In the first post in this series, I shared three commonalities of parents who live triumphantly with special needs children. Today we’ll look at three more. As was suggested in the previous post, don’t implement all the ideas immediately. Concentrate on one until you master or complete it before going on to a new one.
#4 Triumphant parents advocate for their children.
They advocate at school, becoming familiar with the laws about what schools must provide. They persistently, calmly and respectfully insist that the provisions be implemented. If necessary, they enlist the help of doctors to accomplish this. They advocate for extra-curricular activities, presenting solutions to the deficiencies they see. For example, they don’t insist that someone else start a Little League Challenger Division. They lead the effort themselves. They advocate for their children within the medical community. They may insist on a second opinion or do further research. In rural areas, they may need to educate the doctor and even the hospital staff about how to deal with their child. And they may need to advocate at church, showing staff members special needs Sunday school curriculum available from www.friendship.org and organizing a class.
#5 Triumphant parents find support groups.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 saysThough one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easily broken. To find a support group, check this website’s resource page. If your child’s condition isn’t listed, do a google search. Often the national websites for specific diseases and conditions provide a local support group locator. Or start your own support group on Facebook or www.MomLogic.com. If necessary, ask your doctor or pastor for a list of mental health counselor who can help you work through your emotions.
#6 Triumphant parents watch for signs of PTSD in themselves and their kids.
If you or your special needs child or your other children exhibit signs of extreme anxiety, you need to seek treatment. If you have frequent contact with a major children’s hospital, ask the child life specialists or social workers for assistance. They may be able to provide therapy themselves or refer you to someone who can. You can also go to the Different Dream resource page which has a link to the Intensive Trauma Therapy Inc. where our son was successfully treated in December of 2008.
Today’s last thing – if you discover national websites for illnesses not listed on this site’s resource page, please leave a comment and include the URL. If the organization checks out as legitimate, I’ll add it to the page. Thanks!
Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.
