The Teacher

Before she was born, I spent a lot of time looking at her 3D ultrasound photos trying to determine whether or not she would look like she had Down syndrome when she was born. I hoped and prayed that she would be spared the tell-tale almond-shaped eyes, flattened face, short neck and protruding tongue. The…

Sibling Revelry

January and February in Arkansas are hard on anyone who has to go outside. These months are especially hard when you have little kids who want to go outside. The sky is gray. The river is gray. The cliffs, mountains, trees and buildings taller than three stories are all gray because of the fog that…

Extraordinary: A Typical Day in a Special Life of Lila Morrow

Young artisan Lila used one of her favorite therapy projects to begin her first business before most kids even think about starting elementary school. Introduce us to Lila.Lila is a vibrant and active 7-year-old girl who has Down syndrome. The moment she was born, our lives changed forever. We knew Lila would have Down syndrome…

Having Your Cake and Eating it Too

It means wanting the benefit from two possibilities when you can only choose one. Parents, teachers, therapists, experts, researchers. Pretty much everyone in the special needs world talks about the benefits of inclusion.  According to specaileducationguide.com, inclusion means “securing opportunities for students with disabilities to learn alongside their non-disabled peers in general education classrooms.” I…

Special Assurance in Unusual Times

If you are like me, you have exhausted all of Pinterest looking for sensory-friendly, educational activities while at home social distancing. Whether or not your kids are back in school this fall, parenting during the pandemic is hard. This is new territory; every decision seems impossible and there is even more added for us to…

On the Front Line of Special Needs

When our daughter was born we were expecting Down syndrome and heart defects, but as time went on, we learned more about her and global delays, hypothyroidism, ear and eye concerns and lung disease. After telling her nurse that I didn’t want anyone else to come in our room because I couldn’t handle another diagnosis,…

A Special Father’s Day

Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy. This framed cross-stitch quote hung over the couch in my parents’ living room for years. My mom made it for my dad for his first Father’s Day. This cross-stitch wisdom got me thinking: if anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy, then what does it take to be a daddy to a child with special needs?