How to Run the Special Needs Marathon with no Training
by
Chantai Snellgrove 
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Lessons Learned | How to win the special needs marathon with no training
Raising a child with special needs is very much like running a marathon.
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In today’s conversation, I am speaking with Adriene Fern, a special-needs mom, who wrote a personal essay about how raising a child with autism is like running a marathon, but a marathon she didn’t sign up for.
As Adriene says, “Participation in her particular 26.2-mile event required even more endurance than the average “athlete” needs these days.”
Since Adriene is just about to “cross the finish line” of her marathon race, I asked her to “coach us” by sharing what she’s learned on various mile markers along the way. She talks about the challenges throughout the course we should be aware of and specific GPS routes or tracks she thought could help us in running our own marathon races.
Adriene & Jack Fern. The title of her essay she shared in the July/Aug 2018 issue of Parenting Special Needs Magazine. Click the image to read the essay.
Highlights of the Podcast:
• Gaining the best results for “running miles 1-8” (years one through eight).
• The biggest lesson learned during “miles 12-20.”
• Our experience with Public vs. Private Schools
• How did she deal with financial hardships and the high cost of services?
• What recent purchase of a $100 or less most positively impacted her life?
• A Back-to-School tip that parents can implement now.
• The biggest struggle she dealt with raising your son, and what is struggling with now?
“Raising a child with special needs is a full-time job in addition to raising a child who is typically developing.This is something you’re not prepared for. So you’re going on this marathon without any training and no coaches, and no one’s telling you how to run the marathon. So you have to figure it all out yourself.” ~Adriene Fern
Don’t Miss these GREAT TIPS she shared in this podcast!
• A well-hidden secret!!
• Neuro-Psych tests & Insurance
• Therapist tip about your child learning to ride a bike
•Regardless of disability, every child needs this skill for life.
• Speaking the Truth
• Chip in gifts
Links & Books mentioned in this episode:
The Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)
Birthday Party (Lou Knows What to Do)
Lou Knows What to Do: Special Diet
Lou Knows What to Do: Supermarket
This post contains affiliate links, which means Parenting Special Needs LLC, could receive a commission if you purchase using this link. We appreciate your support.
https://www.parentingspecialneeds.org/article/advocacy-tips-long-haul/
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