In many ways, my little girl meets the definition of vulnerable. A not-yet-seven year old girl with Autism and ADHD. She’s no longer young enough for us parents to continue to be her shadow, following her every move and ready to catch her when she falls. She’s too capable to constantly have safety at arm’s length. Yet, with… Read More Mahalo: The Gift We Give When We Have the Courage to Receive
We are forever learning to be better parents to our children, and that is not different when parenting a child with special needs. Occasionally, someone from Sage’s school will ask if we have any tips to respond to a certain trigger or behavior, and outside of bonding over our shared helplessness, at times we’ve got… Read More Responding to Autism’s Surprises
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything directly pertaining to the work I do with families of children with disabilities. I am a special education attorney who represents parents trying to obtain an appropriate educational program, known as an IEP which is short for Individualized Education Program, for their children with disabilities. This past… Read More Two Great Resources for Connecticut Parents of Children with Special Educational Needs
I was thrilled the day my kids started arguing. Finally, they reached the true test of siblinghood. NEGOTIATION. It has taken a good five-and-a-half years to get here and I’m not complaining yet. At fifteen months apart my kids have actually been mistaken for twins. I don’t see that strong a resemblance. They may not ‘look a… Read More Finally…my kids have learned to argue with one another!
I have a new job, which means I have been plunked down into someone else’s office in a new work environment with its own culture. It’s incredible. This is where I am meant to be, and that feels really good. I work in a law office that represents parents of special needs kids, and guess… Read More A Short Note on Appreciating What You Have as a Parent.
We’ve been pretty open with both our children about Autism since our daughter was first diagnosed, about 2 1/2 years ago. At first, we talked about it in terms of similarities and differences. We are all “different” and have different things we’re good at, and struggle with. Noah is only 15 months older than his… Read More “One Thing I Don’t Like About Autism.”
One aspect of my job is to represent impoverished people in Social Security Disability hearings. Representing the children is what I love most. Many people wonder why a child would seek disability benefits. Particularly for kids with mental health issues, some think that being found disabled by the federal government means that the child is… Read More Representing Children
CT Working Moms 