article has some great insight for all new Special Needs Families - Seven Things I Wish Someone had Told Me When My Daughter Was First Diagnosed with Autism.

Excellent book review by Read Aloud Dad 

If You Had to Choose, What Would you Do?

Sad but true – interesting article on About.com’s Special Children

What toxic stuff have people said to you?

I think CheekyBeauty said it best:

 Idiots are Everywhere

I too have had remarks made by idiots about my special needs daughter. The most upsetting one was made by her own father (the biggest idiot of all ex-husband) when she was a baby, that I needn’t worry about her as she would go and live in an institution. Not once but TWICE he had the nerve to say this out loud and luckily for him, I allowed him to live. I have had all sorts of puzzling things said to me about my child that were similar in tone. In 18 years since my daughter was born, I have never known a better human being. And that’s a fact. And in that time I have learned that there are many so-called “normal” people who are the most disabled of them all. Be grateful to those who make these comments. It helps you to find out whether they are your true friends who care about you and your family. Then avoid them like the plague and in your spare time, think of good comeback lines so you shut the idiots up for good. Be tough, be strong, and don’t take no sh*t from nobody. Ever.

Are you looking for information and resources and just can’t find what you need? Chances are that if you need it, so do others. I go through literally thousands of sites and articles weekly. Let me know what you are looking for and I’ll help you find what you need. Just add a comment or send me a message on the Contact page.

 

Filed Under: Parenting Information and Resources, Special Education, Special Needs Caregivers Tagged With: , , , , ,

Look out, the Village is a Hard Hat Zone!

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We’ve got some exciting construction stuff goin’ on here at Our Special Families Village!

If you’ve had a chance to read the About Our Special Families Village and Welcome pages then you know I have big plans for us – Families with an Intellectually or Developmentally Disabled Member. Before I go any further, let me apologize for just planning and not doing.

The doing is now gettin’ done.

I started this blog in early 2009,  11 years after I first conceived the idea. I never grew it the way I wanted to. Oh there were lots of excuses but very few reasons. Why? Well my major excuse was fear. Fear that I would do this and fail.

Well that’s just poppycock as Grandma Hazel used to say. So many of you reading this have told me you think this not only a great idea but something a lot of Special Needs Families need. Desperately.

Now that Matthew is approaching his 19th Birthday, we are facing some transitions in our lives and I’m doing some reflecting on what this site needs to be, what I want it to be and what I think Families want it to be.

Here’s what’s rattling around in my brain – there are a lot of young Families out there just starting this journey. They are confused, grieving and scared. These Families are looking for information that is real. Information and resources they can use. And support. Support not just from their friends but support from other families in the same place as they are. They also need support from those of us who have “been there and done that”.

Those of us who have “been there and done that” need to be able to share our stories with them. Not only to help them but to reflect and hopefully realize just how far we’ve come. I think many of us with adult special needs children feel a bit battered by “the system”. That’s why we need this site. We need to seek the guidance of service providers and agencies but trust our own instincts and make our own decisions. We need to be Fair, Firm and Friendly and as Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never give up.”

And ultimately we need to support, encourage and share with each other. No one gets it like we do. Those of us with adult family members can ease the way for young families and the young families can remind us that anything is possible.

And anything is possible.

So here’s what’s happening…

I will be posting information, resources and support articles at least once a week between here and the end of the year. Between now and then I am upgrading my email list service and I will launch the forum January 2nd (can I take the 1st off, please?) I am also going to be looking for people to be guest writers. I know stuff about having a child with Autism but I don’t know about a lot of other issues you deal with like Down Syndrome or Cerebral Palsey. I will continue my posts weekly after the 1st of the year but I hope to have guest writers by then, too.

So what do I want you to do? First off, if you haven’t signed up for my current mailing service, please do so by filling in your email address in the upper right portion of the page. It’s free and you’ll get info emailed to you. If you prefer updates via RSS there is that option as well.

But the most important thing you can do is tell me what you want. This site isn’t for me. It’s for Families with Special Needs Family Members.

Do you have a Special Needs Family Member? This site is for you. What do you want? Please add your comment and let me know or email me via the Contact Page. And please tell other Families about this site!

Are you a Service Provider? Then please share this with the Families you serve. You can also add a comment or email me and let me know what questions you hear from the Families you serve. Also, if you would like to spread the word about what you do, let me know. Maybe we can do an interview or post a video or?

There is a reason why Village is in the name of this site. Please help me grow it so we all have a comfortable, safe place to seek information, find resources and get support.

Welcome to The Village. Our Special Families Village.

Sandy and Matthew

Villagers

P.S. A note about confidentiality – As I said, I want this to be a safe place. If you leave a comment, your email will not be visible. Feel free to use a nickname if you don’t want to give your real name. And when you sign up for email updates, I promise to keep your email address confidential.

 

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