I belong to a private Facebook group for parents who have kids with a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism. I think of myself new to the autism world but in actuality, my fourth daughter Evangeline has held the diagnosis for, oh my goodness what has it been? Two years? Although I mostly lurk, the dual diagnosis group has become a place of refuge for me. I find parents sharing their days with one
Should you throw a birthday party for your child with special needs? When the time is right… YES! We did it. We finally had a ‘friend’ birthday party for our daughter Evangeline when she turned eight years old a couple of weeks ago. I know some of you are probably thinking, ‘why is this even a question?’ I get it. I really do. Of course all kids deserve parties. But for some of us, it
Everyone, I’m thrilled that my husband Sergei, in the midst of everything else he’s got going on, was able to write a blog post in honor of Mental Illness Awareness Week. A lot of us know that depression is a family illness. I often get questions from spouses of someone who is depressed. Any tips? What can I do? How do I cope? I’ve asked my husband to share some thoughts. Please join me in
Mental Illness: when you fear you are losing your mind on a weekly basis (As this sometimes occurs, please forgive me if this post comes across muddy. I am not doing so hot today. Also, warning: this post my have some triggers for those who struggle with mental illness.) This week, October 4th through the 11th, is Mental Illness Awareness Week. I knew that I was supposed to post about this because I openly write