Special Needs

My son has been diagnosed with Autism, OCD, ADHD, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, and Sensory Processing Disorder. I read like a crazy person. I study all I can on these disorders and I can't even express in words how important it is to me to give him every advantage in this world. I advocate for him and strive to make his needs my expertise so I can mother him with excellence. That said, sometimes education and experience are stretched beyond their span. Resources fail and the challenges mount. In these times we can only rely on God.

I'm going to do my best to post links here to any resources that may be of use to fellow parents, who struggle to be their child's safe place in the midst of chaotic emotional turmoil.  It's hard to be a parent of a child with special needs. It's hard and yet rewarding. God trusts us with our children. It's an amazing and overwhelming thought. Let's check out some earthly avenues He has supplied to help us in this battle and remember to turn to Him when the road gets rough.

Fact Sheet
Interview with Temple Grandin
Breaking News Science
SPD Red Flags
Tons of great articles on SPD
Vital Sounds
iLS
Time Timers
Sensory Street
Handwriting Without Tears
Integrations Catalog
Fidgets
Autism Speaks
The Out-of-Sync Child
The Autistic Brain by Temple Gradin

Parents have a lot of fears and concerns about the cause of autism. Some blame immunizations. I'm not in that group. My personal belief is that there is a tie between autism and serotonin. Research going back 50 years shows that this is a possibility. Read this research from 2011.

This information on dopamine is interesting too.

While I was pregnant with my son I was on antidepressants as a preventative for postpartum depression, which I had a severe case of after my first child's birth. After reading this and other information, I wonder what role this medicine may have played in my son's current diagnosis.

The bottom line, we don't know what causes autism. "More research is needed," they say again and again. However, research costs money and few who haven't aren't always eager to spend it on something so risky that may or may not yield results that pay off.  So we continue to pray for a miracle and hope for the safety of another woman's child.

Need some encouragement, Mom? Watch this fantastic video: