Our Content
Perspectives For Parents: 
Advice & Support from Parents & Caregivers
- Part 3: Keeping your child healthy, safe, and calm. Pandemic emergency planning for families of kids with disabilities- May 18, 2020 - The final piece of making a pandemic emergency plan for your family is writing down what your back-up caregivers will need to know to keep your kid(s) healthy, safe, and calm. We’ve made some templates that you can download and fill out for your caregivers. Read more 
- Part 2: Who will take care of my child if I get sick? Pandemic emergency planning for families of kids with disabilities.- May 15, 2020 - A pandemic emergency plan is a plan for what to do when you and your co-parent (if you have one) are both sick and need to quarantine or go to the hospital. This is hard for most people to think about; for those of us with kids with disabilities, it can feel overwhelming. Read more 
- Part 1: Pandemic emergency planning for families of children with disabilities: Why is this so hard?- May 13, 2020 - As parents, it’s almost unthinkable to imagine what would happen to our kids if something happened to us. For those of us with kids with disabilities, it’s that much more complicated. Read more 
- “GOOOOOD MORNING MY DAPHNE!”: Quarantine living with my adult cousin with a disability.- May 6, 2020 - He is still a room away, shuffling full speed to the kitchen in his PJs. Thomas is a goof in the morning and it is impossible to predict what he’ll exclaim or what funny pranks he will play before he is completely awake Thomas lives with a developmental disability and before the pandemic he was… Read more 
- Families First Emergency Paid Leave: what does it mean for families of children with disabilities?- April 28, 2020 - Families of children with disabilities really need to know the facts because many of us may need to use this leave. Schools are closed and those of us lucky enough to work remotely are trying to work from the coat closet at home (just me?). Read more 
- But I’m Not a Teacher…- April 21, 2020 - I am a single mom of an 8-year-old boy and I find there are many times in a day when I feel like a deer in headlights. Anyone know what I mean…anyone? Read more 
- Who will hug my son when I can’t visit?- April 14, 2020 - It’s Friday at 5:30, the time I usually pick up my son at his residential house. I know he’s standing by the door waiting to get in the car and come home for the weekend like he usually does. Read more 
- Handling Work from Home and Home Schooling- April 2, 2020 - With the current health crisis, a lot of us parents are in new waters, working from home and schooling our children at the same time. Problem is, I’m already drowning. And will bet many of you feel the same. Read more 
- 5 tips for home-bound families of children with a disability- April 1, 2020 - A routine is something familiar that happens everyday. The familiarity of this routine feels safe and can help us feel grounded during a time that feels unsettled. It can be as simple as reading together before bed, or getting dressed after breakfast. Read more 
- How do we embrace the day at home with our kids with disabilities?- March 27, 2020 - Like all parents, we are doing our best to figure out a routine that works for our family, all while maintaining homes, jobs and relationships. Our top priority, of course, is health and safety. Read more 
- Stuck at home? Our kids tell us how we can do it better- March 20, 2020 - I know I’m not the only one desperately trying to figure out our new normal. As parents, we are getting advice from educators, professionals, other parents, scientists, literally everybody. Read more 
- A deep dive into backyard worms, or why we are actually doing just fine- March 17, 2020 - By now you’ve probably seen those schedules meant for parents who are trying to teach their kids at home while school systems are closed because of the pandemic. Science. Math. Creative time. Read more 
- This post is not about a pandemic- March 9, 2020 - I don’t want to talk about the epidemic we're all talking about right now. There is a lot of information out there, but infectious disease is not my expertise so I will leave that to the experts like the CDC or Johns Hopkins. I also love this comic published by NPR. Read more 
- The Power in Wondering- February 12, 2020 - We all wonder. We wonder about the future and what it holds for us and for our loved ones. We wonder about our careers, our relationships, and our contributions to our community. Some of us wonder about accessibility: Read more 
- Is it behavior or is it a learning challenge?- January 29, 2020 - Maeve isn’t reading at the same level as her peers. Books have always been around at our house and we try to read every night before bed. What else can I do? Won’t she just catch up? Read more 
- 20 Ways to Help Families of Children with Special Needs in 2020- January 11, 2020 - Before I became a parent, I thought a little extra hard work would be enough to make it through the valleys of parenthood. When I became a special needs parent, goodness, I realized how wrong I was. Read more 
- Gently Falling Snow… and Yesterday’s Coffee, Fresh Out of the Microwave.- December 20, 2019 - ’Tis the season of beautifully wrapped Hallmark movies and perfectly curated Instagram stories. Don’t get me wrong, I love to look at the festive houses, the cheerful family outings, or the snow falling gently while someone calmly and slowly sips a hot cup of tea. Read more 
- Does Anybody Else Have Very Emotional Kids This Time of Year?- December 12, 2019 - This morning, after the off-to-school rush, I settled in with my computer and my coffee and started to work. Well, if I’m being honest, I opened up Facebook. Read more 
- 5 Ways Providers Can Use Exceptional Lives’ Tools- December 9, 2019 - You are a trusted resource for families. Whether you provide therapy, see children for check-ups, or provide community resource support, we have created tools to add to your toolkit. Read more 
- Why are We Obsessed with Milestones?- November 27, 2019 - There’s something about your child passing a milestone that makes you feel like a successful parent. We burst with pride and want to tell the world! Read more 




















