Special needs

My younger son has a speech delay, my older son has apraxia --a neurological speech disorder that requires frequent and intensive speech therapy to learn to speak. He didn't say his first words until...

As a special needs parent we learn to advocate for our children--with insurance companies, with doctors and specialists, with schools, within churches, and within the community. But one of the best w...

My older son (age 12) has hearing loss, a speech disorder, and a few learning disabilities, and my younger son (age 9) is on the autism spectrum, but I don't want their diagnoses to stop them from le...

I've found turning to scripture and being reminded of God's character (and that even our favorite Bible heroes had their own struggles in their lives) to be very encouraging in all the challenges tha...

If you're a parent raising a child (or children) with special needs, you know the ache, the loneliness, the worry and fear that can become consuming if you let it. You can find yourself struggling wi...

One day I was experiencing an unusually hard day. I was frustrated with my children who had missed their nap because we had been at an appointment that lasted way longer than it should have and now t...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I just love the opportunity to gather with loved ones and reflect on all the things we are grateful for, realize how blessed we truly are, all while eatin...

Dear Fellow Church Members, I am the mother of not one, but two children with special needs. We have moved three times in the last five years, requiring us to find a new church family, and while it...

Apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder that affects a child's ability to talk. A child with apraxia knows what they want to say, but cannot figure out how to get the lips, mouth, and tongue to ...

I have two sons, ages 12 and 14, both in middle school. Between the two of them, we’re at 14 diagnoses and counting. They are my greatest pride and joy, and to be honest, my greatest source of stress...

When I found myself suddenly thrown into the world of special needs parenting, the stress and isolation was overwhelming. Sure, I learned a lot from books and Google, but I found support in Facebook ...

Marriage can have plenty of challenges on its own. When you add in the extra challenges and stress and financial burden of a child or children with special needs, well, things can get even harder. ...

I overheard two expectant mamas talking in a Chick-fil-A play area. They sat together on one bench, while their 3 or 4 year-old boys played together, and they each were expecting a boy. I watched my ...

I find it encouraging to listen to podcasts around topics I'm interested in and want to grow in while I'm on the road, going for a walk, or folding the laundry. As a Christian who writes about spec...

Every December, my 7th grade students read A Christmas Carol . It's one of my favorite books I teach, there’s so much to learn and discuss and analyze from that book. This past weekend I decided to s...

As a mother with two sons with special needs, I have seen the power that praying God's Word has on aligning your will with God's will for your faith, your children, and your life. I have created for...

I'm a mama of two boys with over a dozen diagnoses between them. My life can easily be consumed by their needs, their therapy appointments, their diets, etc. My faith has struggled along this journey...

I went for a walk the other day, just soaking in God's creation unfurling after a long winter, when I happened upon a flower growing through a crack in the road. At first, I was sad for it. There w...

There are so many testimonies of people experiencing positive changes to their health or their children's health after using essential oils that I just had to give it a try for myself and for my two ...

When your child receives a diagnosis, (or several, like both of my sons) it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by emotions, overwhelmed by all the things to learn and do to care for your child,...

There’s a verse in Isaiah that I have found very encouraging and reassuring for parents, especially as a parent of two children with special needs. “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers...

I am a middle school English teacher who is always reading (and recommending to my students) books I think they'll enjoy. I am also the mother of two boys who both have special needs. I am drawn ...

Both of my sons have multiple diagnoses, and I prayed fervently for God to miraculously heal my children. It didn't happen, and I wondered if I didn't have enough faith, or if God was truly a mountai...

I've watched Finding Nemo and Finding Dory multiple times, but it didn't hit me until recently that both Nemo's and Dory's parents are special needs parents and they have different approaches to rais...

One day, it felt like everything that could go wrong on a simple outing with my two boys with special needs, did go wrong. We experienced not one, not two, but three epic meltdowns. My older son was ...

Being a special needs parent can be a challenging and isolating journey. As human beings, we are designed to need each other to support and encourage each other, and I begged God to send me someone...

I met Adria Wilkins last year at a local writing event. My first impression of her was that she was a smiley, joyful person. She radiates joy. We connected over the fact we were both writers AND that...

There is a unique struggle to keep your faith in God's goodness and His plan while juggling the appointments, stress, grief, and loneliness that accompany the special needs parenting journey. As the...

This special needs parenting journey is no joke. And being a Christian special needs parent adds in the struggle of trusting that God has a plan for your good and your child's good amidst all the wor...

This special needs parenting journey is no joke. And being a Christian special needs parent adds the struggle of trusting that God has a plan for your good and your child's good amidst all the worrie...

We love our children fiercely. Like Maya says in the second episode of Speechless, when told to not worry about her son JJ, who has cerebral palsy, she said "I can't. He's my whole world." I totally ...

I remember a time, several years ago when my kids were about two and four, when I joined a MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. I was excited to have provided childcare and a break from all the ther...

I have two sons who both have several diagnoses between them. Parenting them has been the most challenging, stressful journey I've ever been on. But it has also what has led me to grow so much closer...

IEP (Individualized Education Program) meetings are something many parents approach with a mix of anxiety and dread. Sitting down with teachers, specialists, and school staff to discuss your child's ...