Being a parent is difficult but being a parent to a child with special needs could be even more difficult. I hope I do not give the wrong impressions here.

Parenting a child with special needs can at times of a cycle of daily struggles about food, routine, fears, anxieties, learning difficulties, change of setting, varying moods, behavior changes and dealing with more than stares from strangers.

On top of that are therapy schedules, school placement and almost unlimited financial obligations among other things.

Alternative career options are not even in the list of what to achieve with some of them. Sad but true.

I once discussed these things with a caregiver about a child, my student, that she is taking care of. She said the parents are so worried that among all three children,  this child with special needs has the heftiest life insurance quotes.

She further explained that the parents thought it would make them feel that at least, they have taken cared of the financial aspect in the future. This is the greatest worry that parents of children with special need have: WHAT HAPPENS TO MY CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS WHEN I AM GONE?

As a special education teacher, my unsolicited advise would be to look for the best doctor and therapists who will work best with your child. As parents, you should also know and understand the condition of your child and always be there, as much as possible, to guide the child in the direction you and your team has set.

As parents, be on the lookout for tell-tale signs of your child being “off” the developmental milestones.

Remember that Early Intervention definitely works.

It seems like a few years ago when I first met this chubby and cute boy. He has so much energy that is so obvious there is something going on. Yes, we was diagnosed as having ADHD.

He used to be restless, he still is but restless in a different way. He used to talk nonstop although he is not so much like that nowadays. He used to be like the wind that can not be contained and controlled. In other words, he is indestructible.

He was given medication to control his actions and concentrate better in class. He transferred from one school to another and then back again to where he was enrolled first. Good thing he has stayed there till now that he is a Senior.

He wants to go to one of the prestigious schools in the country to study Information Technology. One time he came by with his brother who is having reading sessions with me. I wanted to discuss with him his plans and what he has lined up to achieve his goals but we weren’t able to talk much.

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Special needs parents? Whatever happened to children with special needs? Who are these people?

I am so happy to brag write about this. Woohoo!
Click here to read my article posted at FilipinoMomBlog.

Parents expect a lot when they have their children go into therapy, whether it is occupational therapy or speech and/or language therapy and physical therapy.

Of course, they expect a lot because they pay a lot of money to be able to get these services for their children.

Here in the Philippines, parents/families of children receiving therapy services pay for these services, unlike those children in other countries who get these as part of their tax benefits.

Getting into these therapy services don’t mean instant relief and instant improvement of the developmental and behavioral problems that need to be addressed.

So what should parents expect during the first few weeks of therapy?

Below are a few observations I have made during the course of working with these therapists:

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Sit.

One of the first things children need to do before they are ready to do some learning.

Sit.

One of the precursors in determining the attention span of a child.

Of course,not because a child is sitting down does not mean that the child is ready to learn.

For children with language processing problems, this is how to tell them to sit down. Not “Come sit here on the red chair.” or “I need you to sit now so we can start our lesson.” Chances are they will not be able to grasp if the message was about coming, sitting, the red chair, the starting, the lesson.

Why do children need to learn how to sit?

They sit when they eat. They sit when they do table top activities. They sit when they need to have a haircut. They sit in church. They sit when they are traveling. They sit when they wait for their turn at the doctor’ clinic. They sit when they watch tv and play with their computer games.

On the other hand, sitting does not mean that there is learning happening. There are those who just sit and not squirm but are not really learning anything.

Some children learn better when they are on the move.

Those schools that have the “Sit-down-and-listen-to-the-teacher” method should be avoided, if there are other alternative school. Children are active individuals and they won’t sit still for a long time. It is important to alternate both movements and table-top activities for them.

Click these Symptoms of ADHD and What to do if you Suspect Your Child has a Learning Disability?

This article, A Letter to My Grandmother by Dale S. Brown describes what she went through when she was growing up.

Another wonderful read: Beware the Sitting Trap.

The world is abuzz with the news about Michael Phelps. He who won eight (Beijing) Olympic gold medals in swimming, surpassing and breaking the record of Mark Spitz who had 7 gold medals in the 1972 Munich Olympics. All in all, he has 14 gold medals, the most any Olympian has ever won.

Need I mention that the predicted fortune the eight gold medals will bring him would be close to $100 million due to product endorsements?

As everybody knows by now, he has ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

So what so special about having ADHD and how does it relate to him winning a lot of gold and breaking world records?

It is NOT just having the ADHD that helped him win these, as the theme of the news reports reporting on this interesting aspect about him. It was a lot more.

His mother, Debbie Phelps was a middle school principal did her best to help her son: “I believe that appropriate treatment, including behavioral therapy and medication, can benefit children and adolescents with ADHD.” Click here to read more.

She was quoted here to have describing Michael as:

“He never sat still. He never shut up; he would never stop asking questions,” his mom says. “He just wanted to go from one thing to another.”

Debbie Phelps is a big help in developing Michael and his skills. She even wrote an article with tips on how to help manage a child with ADHD: Back to School: Help Your Child with ADHD Succeed In and Out of the Classroom.

Michael was diagnosed with ADHD and was on Ritalin until he reached 11 years old. He used to be angered easily when he losses. He focused instead, on winning, on getting his hand on the wall before anybody else does. Click here to read the article.

On dry land, Michael Phelps is said to be unsure of his footing. He even injured his wrist when he had a fall. He was hyperflexible on land, characteristic of those with ADHD who manages to trip on their own feet. Click here to read about the incredible prediction of Michael Phelp’s future victories when he was just 11 years old, written in a 2004 article.

So what does this post of mine have to do with sports and having ADHD?

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