October 13, 2013

Resources for Parents of Special Needs Children

Parenting a special needs child is no easy task. Whether you are dealing with ADD or autism, special needs parenting comes with its own set of unique challenges. There are so many of you brave, strong, inspiring parents out there, giving wonderful homes and lives to children in need, and we wanted to share with you a few of the articles we’ve come across recently that tackle the world of special needs parenting, be they guides, or blogs by special needs parents themselves.

Maria Lin wrote a beautifully honest article for the Huffington Post called “7 Things You Don’t Know About A Special Needs Parent.” From exhaustion to jealousy, this article is a must-read for any parent. Her words speak great truths, and provide powerful information for any parent – special needs or not.

Become a fan of Parenting Special Needs magazine on Facebook! We absolutely love their mission: “Parenting Special Needs Magazine help parents navigate the uncharted waters of raising a special needs child. Providing practical tips, sharing life’s lessons, tackling the challenges and celebrating the joys of one of life’s greatest gifts.”

Have you heard of the Special Needs Resource Project? They provide an incredible wealth of resources devoted to helping special needs parents get a head start on their journey by offering as much information and resources as possible. They have a monthly newsletter as well as a tab of helpful downloadable forms, including daily medicine charts, shopping lists, family medical history, and daily care plans.

We are all about alternative forms of therapy, especially those that take a focus away from just medicating children, and back into activating their minds and imaginations. And that’s why we love Liz Beck’s Art Therapy blog, which shares all sorts of tools and resources about new art therapy resources. A brilliant website for parents of all children who are looking for ways to reconnect their children to a more artistic world.

Diagnoses of ADD and ADHD are rampant these days. For a child, an ADD/ADHD diagnosis can cause severe depression and can drastically affect self esteem. Douglas Cootey’s blog, “A Splintered Mind” tackles all those topics with humor. And when it comes to the special needs world, that’s something of which there can never be enough.

Having a special needs child can take a huge toll on a family’s finances. Between doctors, medicine, therapy and various experts, the build-up of medical bills and expenses are overwhelming, at best. Special Needs Financial Planning is an excellent resource for financial planning options geared towards financing special needs issues. From housing to mediation – this is a vital site for any parent whose child has special needs.

Are you a special needs parent looking for  support? Sometimes it can be so much about the children that the needs of the parents are overlooked as well. Despite its many rewards, parenting a special needs child is an exhausting, time consuming, mentally challenging job – one that doesn’t often get the recognition it deserves. Support For Special Needs is a site that has rallied caregivers, parents and resources to provide invaluable support for those parenting children with special needs.

If you’re a parent of a special needs child and have information you’d like to share, please post on our Facebook page or email us at info@onetruegift.com. We’d love to share your resources with others!