How does one "manage" a disease? For most patients, it feels like the disease manages them. It effects how a person feels, their energy level, healthcare expenditures, doctor appointments, longevity and, ultimately, the individual's quality of life. However, disease management turns the tables on disease and puts patients and their physicians in…

Nationwide, more than 13.5 million children have special healthcare needs and with increases in the prevalence and diagnosis of development disabilities, this number can be expected to increase in the coming years. For any child with special needs, it is very important that they have a medical home from which all services can be coordinated. The…

This seventh installment of a 12-article Medical Home series describes the experiences of a fictitious couple, Amita and Samir, as they learn to adapt to the reality of raising a pre-adolescent girl, Anjali, with special needs. Anjali, due to her premature birth, had been suffering from recurrent asthma attacks. This article discusses how Anjali…

This article is the ninth installment of a series that chronicles the life of a fictional family--Amita and Samir, and their daughter with special needs, Anjali. This article looks back at the milestones in Anjali's life. It describes the transition processes she underwent from being a child to an adult. Now, married and pregnant with her second…

This article presents the fourth part in the 12 installment series that presents the experiences of a fictitious couple, Amita and Samir, as they learn to adapt to the reality of having a premature baby with special needs. It describes the services provided by various community resources to children and youth with special healthcare needs and…

The father of an infant with motor neuron disease describes his early experiences with medical professionals. He urges that parents see the medical community as assistants in the process of raising a special needs child, and urges that the medical community see parents as full partners. (JDD)

The practice of requiring that children with disabilities undergo public medical examinations attended by numerous professional and student personnel is challenged. These discriminatory practices are attributed to uninformed attitudes of members of the medical establishment, and the implications for patients' quality of life are noted. (JDD)