In The News
What Does Justice Look Like Here?
As an attorney, I often read about lawsuits wondering what the best outcome for both parties will be. What does justice look like here? I sat through what felt like a decade of law classes learning that not everything is what it seems. Learning to condense information to the most necessary facts and looking at both sides of a case. Now in my legal profession, I sit across my clients, digging deeper, finding out facts about who they are as a person. To highlight their personal struggles to formulate a…
Read MoreMarklund Makes Life POSSIBLE
When you have a child diagnosed with something the words can be crushing. Maybe you found out in utero. Maybe at birth. Or maybe years in. Either way, whenever it happens, it can be very scary. You will feel like your world has been turned upside down. The control you once had as a person and a parent, now feels lost. What parents need as they move through the special need’s journey is support and hope. They need the professionals in their life to see all of the amazing…
Read MorePolice Officer’s Reward Boy in Most Amazing Way
Last week, I asked for help in rewarding my grandson. Bricen has autism, and works hard at controlling his emotions, and making good decisions. He receives therapy which promotes positive programs. A part of Bricen’s therapy is earning tokens. Over a three week period, Bricen earned 75 tokens, and his one and only wish was to have a soda with a policeman at McDonalds. Officer Chris Vines, from the Sumner County Sheriff Office, responded saying he’d like to meet Bricen. He shared Bricen’s story with fellow officers at the Sheriff…
Read MoreAnxiety, Depression and Social Media
If my sister was a teenager in today’s world of social media, she would be dead. I have no doubt about it. It was a miracle that she survived as it was, but had facebook, instagram, snap chat and tiktok been around then, I honestly do not think she would be here today. I absolutely hate the impact social media has on our teens today. My niece is 15 and we have already found her in situations she had no intentions of being in. And she has already found herself…
Read MoreSephora Basket System Indicates if Shoppers Want Assistance
Are you an introvert? Or an extroverted introvert like me? Yes, that’s really a thing. Do you have social anxiety? Do you cross the street to avoid talking to people? Do you always choose the self checkout line at Target, no matter how many items you have, just to avoid chatting with a cashier? Because I do. At a Sephora in Europe, they are testing out a solution to help their introverted customers feels more comfortable. Red and black baskets are being used to indicate whether or not shoppers would…
Read MoreDad adopts girl with Down syndrome who was rejected by 20 families
Long before I became a mother I attended a lunch-and-learn about adoption. At the time I worked for an amazing social services organization as a Project Manager. They also offered adoption services. I loved kids. I wanted to learn more. I also wanted lunch. As I sat there I learned about the insane costs and time that goes into adopting a child. Story after story of parents fighting for babies. The exhausting and emotional process was laid out for us. I learned that everyone wanted a baby. I learned that…
Read MoreSeverely Autistic Boy Handcuffed after School Allows him to Wander Off
Trevor Hibbert, a California father says he is planning legal action after his severely autistic son was found and handcuffed by police almost a mile away from his middle school. These stories are in the news almost daily now. I’m not sure if that has to do with the rise of social media, news outlets looking for a good story, or if this sort of thing is new. But I can tell you as a mom, they terrify me. And I can tell you as a blogger who shares these…
Read MoreA Coward’s Message Goes Viral
Valerie Jerram, a Newark mom, posted a letter to Facebook on Saturday about an anonymous letter she received asking her to keep Mickey, her special needs daughter, away from a little league ballpark. The letter was left taped to her mailbox by a nameless local resident, presumably also a parent of a child in the Midway Little League where Jerram’s son has played for nine years. In fact, the family consider the Midway ballpark a second home – confirmed by the hand-painted wooden sign adorned with a pretty ribbon on the front…
Read MoreDisney World’s Snow White Soothes an Autistic Boy
Lauren Bergner spent months preparing her 6-year-old son Brody for a family trip to Disney World. Like my son, and many of our children, Brody has autism and communicating with him about trips before they happen helps him to adjust more easily. Even though she did everything she could to prepare her son, Bergner knew a meltdown would probably happen at some point because Brody is sensitive to noise and crowds. And I will add as a mom to a little boy like Brody, I know that heat and any…
Read MoreArrests made in West Virginia Special Education Abuse Case
Like me, many of you have been following this story since the beginning. As a mom to a little boy with nonverbal autism, it summarized my worst nightmares and greatest fears into one. Emotional and physical abuse of the most vulnerable population. Thankfully, arrests have been made. Suspecting her 6-year-old daughter with severe nonverbal autism was being abused at school, Amber Pack, a West Virginia mother hid a recording device in her daughter’s hair, court documents say. On Friday, the girl’s former teacher and two former aides were arrested, the…
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