My special needs children are not in school right now, but I have to admit any holiday or special occasion that involves parents posting pictures of their teacher gifts has a way of raising my blood pressure. Those pictures of cute gifts- often that took a lot of time or money, both in short supply…
Passing on the faith to our children is an awesome responsibility, and one that can seem overwhelming when one’s child is disabled, or learns in different ways. Author Allison Gingras shares the story of how she taught her deaf daughter about her Catholic faith through the use of the Church’s tangible treasures and traditions in…
As the parent of two children with disabilities, I’m always on the lookout for disabled adults, especially within the Church, who are living out God’s vocation for their lives in a positive way, while also sharing the struggles they face in our usually inaccessible world. While working on a project for the National Catholic Partnership…
Making decisions and organizing time is hard for all kids (and many adults). Kids with ADHD, autism, and other neurodivergence struggles can wander around for hours with nothing to do, despite the fact that there are dozens of options available. Decision making fatigue and overwhelm are real! At the beginning of the summer, our PCA…
Among the gifts of our Catholic faith is Church teaching on openness to life. We believe all children are a gift, regardless of their abilities. We welcome our special needs children with the trust that God has placed them in our families and we are uniquely prepared and capable of caring for them.nOne challenge of…
Every year at this time I see lots of articles on blogs and Catholic sites with titles like “25 Things You Can Give Up for Lent” or “Creative Things to Do for Lent” and around the same time some of my friends will declare (on social media, naturally) that they are fasting from social media…
We sat together, curled up in the big armchair, her head snuggled up in the crook of my arm. She had had a tough day, a tough week really. Lots of impulse control issues, a higher than normal baseline of anxiety. Our lectio divina time becomes even more important to me in times like this….
If there’s one thing parents of special needs kids encounter more frequently than most other people on the planet, it’s decision-making. When God sends us children who require extra care and attention, he assigns us the responsibility of discerning wisely about issues that range far beyond their clothing, feeding, and education. Often, we are faced…
Since starting Accepting the Gift as a one day conference in 2019, I am always on the lookout for ways to better serve Catholic special needs parents. In my talks with fellow parents, through surveys, and through discussions in online forums I learned that many families are struggling to figure out their child’s religious education…
Monica Herber is a Certified Life & Marriage Coach as well as a special needs mom. She brings her own knowledge and personal experience to the work she does coaching other parents who may be struggling in their vocation as a special needs parent. Many special needs parents know they’re struggling following the diagnosis of…
