eSpecially Ben

Making friends for any child can be scary and intimidating, but when it is successful, children can meet people who may be a part of their life for a long time. As we all know, friends are an important part of growing up. Children with special needs are no different. They need that experience as well. If your child is non-verbal and/or has physical challenges, it may be a task that involves creativity and planning. Here are a few ideas that may help you get started: Get a class list Ask the teacher if it is okay for them to share the names and contact information of the students in the classroom. This list of names gives you an opportunity to talk with your student about the children in the class. If it seems that your child has interest in a few, you may try contacting the parents. One day while visiting my son’s classroom, I noticed another child putting his arm around my son and trying to sit next to him. I made contact with the mom and we had a “playdate” at our house – playin

Toilet Training – just those two words can instill fear into the strongest of people. I embarked on my first experience with my middle son and I waited until he was 3 ½ - he was more than ready. In fact it was so easy, he went right into underwear with no accidents. He was annoyed when I followed him around asking if he needed to go potty. Logan is a typical child. Ben is six years old and the discussion of potty training has been going on for 3 years. He’s had his own potty for at least that long. Something clicked in my head the last weeks of summer and I knew it was time to get serious about toilet training. Here are some of the things I am learning along the way: 1. Are you ready? With a typical child, there is a toilet training method called the “Readiness Model.” This means that the child displays specific signs that mean they are ready to be potty trained, such as being uncomfortable in a dirty diaper, interest in the goings on in the bathroom, physically able to remove clot

In 2003, my husband and I were blessed with Bennett Ryan, a beautiful red-headed boy with big brown eyes, tiny fingers and feet. So perfect, so sweet - we were so in love with him. So in love, it was not until many months later that we realized that Ben was not progressing - not moving his head or body, not making sounds. Since we did make the realization that something was not completely right, we have been through a lot. It is my hope to share our story and possibly make it easier for others in similar situations. Everyone has a story to tell and I am a firm believer that sharing the good and bad of your own life is the best way to heal, best way to connect with others and the best way to find out that we are all alike in some way or another. And I am selfish too. This is not just for others, this is for me too. I have wanted to be a writer for a long time. I wanted to be Carolyn Keene (author of the Nancy Drew series) first, then Erma Bombeck. By sharing our story, I also get to