The special education system has lots of new terms and acronyms. Read on for an overview of what you need to know.
Autism
Making Sense of a New Autism Diagnosis
A new diagnosis of autism brings up new questions. Now what? Read one mom’s experience finding community and learning to celebrate our unique selves.
But First, Sleep.
When you are exhausted, just getting through the day can be challenging. When you are a parent of a child with a disability and you are exhausted AND your child is exhausted, ‘challenging’ is an understatement.
What is Occupational Therapy?
You’ve likely heard lots of new terms at your child’s IEP, 504, or Transition meetings. It is hard to keep them all straight!
The Power in Wondering
We all wonder. We wonder about the future and what it holds for us and for our loved ones. We wonder about our careers, our relationships, and our contributions to our community. Some of us wonder about accessibility: As a parent, how do I know if my son will be able to access the curriculum […]
Don’t Look the Other Way
People freeze in unknown situations. It’s normal. And it’s why I became interested in this field in the first place. I was reminded of this earlier today. I ran out to grab lunch and while I was waiting for my bagel – headphones in my ears because I was on the phone, face-down looking at […]
Checking the Boxes: Diagnosis and Belonging
During a past focus group for Exceptional Lives, we received the following feedback: “If I see a particular diagnosis mentioned, or I don’t see my child’s diagnosis, I assume it’s not for me.” This makes perfect sense. As parents and caregivers, we have a lot of information to sift through; we need to know what […]
How to Win when you Play to Lose
Everybody loves to win. Children naturally infuse winning into their day; “First one to the slide gets (fill in the blank)”, “My (fill in the blank) is (better, bigger, stronger) than yours!” I’ll admit, as a mom, I do it too! I almost always regret it, but when the three boys take on sloth-like qualities […]
Exceptional Lives is proud to be a recipient of the International 2018 Zero Project Innovative Practice Awards.