What Does 'Special Needs' Mean?
- Betsy Ridgway, M.S.
- Apr 30
- 3 min read
April is one of my favorite months for two reasons. Because it's Autism Awareness Month, we have this time set aside to help bring understanding to the 'typical' population. The other reason I love April is because the season of spring ushers in colorful flowers bursting forth, with blue skies and Cumulonimbus clouds. Yes, that's the name for those white, puffy clouds dancing with the wind. I taught my two sons this scientific name when they were young. They sure sounded smart when calling out this technical name!
I would be willing to bet many people don't know this atmospheric name. Likewise, I've seen many scientifically-accurate labels for our kids. Some of these names include neurodivergent, cognitively delayed, exceptional, differently-abled, and special needs.
Description of Special Needs
As a mom travelling this journey for decades, I decided to stay with the general term that was used for years, "special needs." This definition is seen as: individuals with disabilities including physical, mental, behavioral, emotional and/or learning difficulties. Their specific care ensures their safety, access, and ability to succeed in the academic and social environment.
Labels and Services
These descriptions are extremely important. These labels lead to needed services. Our kids need a range of therapies and services to overcome some of their challenges. For the sake of simplicity, you will see that I use the term 'special needs' when describing our community.
Since our youngest suffered from a cancerous brain tumor at eight months of age, he was left with complex special needs. I needed to learn how all the various intricacies of labels mattered! Sean would be described by many labels over the years, including: Brain Injury, Cognitive and Developmental Delays, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Bi-Polar Disorder which was later changed to Mood Disorder, Seizure Disorder, life threatening allergies requiring an Epi-Pen, Sensory Processing Disorder, Speech Delays, Peripheral Blindness with no eye convergence or depth perception, Vestibular issues, Eczema, Asthma and learning disabilities galore.
Each new label came with more responsibilities. Although his care was a heavy burden, I survived because of finding my faith in Jesus shortly before Sean was born. With time, I learned to lean on the Lord, and what a life-altering difference this made! Just as soon as Sean was declared cancer-free at age 2, we adopted his older brother at age 4 (see Book Trailer on Home Page, following Blog samples). With more challenges needing diagnoses from our older son, more stamina was required! Thankfully, I found out how to let God transform my fears into a deep faith, which lent me more energy.
Finding Hope
As the boys grew up and left our home, I began to explore how to share my parental experience and educational expertise to help parents from our special needs community. I began with creating this website, and filling it with educational and inspiring blogs, along with a full resource page. I'll soon be adding a section to include new products and services that would be not just helpful, but sanity-saving! These will be introduced through emails from time to time, eventually landing on the Resource page.
My newly published 2nd Edition book, THE SONG OF MY HOPE, HOW TO TRAVEL FROM DESPAIR TO HOPE WHILE RAISING YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS will shed light on many concerns you might have. From a proper diagnosis, to calming down your child's aggressive or violent behavior, my book will cover many of your questions, as well as inspire you with HOPE during your trials. Available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Browse through my blogs and resources to find help on every level. You will gain peace and joy as you pursue hope in Jesus! Now it's time for me to retreat and relax on my peaceful porch as I gaze at the Cumulonimbus clouds drifting by on the clear blue sky!
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