Timmy Harmon, Cathy and Rock Harmon's middle child, is a wonderful young man. He has a smile that is infectious and seems continuously happy. Timmy also has autism. This is a story about Timmy and what he is able do because Rock and Cathy provide the kind of nurturing, care, and love that is so vitally important to Timmy. This article presents the…

Like many people, the author has spent the better part of his life fashioning a list of places he wanted to go and things he wanted to do. Because he is a typical American male, his "Bucket List" is mostly populated by sporting venues he wants to visit and sporting events he wants to witness. Sharing his "Bucket List" with his son would be a gift…

As a mother of a daughter with special needs, as well as to a son without, the author can say having had both experiences, all mothers, regardless of her children, struggle in one form or another. That may actually be a part of the job description: Mother: must be able to function well with minimal sleep; is capable of multi-tasking; be clever…

Over the next 10 to 15 years, an estimated 800,000 children with autism will age out of their school systems and look to state and federal governments for support services and resources to meet their many needs. "Autism: Coming of Age" provides an inside look at the lives of three adults with autism and their families. The film delves into the…

High school can be a bumpy road for teenagers, especially since most teenagers are trying to fit in and start to define their own individuality and future. Now imagine if a teenager has hearing loss. Besides not being able to hear their instructors or friends as well as their classmates, self image problems can be magnified if they need to wear…

For hearing parents, receiving a hearing loss diagnosis for their child can be a shocking event. For some parents, the diagnosis is the fulfillment of a hunch; confirmation of the suspected, but still scary verdict. Recent research finds that the period directly after hearing loss diagnosis is the most stressful and burdensome for parents,…

Having a disability or chronic health condition saddles the person with more than just the physical complaint. One has to struggle with the social meaning of that disorder as well. Often society is not very accepting of illness and disability and the person affected becomes stigmatized as a result. Stigma is a common problem among the disabled…

When dealing with families that have been somatically fixated, it is important to initially focus on the symptoms, while not getting dragged into the way that the symptoms have become a centrally organizing event for the family. This allows the clinician to connect with the family around the physical symptoms, which they have become hypervigilant…

Many people, whether old or young, male or female, typically developing or living with a disability, become quite anxious at the idea of a needle. They anticipate the possibility of pain, however brief, and try to avoid the experience. The reality is that any discomfort is usually very brief, and the entire process only takes a minute or two from…

The long awaited blessings of having a child bring simultaneous bouts of confusion and uncertainty regarding the vast parenting responsibilities that come with raising that child. When the child has a disability, sometimes the tasks can seem especially daunting. In this article, the authors aim to guide parents of children who display challenging…

Someone who lives with incontinence, whether bowel, bladder, or both, knows the social stigma and personal toll on his life. Incontinence is the ever-present shadowy silhouette lurking over almost every decision, sometimes requiring complex preplanning. In this article, the author describes the challenges of incontinence and discusses how she…

This is a six part article intended to give parents the information and strategies they need to cope with their child with epilepsy who may have school learning problems. Epilepsy and seizures affect the classroom in unique ways that can make the learning experience especially challenging for some kids. Fortunately, much can be done to give the…

This article presents an anecdote that relates the "derailment" that a child with autism can experience with an event as seemingly innocuous as the cafeteria pizza being rectangular as opposed to round. Those who work with or are the family member's of a person with autism will certainly be able to relate to such an event.

This article presents the story of Chad Roberts of Canton, Georgia, who is proving himself a promising employee day by day. He works several jobs in increments of up to 90 minutes. Some days, he completes bulk mailings at a law firm. On others, he's at local restaurants stocking the wait staff stations with supplies. The community-based vocational…

This is the fourth in a series of four articles about how to tell others about a child's epilepsy. If a child has epilepsy, parents will be confronted with the need to tell the parents of their child's friends about their child's epilepsy. This can be exceedingly difficult for a parent the first few times. Parents can make their world safer for…