eSpecially Ben

10 Special Needs Media Moments of 2010 is taken from the About.com website specifically for families with special needs. This is history in the making. When a topic becomes a focus in TV shows and the media, the masses become aware of issues that are important to a specific group of people. It is the most common way to educate, if not the best.

The Autspot is a website with information about Autism, resources, calendars and much more. Check it out or pass on to someone who may find it interesting.

On Thanksgiving morning, my brother, sister, step-father and I woke early to run a 5K in the town of Shoreham Wading River. I have been looking forward to this event for some time - running with family would be a fun way to complete my 11th race of the year. I would like to tell you about how fast I ran the race, but there were no timers anywhere. I would like to write about the numbers we wore on our clothing, but alas, there were no numbers. Perhaps I could mention the chips we wore on our shoes to help determine our pace and time, but no, those did not exist either. I know, I could tell you about the people on the corners cheering us on as we climbed hill after hill, but even that I cannot do because the one small crowd was silent. This was absolutely the strangest race I have run. No chips, numbers, clocks, timers or cheering fans. Even the finish line was weird - a makeshift narrow passageway between cars.  As a runner passed by, a volunteer handed them a small piece of paper

Even a short nap during a long car trip at Thanksgiving can be pure bliss to the haggard parents driving. For a while, nothing stands between us and our total engrossment in Pat Conroy's audio book, My Losing Season . Check this out for more photos.

Ben has had a rough couple of weeks between his finger getting caught on something at school causing much commotion in his classroom, a fall at his PT therapy session leading to a black eye, scratches on his head and chin from some other mishaps and ending this past Friday with a trip to the ER in NY when Ben fell off the sofa at his grandpa's house and cut open his already beat up chin. I may have mentioned before that I do not like blood. I need to clarify - I steer clear of the red stuff when it is outside the body. At a neighborhood Halloween party, I heard crying. I ran to see if it was Sean, my youngest. I was correct, it was his cries I heard. As soon as I saw the blood all over my son's mouth, I took an about-face and headed for another room in the house, letting my husband assess the damage. Luckily, Ryan is the only one who saw me avoid my screaming bleeding child. When Ben got hurt in NY, I was still in bed. Ryan called up to me for help. I assumed it was a bathr

At a local nature museum, arachnid enthusiasts displayed their pet tarantulas for a special Halloween event. Then, an arts and crafts project was made available to the children. Logan, age 5, jumped at the opportunity to make one of his own, because that's the only way he is bringing one into our home. Check out more works of art.

I have been giving regular updates about my friend's son, Ethan. This article is about a creative fund raiser a high school principal coordinated:  Come Together to Help Local Child