Special Needs Parenting

On Losing a Child: Stories from the SFN Dad to Dad Podcasts is a compilation of 12 stories told from the perspectives of fathers who lost a child who in most cases was medically fragile. Each of the 12 chapters includes a heartfelt story by a father who has also agreed to serve as a Special Fathers Network (SFN) Mentor Father.

Kate Jones and Mandy Hose have experienced the highs and lows of parenting - and they wouldn't change a thing. The pair met a decade ago and bonded over their premature twins with additional needs and their remarkable capacity for love, laughter and swearing like a trooper. As the mothers grew closer, however, they confided that they felt 'on-the-floor lonely' sometimes because nobody was talking about what it was like for families like theirs. It was time to give their community a voice.

Parenting is hard - for everyone. And it takes a lot of inner pep talk and prayer to be the kind of parent your child needs. Eat, Sleep, Save the World is the rallying voice for the parenting special needs community. It highlights the exceptional qualities God has gifted you with so that you can take care of your exceptional children. It is a celebration, a hallelujah, a high five for what you are doing right. And it offers peace in God for what you feel you lack.

Misfit Leadership is about leveraging your weirdness or nonconformity to improve performance and character. What happens when a dyslexic, ADHD, big-picture guy sneaks into the detail-oriented world of evidence collection, fingerprint analysis, and meticulous documentation of the FBI? On the one hand, when executing search warrants, the author had trouble finding stuff—often missing the bloody knife or the muddy footprints.

This new audiobook is first in a series of inspirational stories about fathers raising children with special needs. This audiobook features 12 fathers raising children with autism, selected from the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast, including the actor Joe Mantegna, who also provided a forward.

Becoming Tom’s mum had always robbed me of the chance to sleep, and here I was, fifteen years on, alone in the dead of night, longing to be able to rest like everyone else. When I saw the thin blue line on my pregnancy test, I dared to hope for a future of blissful motherhood. From his very first night in the world, Tom did not sleep. By the time he was six months old, I was a single parent and almost maddened with tiredness.

Kimberly Wyse is a blogger, speaker, and Down syndrome advocate, who tells the story of the traumatic birth of her much-anticipated third child, who was diagnosed at birth with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and had major medical complications that almost took his life several times. Through the gift of extreme medical intervention and God’s miraculous answers to prayer, this precious boy has exceeded everyone’s expectations and is a joy to his family today.

When Schuyler Rummel-Hudson was 18 months old, a question about her lack of speech by her pediatrician set in motion a journey that continues today. When she was diagnosed with bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria (an extremely rare neurological disorder), her parents were given a name for the monster that had been stalking them from doctor to doctor, and from despair to hope, and back again.

Finding Robert chronicles a family’s journey through the world of developmental disorders. It depicts the struggles faced, examines decisions made, and offers a thorough analysis of the therapies utilized. Amid sadness and confusion, with strength and resolve, Robert and Catherine regained their son. This is their story.

Note to Self as a 9-Year-Old Child. Hello Child of God, I know you are saying "What?" Your Wisdom at age nine years, tells you to fasten your seatbelt - we are going for a ride. Two days before your ninth birthday Mama goes to her heavenly home. I started my road to alcoholism at 18 yrs. A new day will begin at 29 years, in a strange world of recovery. At 70 yrs, you will learn the concept of Vision Tracking Disability. The first time that you will read a book, not on CD. Beginning with a dream to come true writing your memoir.

Chasing Lilly is a captivating true story of a little girl who refused love and attachment, because severe abuse robbed her ability to receive them. The story sparkles with humor, as Lilly meets her match in a family who refused to give up on her.

Johnny is 19. He likes music, art and going to the beach. He is also autistic - in his case that means he will probably never get a job, never have a girlfriend, never leave home. And over the last 19 years this is what his father, TV producer and comedy writer Henry Normal and his wife Angela have been trying to come to terms with. This is a book for anyone whose life has been touched by autism - it's about the hope, the despair, and the messy, honest sometimes comical day-to-day world of autism, as well as a wonderful, warm book about the unconditional, unconventional love between a father, a mother and a son.

Powerful and eye-opening, Seeing Ezra is an inspirational chronicle of a mother's struggle to protect her son from a system that seeks to compartmentalize and "fix" him, and of her journey toward accepting and valuing him for who he is - just as he is.

Tic Toc Autism Clock explains how autism may affect each of the child's senses and provides ideas for working through those sensitivity issues. The authors provide techniques parents can implement to teach the child through play, reading, language activities, social activities, and cooking. The listener will learn how to weave sensory interventions, communication strategies, behavioral techniques, and social skills into one cohesive 24/7 plan.

There's nothing wrong with your child! Stop worrying! No matter how often your friends and family may say this, if you know that your child is developing differently from their peers, it's time to stand up for your conundrum child. When you have a child with additional needs, what's important is not that they get top marks or play rugby for the first team: it's that they are able to get changed quickly enough after PE or have a friend round on a stress-free playdate. Use the CAN approach to help your child Connect, Achieve and Navigate their way to independence.

Raising an autistic child can mean an emotional ride - ups and downs, emergencies and victories. But imagine the roller coaster of having not one autistic child, but three. Follow Karen Pellett as she spills her Spectrum Mom secrets and learn how to get your family over surviving and into thriving.

Normal for Me tells the story about the author hitting rock bottom when she received the diagnosis that her second oldest son was on the autism spectrum. One evening she fell to her knees asking God, “Why can’t we be a ‘normal’ family?” God whispered, “This IS normal for you.” This epiphany began her journey from anguish and grief to acceptance, peace, hope, and joy. This audiobook is ideal for not only families struggling with autism but anyone who has had to face a life detour or help someone along the way.

Drawing lessons from Sam's transformation journey from difficult child to budding entrepreneur, My Child's Different offers encouragement to parents who may be concerned about what the future might hold. It demonstrates how, with the right support and positive parenting skills, their children can grow up to surprise and delight them.

I Might Be You is a fresh look at the damage and emerging sun as told by an adult with autism who is, "disguised as a poor thinker," but has much to say yet does not speak, and a therapist who helps rebuild. With experience, wit, warmth, and wisdom these two collaborate to rethink roles, expectations, treatment strategies, education, meaning, and the healing truth about connection. It is a must read for overwhelmed parents, teachers and practitioners needing inspiration, and those with ASD seeking purpose as hope is found.

"Like most fathers, I'd dreamt of doing all sorts of things with my son. I had so many plans, but when I was told my son was autistic, those plans seemed more like a fantasy. Well, eight years after that dreadful diagnosis, I am writing this book to let every father know that your plans for you and your son can still be a reality. It's just the path that takes you there that has to be altered."