Moving With Your Special-Needs Child - 15 Ways to Ease the Transition

Moving With Your Special-Needs Child - 15 Ways to Ease the Transition

Written by Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D.;

 photo: PhotoXpresss.com 

It is estimated that 1 out of 5 families move every year; which means that for many families, the early weeks of summer are often filled with packing boxes, contacting new schools and finding new dentists. While transitioning to a new neighborhood or town can bring an assortment of stresses, this stress can be amplified when a family moves with a special-needs child. Routines, therapies and support networks can be disrupted and the entire family can feel on edge. Whether this is your first move or you are a seasoned veteran, the following tips will steer you and your family on the path to a smoother transition:

Keep them involved – As a parent, you know what your child can handle emotionally. While taking a child house hunting might work in some families, for others, it makes sense to wait. “Our children are visual learners,“ says Sharla Jordan, mother of six boys (four with special needs), “so once we had a contract to buy our new home, I drew out a sketch of the floor plan and explained where their bedrooms would be and where their toys would go. This really helped reduce anxiety.”

Read more of the Article here

(I am glad to see the author used all my suggestion in her article)

Autism Brain Research

Autism Research Unraveling Mysteries - April 9, 2012

"Research suggests the brains of autistic children may indeed be "wired" differently "right from the beginning," Paterson says. A popular theory among researchers holds that autistic people have an abundance of "local connections," in one specific part of the brain, but not enough "long-distance connections" to coordinate complex tasks among various parts of the brain, such as interpreting emotions, says Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer for the advocacy group Autism Speaks.

"The changes lie not in the brain cells themselves but in the pathways that transmit messages between brain regions, Paterson says.

"These pathways aren't visible to the naked eye. But scientists can get a sense of these bundles of nerve fibers with technology that traces the path of water through the brain.

"Structural changes in these fiber tracts are evident in the brains of children later diagnosed with autism, even as young as 6 months old."

The Arizona Republic

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2012/04/09/20120409autism-research-unraveling-mysteries.html#ixzz1sEpjPMC8

ACU - Autism 15 second spot

I Hope...

How many of you go through that feeling of a sense of loss more than once? This is very common at first when your child has been diagnosed, but also every time another mile stone is missed/delayed, or when another road block is in the way of your child's development. Over the last couple months we have had more than a few of these come up for more than one of our sons. I realize more and more what additional challenges I see in their future and I begin to ask "what if he can't..." I have to stop myself right then, because If I continue to dwell on that question, it brings me down and hinders my perception to see what my sons are capable of. Instead I need to say, "I hope..." and then focus on the now, because now is so important for their future.

Laughables

Check out our new page, "Laughables", we started this page because. . .

“The only way to get through life 

is to laugh your way through it. 

You either have to laugh or cry. 

I prefer to laugh. 

Crying gives me a headache.” 

― Marjorie Pay Hinckley