Support

As the parent of a baby or young child with special needs you need to find support. We're here to help! Learn how to locate support groups or just find the encouragement you need!

Tired exhausted mother having problem with naughty noisy kid.

Special Needs, Support

Overcoming Burnout: 6 Tips for Mothers of Special Needs Children

Feeling anxious, low, and tired all the time? Parental burnout is common among special needs parents. Read below for some steps you can take to feel better.

Doctor giving the child new glasses for her vision.

Eye Conditions and Syndromes, Support, Visual Impairment

Coping with a Diagnosis: Emotional Support for Families with Visually Impaired Children

Families with emotional support are more resilient. Learn how to establish emotional support with peers, professionals, and the community to help your family thrive.

Two moms telling you to stop

Support

3 Things All Special Needs Moms Need To Do Now To Maintain Their Sanity

It’s natural for special needs parents to go above and beyond for their children, but we need to remember that it's important to take a break as well.

sad mom

Special Needs, Support

COVID Taught the World About Grief and Isolation; Special Needs Families Already Learned These Lessons

Maybe the world now recovering from the COVID pandemic can learn something from parents of disabled children who have already developed coping skills.

Support

Aware Bears Support Kids with Disabilities

Find out about Aware Bears and Never-Ending Stories. They aim to change the perception of what people with disabilities are capable of.

smiling mother with her child

Support, Visual Impairment

Lighthouse Guild’s National Tele-Support Network

Whether you are a parent of a child with visual impairment, a high school student, young adult, or an adult navigating vision loss, there is a tele-support group for you!

To the Mother Whose Life Isn't Taking the Expected Path

Parenting, Support

To the Mother Whose Life Isn’t Taking the Path She Expected

The path of a special needs parent is hard, but you need to choose happiness. You feel countless emotions, each and every one of them, and at some point you...

Support

When Your Special Needs Support Group is Anything but Supportive (and 5 Tips to Get it Back on Track)

Moms yelling at each other certainly isn't a new thing, but online support groups can take it to a whole new level! Find tips on how to keep your special...

woman holding a sad face mask in front of her face

Support

What can you do for the special needs mom who doesn’t feel anymore?

Sometimes it seems like I don't have the time to feel, and I know this isn't a new thing. I've been not feeling for a long time. Is it OK...

three ropes in a knot

Support

The hidden truth about special needs resources: It doesn’t need to be this complicated

Do you ever feel like you're tied up in knots looking for support and resources for your special needs child? Maybe it doesn't have to be this way!

group of friends

Support

Do you have the courage to redefine disability?

What does disability look like to you? How do people with disabilities interact with the mainstream world? What can you do to help?

two friends at the cafe

Support

I’m tired of being “the special needs mom”

Are you the parent of a special needs child? Do your friends also have kids with disabilities and that's all you ever talk about? Maybe it's time for a change!

a mother who is sad

Support

They told me feeling sad made me a bad mother

By admitting that my child's disabilities make me sad, I am saying that my child's existence brings me grief. By writing this in a public space, I am telling the...

woman on her smart phone

Support

To my best friends and support network that I have never met

As the mother of a special needs child I need friends and support. Where is the best place for me to find a support network? Surprise! That's what social media...

Ivan smiling as a baby

Special Needs, Support

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me When My Child was First Diagnosed with a Disability

If you could go back in time to when your child was first diagnosed with a disability, what would you tell yourself? What advice would you give?

happy baby

Support

Please Don’t Feel Sorry for Me or My Special Needs Child

I don't want my friends or family to feel sorry for me or for my child. I'm not saying this in a tough "I can handle this so you don't...

Woman meditating on a dock

Support

The one thing I haven’t learned as a special needs parent

A lot of people write about what they've learned as a special needs parent, but there's one thing I still haven't learned yet.

two friends having coffee

Support

An Open Letter to the Mom Who Just Wants to Help

Remember that you're my friend, not my therapist.

A collection of WonderBaby.org wines

Support

Wine for Moms of Blind Kids

A glass of wine with dinner helps iron out the stresses of the day for lots of moms, but us special needs moms have more stresses than most!

little girl sticking out her tongue

Support, Visual Impairment

What I Will Say the Next Time Someone Asks an Insensitive Question About My Deafblind Daughter

"What's wrong with her eyes?" Do people ask you questions about your blind child? What do you say?

Lachlan using brailler

Support, Visual Impairment

Surviving the First 18 Months After Learning Your Child is Blind

Learning your baby is blind is hard... but you will move on! Janine says, "Life was continuing and I started to realize how strong we were becoming. The tears were...

baby feet with sand

Parenting, Support

When I Feel Alone as a Mom to a Child With Anophthalmia, I Remember This

Gwen writes about her baby daughter, Ivey, and the medical issues she faces. Gwen finds strength in her friends, family and even strangers who are drawn to her little girl.

woman in wheelchair with baby carrier attached

Parenting, Support

Disabled Parenting Project

The Disabled Parenting Project (DPP) is an online space for sharing experiences, advice, and conversations among disabled parents as well as those considering parenthood.

What if I die?

Parenting, Support

“What if I die?” Creating a care plan to combat the secret fear of every special needs parent

If you are the primary caregiver of a special needs child, you probably worry about what would happen if you were gone.