Sarah couldn’t sleep all night. I heard her come into the bedroom and could see the hint of light coming in from behind our curtains, when I finally heard the gentle rhythm of her breath indicating she was asleep. She was no longer staying awake at night because she was with a child who needed…
“Let me know if I can ever help!” a friend said as we walked away from each other last Sunday. Her desire to help is genuine. She knows my eleven-year-old son James has level three autism, and I’m his primary caregiver. Over the next decade, I’ll also become the primary caregiver for my sister who…
I didn’t dare move a muscle. Breathe in, breathe out, quiet, shallow, in, out. Don’t move. My son was finally asleep cradled in my arms against my chest. If I could just not move or breathe, maybe, just maybe he would sleep for 15-20 minutes and for that 15-20 minutes there would be no screaming…
This past weekend my husband and I spent a few restful days in the bluegrass region of Kentucky. A verdant land of rolling hills, miles and miles of three-rail fences, horse farms that look like something out of a fairytale, and sleek thoroughbreds grazing in the fields, some of them nursing foals. Gorgeous. It was…
Diane Dokko Kim Autism. Diagnosis code 299.00 Our toddler could barely walk when his future ran out on him. The slippery slope from diagnosis to the dissolution of dreams is steep and cruel. Regardless how rare a child’s condition, the heart of every special-needs parent tumbles into a universal pit of despair, “He may never…
A few years ago, I volunteered in the children’s ministry at my church. Most of the time, the volunteers were busy serving the children. There were a few opportunities during the class for the volunteers to chit-chat. Working with the children was easy. The adult socializing was hard for me. “Your son is so bright,”…
In 2012, I found my daydreams of motherhood shattered, replaced with several diagnoses for both of my boys and a slew of endless appointments. Every few months, one of them would receive yet another diagnosis, which would send me into yet another cycle of grief. Each diagnosis also amplified my anxiety, sending me researching on…
I’m a special-needs sibling. My sister Syble, who has Down syndrome, is just fourteen months older than I am. Growing up in her shadow had challenges and blessings. I’m also a special-needs mom. My younger son James was diagnosed with autism in 2010. Because of what I went through, I’m able to relate to my…
Most likely a fantastic husband will also be a fantastic father. And it’s important to realize it might not happen overnight. As we settled into parenting in our marriage, it gave us a lot of things for which to welcome—shall we say—good conversations. Joe would admit that initially, I (Cindi) was the one carrying the…
Sex and relationships are hot topics in youth work at the moment, and rightly so, when we see the mixed messages, confusing feelings and myriad questions that young people are dealing with every day. But for young people with additional needs, this topic is often one that is considered to be irrelevant for them, even…