Posts by Nicole Willard
A True Fighter: A Caregivers Need for Self-Care
Self-Care You’ve probably heard a lot about the importance of it lately. It is important for everyone to do this, not to mention necessary. This is especially true for those of us who are caregivers. Many caregivers are what we call forever parents. This means that we have a child that requires constant care and assistance. I will also be the first to tell you that I have not been very good about this myself. For starters, I was a single mom for many years. I went to school full-time…
Read MoreExpressing Love Beyond Words: Moments of Sibling Connection
Love is expressed in many ways. When you have a child with limited verbal abilities, it doesn’t always come out in those three little words either. A gentle tap on the shoulder. A glimmer in the eye when you walk into the room. A little bounce in the step or rocking back and forth with unheard music. Taking their hand and leading them to a prized possession to share in the joy. Sharing something precious to them, from a cookie to even their personal space, which is reserved for a…
Read MoreIt Takes More Than Most: Life As Special Needs Parent
It takes more than most. A weekend away. A special needs sibling hero. A pdf explaining all of the things. I mean, as much as one of our boys loves car rides, the other is in the completely opposite direction and suffers from car sickness. It doesn’t stop at car rides, either. One is fair with ringlets. The other has dark hair that’s as straight as you can come by. One will walk up to strangers in a crowd and make a dear friend for life. The other will be…
Read MoreThank You to the Waitress Who Understood Inclusion
We tried a thing today. It was one of our spur of the moment ideas. My autistic son, Xavier, had gotten up at four again, and to be honest, after we dropped off his younger brother at school, we were all hungry and in need of a caffeine fix. Xavier’s Occupational Therapy appointment had been canceled due to a training his therapist was attending, so we had over an hour to kill. There is a diner that my husband and I both love, and hadn’t been to in a couple…
Read MoreA Match is Made
A week ago, my younger son started playing soccer. My daughter took him to his first practice because I was sick. As I perused the pictures she sent me, it was obvious how much he enjoyed playing. My daughter barely saw him the entire hour he played because he was running around so much. He was having a blast with his new buddy. This soccer program is a program for children with special needs. My younger son has ADHD. His ADHD causes him to have a difficult time paying attention…
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