Nick is the author's first-born child. He was born healthy in 1993. Within days, however, there would be medical complications resulting in brain damage, seizures, medical issues, a diagnosis of cerebral palsy at four months of age, and later, a diagnosis of bi-lateral progressive hearing loss at eight years of age. Nick's parents have been told…

The mother of a Down Syndrome boy describes her feelings regarding her younger nonhandicapped son and the need to understand and meet his needs for information and attention. (CL)

The mother of a child with Rett Syndrome, a degenerative brain disease, describes difficulties in obtaining a diagnosis and the relief she and her family felt once the diagnosis was made. She emphasizes the need for parents to offer each other support. (CL)

Two parents of Down's Syndrome children describe their experiences with at-home tutoring. They cite the need for parents to spend time on functional tasks such as daily living and social skills, rather than only academic tasks. The need for having fun with the children instead of pressuring them is emphasized. (CL)

The parent of a young child who required major open heart surgery shares his suggestions for coping with a young child's hospitalization including parent visitation, relating to the hospital staff, getting answers to questions, and utilizing available services. (DB)

This article, written from the perspective of a special educator who has a daughter with mental retardation, describes the marital stress that having a child with a disability brings about. The article also notes the importance of parents getting away by themselves and offers suggestions for accomplishing this. (JDD)

A husband and wife's self-described difficulties illustrate the complex effects of living with a special needs child on marital relationships and on communication between parents and professionals. Practical solutions included obtaining child care help and meeting with the family pediatrician to coordinate information and records from a variety of…

The father of a profoundly hearing impaired 4-year-old describes his initial anger upon discovering his child's problem and ways in which he translated those feelings to action on his child's behalf. He describes a program of intensive speech therapy and parent training that has resulted in progress in speech. (CL)

The father of an infant with motor neuron disease describes his early experiences with medical professionals. He urges that parents see the medical community as assistants in the process of raising a special needs child, and urges that the medical community see parents as full partners. (JDD)

A parent describes how presenting information on what it is like to have a disability to his son's teacher and fifth grade classmates helped his Down Syndrome son to adjust to a new school and achieve acceptance. The success of this strategy should encourage other parents to make comparable efforts. (JC)