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Sesame Street Has a New Character, With Autism. Will Typical Children Ever See Her?

Sesame Street's new character isn't yet planned to appear on its mainstream broadcast program. Read More...

Published Thu, Oct 10 2015 12:26 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: Autism, parenting, Disabilities, Children and Childhood, Highlights, Sesame Workshop, Sesame Street (TV Program), Elmo (Fictional Character)

A Special-Needs Parent Against My Will, Learning My Own Adaptive Lesson

People warned me that I would cry at my daughter's first adaptive ballet recital, but they didn't say why. Read More...

Published Sun, May 05 2015 5:35 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, cerebral palsy, Disabilities, Adaptive Parenting

Harsh Critics in Public Spaces, Judging Only What They See

Strangers like to tell me what I’m doing wrong as a parent, or at least give me hard, critical looks, all the time. But there's a big part of our story they often don't know. Read More...

Published Mon, Jan 01 2015 9:56 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Autism, parenting, Down syndrome, Disabilities, Children and Childhood, Special Education, Highlights

Playgrounds for Kids Who Can’t Run and Jump

Knowing how many ordinary pleasures were cut off from my daughter, I was angry when something as common as swinging through the air on a hot summer day was also unreachable because of broken or missing equipment. Read More...

Published Thu, Jul 07 2014 11:30 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Disabilities, Playgrounds, Americans with Disabilities Act, Highlights

Mother in the Dark

Retinitis pigmentosa has gradually chomped away at my vision like Pac Man. Right now, I'm partially sighted and night-blind, and a glow-in-the-dark bouncy playspace is a nightmare. Read More...

Published Sun, Jun 06 2014 5:13 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Disabilities, Blindness, Highlights, Adaptive Parenting, Eyes and Eyesight

Talking to Children About Their Disabilities, With Metaphors and Minecraft

Those of us who have kids with disabilities in our lives spend countless hours discussing them, yet, we rarely, if ever, talk directly to children themselves about their challenges. These conversations can be scarier for the grown-ups than they are for...

Published Tue, May 05 2014 11:54 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Autism, parenting, Disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Dyslexia, Asperger's Syndrome, Children and Childhood, Highlights

My Daughter, Profoundly Disabled, Needs a School for Children Like Her

The consensus that children with disabilities are best educated in an inclusive classroom is in danger of hardening into dogma that risks re-stigmatizing children with severe or profound disabilities. Read More...

Published Thu, Apr 04 2014 12:25 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Disabilities, Children and Childhood, Education (K-12), Special Education, Highlights, OpEd Project, United States, DePaul University

The Cleft-Lip Smile I Never Knew I’d Miss

I love the face my son was born with, cleft lip and palate and all. I'm certain we did the right thing by correcting it, but I ache as I miss his triangular "before" smile. Read More...

Published Sun, Mar 03 2014 6:21 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Disabilities, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Babies and Infants, Highlights, Cleft Palate, Smile Train

Teaching a Daughter She Can Do Anything, When A.L.S. Means Her Mother Can’t

First, I couldn’t carry my daughter up the stairs. Then I couldn’t carry her from the door of her bedroom to the bed. Now she’s 3, and I can’t even pick her up. Read More...

Published Sun, Dec 12 2013 5:55 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Disabilities, _featured, Highlights, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Growing Up With a Disabled Sibling

Does the sibling with Down syndrome inevitably get all the attention? Read More...

Published Thu, Oct 10 2013 12:50 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Down syndrome, Disabilities, Children and Childhood, Highlights

Becoming the Parent With the Child in the Wheelchair

When your child is suddenly stricken with a devastating illness, you learn to navigate encounters with families who knew you before your lives changed. Read More...

Published Fri, Aug 08 2013 8:43 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, hospitals, Disabilities, Encephalitis

'Far From the Tree' and the Literature of Autism

Among other things, "Far from the Tree" is a tribute to parents who live the daily grind, who celebrate incremental victories, and who avoid reading books about their child's diagnosis until they're ready. Read More...

Published Tue, Nov 11 2012 8:22 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, Autism, parenting, Disabilities, Books and Literature, Solomon, Andrew

Rolling the Dice of a Genetic Legacy

IVF allows parents to screen embryos for the brittle bone disease my oldest child and I share, but we chose to take our chances instead. Read More...

Published Fri, Jul 07 2012 7:05 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, IVF, babies, genetic screening, Disabilities, Ellen Painter Dollar, brittle bone

Because of Katie, Children With Severe Disabilities Can Live at Home

Most Americans have never heard of Katie Beckett. But because her mother persuaded Ronald Reagan to waive Medicaid rules on her behalf, my severely disabled son can be raised at home. Read More...

Published Wed, Jun 06 2012 7:17 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, Autism, Disabilities, Americans with Disabilities Act, Medicaid, caregivers, Katie Beckett

Teaching a Deaf Child Her Mother's Tongue

When her daughters were born deaf, a hearing mother faced a choice between spoken language and sign. Read More...

Published Tue, May 05 2012 12:22 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, Disabilities, disabled child, speech, deaf, Cochlear Implants

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