Parenting Advice for Raising Special KidsThe doctor comes in and gives you the diagnosis that confirms your child has a disability and you are now raising special kids. Your stomach draws into a tight knot and your heart is slamming into your chest. Even though you always felt there was something wrong, you still have that "the bottom just dropped out of my world" feeling that sits like ice in your gut. What are you supposed to do now? Or perhaps you have been fighting for years to get someone to listen to you and help your child. You know there is something wrong, but doctors, therapists, teachers, and social workers all blame you, or tell you your child just needs to try harder or "they will grow out of it" and suggest that you get therapy for yourself. Is it my fault? Why do I feel so guilty? How am I going to deal with this? How do you avoid the years of blindly stumbling around in the dark trying to find a way to help your child? Do you feel alone and helpless trying to get help for your special needs child? Are you lost in the maze of a complicated and overwhelming system? Is raising your special kid a complete mystery? Is your house and life a chaotic mess? Don't you know which way to go or who to ask for help? Don't even know WHAT help to ask for? Do you need parenting advice for raising special kids? You Are Not Alone I have been there. Right there, in your very shoes. It literally took years of fighting battles everyday before I managed to learn enough to even ask questions. Since those stumbling beginnings, I have been an advocate and peer support for parents raising special kids who are challenged by emotional, behavioral, or mood type disorders. This site is about my own experiences and what I have learned helping other families with parenting advice about raising their own special kids. When you learn that your child has a disability or a chronic illness, it starts a lifelong journey that can be a roller coaster ride of emotions, filled with tough choices, dealing with a bunch of different professionals and specialists, and a constant search for information and services. The isolation and loneliness you feel is heightened by your lack of knowledge. Your search for parenting advice, information, assistance, understanding, and support begins here. What This is All About I created this site with the hope that I can help even one person not have to go through the same things that we did. This is the site I wish I'd had when we first knew there was something very special about our daughter. I needed parenting advice badly then, so if you are raising special kids and you are in that spot now, then this is the place to start. No, there is no magic and there is no instant fix, but through knowledge, experience, dedication, a little parenting advice and a lot of love and support, you can do this.
I am raising four special kids - all girls. Cosette just turned 15 this summer and has both bipolar and autism. She also has asthma and numerous food allergies, sensory integration and digestive issues. Brianna is 10 and takes medication to keep her asthma under control, and is on medication for anxiety and depression. Anielei was hospitalized at four months old for failure to thrive. She could NOT eat anything, until we found the elemental formula Neocate. Through many doctors across several states until we made it to Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Dr. Putnam told us she has Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis. She is 5 now. And little Aja Marie is 4 and also on Neocate for most of her nutritional needs. She also gets speech therapy and has orthopedic braces to help her feet so she can walk properly. She has sensory integration dysfunction, reflux, numerous allergies, and an as-yet-unconfirmed Eosinophilic Esophagitis or EE. She finished up with Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy just a few months ago. My Princesses
They are all princesses and fill my life more than I ever imagined was even possible. The lessons that each one has taught me on raising special kids are included here as parenting advice with the hope that you will not have to fight and struggle each day just to try to help your child. My own family covers physical, emotional, and developmental disabilities, so we have had to deal with all of it. You can read more about them throughout this website, or visit www.anielierose.org Tell Us What Is On Your Mind! I am always looking for feedback, comments, ideas, suggestions, and stories that give you what you need by providing practical parenting advice and information that you can actually use. Please feel free to send me your feedback and tell me about your experience raising special kids! Just click on the Contact Us tab and fill out the form.
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