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Perspectives For Parents:
Advice & Support from Parents & Caregivers
One Quick Question: My child is turning 3 and is ready to transition out of Early Intervention… but no one is calling me back about school or services. What should I do?
July 13, 2021
Your child is turning 3 and is ready to make the transition from Early Intervention to pre-school or services, but no one is calling you back. Now what? In this 2-minute video, Joyce Ridgeway lays out what you can do next to advocate for your child.
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Kitchen Conversations: Preparing for your child’s transition into school
July 13, 2021
What are the most important things to do before your child with disabilities or special needs starts school? Joyce Ridgeway of EarlySteps breaks it down.
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Providers and teachers: want to support children with disabilities? Support their parents.
June 30, 2021
Providers and teachers: you know that one of the best ways to support children with disabilities is to support their parents. Exceptional Lives makes it easy.
Read moreTropical Storms 2021: My child has a disability. How do I prepare for hurricane season?
June 9, 2021
In past years, we’ve shared some tips to help your family prepare for hurricane season. This year, we want to share our tips for emergencies like hurricanes or evacuating your house, but given the current pandemic, we also recommend you check out our 3-part Pandemic Emergency Planning Series.
Read moreWhat is Sensory Processing? And can it help explain my child’s behavior?
June 2, 2021
Sensory processing issues make it difficult for our brains to process and filter information that comes through our senses. So how do we support our children?
Read moreMedicaid Changes for the Pandemic and Beyond – How Can They Help People with Disabilities?
May 26, 2021
Medicaid covers important services for children and adults with disabilities. During the pandemic Medicaid has made changes to make it easier for you to get the service you need, including things like telehealth. Read on to learn about new policies to help your family get what they need from Medicaid.
Read moreShow Me Your Crazy! How to improve mental health
May 19, 2021
A common expression in Louisiana is “We don’t hide our crazy, we flaunt it down the street!” Boy, how I would laugh, seeing that phrase in the local Sunday morning cartoons. But I knew it wasn’t true. As much as we let loose and enjoyed our silliness during carnival, we kept our real struggles in…
Read moreThe Emerge Center SPARK for Autism Research
April 26, 2021
SPARK is an online research partnership with the mission of speeding up research and advancing understanding of autism. Individuals of all ages diagnosed with autism as well as their family members are invited to join SPARK!
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My child struggles with reading. How can I help?
April 13, 2021
Many children have trouble with reading and literacy. But there are ways to help support them! Here are some tips on how to help a child struggling with reading.
Read moreWhy are reading and literacy so important?
March 29, 2021
Reading is an important building block in preparing our children for life. Adults with high school level literacy skills get better jobs and are healthier than those with lower skills. It may surprise you to learn how well you need to read to take on the challenges of daily life. The importance of reading may…
Read moreThe Boys (and Girls) of Summer
March 29, 2021
When it gets sunny out, we all start to think about summertime. But camp plans are complicated, especially during COVID, and even more so for those of parenting children with disabilities. Here, two parents of children with disabilities share their plans for child care during summer.
Read moreStatement in support of AAPI community
March 19, 2021
The Exceptional Lives team stands in solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. In the wake of the racially-motivated murders in Georgia that included 6 Asian women, we are horrified and hurting alongside you.
Read moreWhat Can I Do to Help if My Child is Struggling in School?
March 3, 2021
There are many reasons why a child may struggle in school. The good news is that there are ways to help!
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What should families of children with disabilities know about the COVID vaccine?
February 24, 2021
Hey families, the COVID vaccine is on everyone’s mind. Those of us who have children or teens with disabilities have lots of questions. What could this mean for our families? Here’s a quick list of what we know already and what we are still learning.
Read moreExceptional Lives Celebrates Black History Month
February 22, 2021
This year, in recognition of Black History Month, we are highlighting four Black disability activists. These women are working in four different fields but their missions are aligned; to advocate for Black disabled communities.
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Overloaded with Feelings: Could Tapping be the answer for your child?
February 4, 2021
Processing emotions is like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube or playing a game of Twister – it takes time, patience, focus, practice and follow through, but is NOT impossible to do! For adults the processing is more easily understood. Kids? They need our help to get there!
Read moreLearn from my words and not my actions
January 28, 2021
Wait, what’s wrong with the title? Yes, it is the opposite of what we are told by professionals. Yet I want to harken back to the days of “do as I say, not as I do” parenting. The cause of my abrupt change of attitude?
Read moreMy child has a disability and I do not: How do I make sure she has role models?
January 26, 2021
Last Wednesday my daughter saw herself in the mirror. We watched the presidential inauguration together and she saw herself reflected everywhere we looked. There was Captain Andrea Hall, the hearing daughter of a Deaf parent, recited the Pledge of Allegiance in ASL, my daughter’s primary language.
Read moreHow can I make remote school easier for my child (and me!)?
January 21, 2021
I’m not going to ask how remote school is going for your family because I see you sitting with your phone in the one quiet corner of the house taking a minute to yourself. I get it. I’d share my secret stash of chocolate if I could. This isn’t easy to manage.
Read more2021 Parenting Mantras
January 8, 2021
2020 was a tough year for us parents (and for everyone), and 2021 has started off with quite a bang. But a new year gives us a chance to pause, breathe, and set our intentions for how we move forward with our children. Here are some of our favorites.
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