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! #HopeInJesus #PeaceAndJoy #FaithJourney #CumulonimbusClouds #TranquilMoments #SpiritualGuidance #RelaxationTime #ClearBlueSky #BloggingAboutFaith #FindingJoy

Welcome to Freshness! With our season of spring, we highly anticipate fresh beginnings! My newly designed Sparkling Hope website will be blossoming with new blogs and added resources. My new book is waiting to inspire and raise your awareness with tips and techniques for parenting our special needs kids! Becoming aware of our child's unique needs is the ticket to transformation. What's first on the journey to awareness? First, Confusion! As a new mom, within two years I was raising two brothers we adopted. Each had their own special needs, and life felt chaotic and confusing. I was at a loss for finding answers to their unusual and demanding behavior. Normal didn't exist and seeking help for their complex issues seemed fleeting. Seeking Autism Awareness Thirty years ago, our main source of education was reading books on the subject and trying to network with other moms with similar issues. Just about every mom I knew had a child with Autism. My younger son was cognitively and developmentally delayed due to a large brain tumor at eight months old. At age two, we celebrated his remission as we started the process of adopting his four year old brother, who suffered from emotional trauma. Although each son suffered from sensing processing issues, they were not labeled as Autistic. I was walking the road less traveled. As I spent more time networking with other moms, I began to realize we all had more in common than I first thought. We all had to fight loneliness as our kids' lives kept us busy and isolated. Most of our kids also had social issues, leaving them lonely as well. We all led very stressful lives, which often ushered in marital conflict. Attending support groups tremendously helped me. Check out the Resource page under " Support Groups ." Discovering Skills from Hindsight and Experience! As my youngest entered high school, a strong desire was growing in my heart to help other moms. I had gained a lot of knowledge over the years attending our sons' Individualized Education Plans (IEP) meetings. During these stressful meetings, we sat at a large table with a group of school professionals to examine test scores and make conclusions about educational goals using the test score statistics. It was grueling, but I learned a lot! I was blessed to have the knowledge and understanding of statistics derived from test scores. My math skill and heart for helping led me into helping teach parents this basic knowledge so they could communicate effectively at their child's IEP. They needed to know what services their child was legally entitled to. For a few years I gained valuable knowledge of how to use new and innovative teaching techniques with high school students with learning abilities. When I realized that I could weave my educational knowledge and parenting expertise of our special kids into a book and website, Sparkling Hope was born! We All Need a Friend on Our Journey! As parents on this rocky parenting road, we all need support! My blogs and resources will help you discover everything from Autism Awareness , ADHD , and Dyslexia - to learning how to take a quick daily respite for your survival. No matter your child's diagnosis, you will find support here! My book, created just for you, recounts my journey to hope, while highlighting the many scary and spectacular stories of raising our two very special gifts from God. THE SONG OF MY HOPE, How to Travel from Despair to Hope While Raising Your Special Needs Kids will help you find resilience in the face of exhaustion, unshakable peace during stress, how to strengthen your marriage and will guide you to become aware of purpose in your struggles. I will be writing many more blogs, and since April is all about Autism Awareness, I will continue on this theme for the rest of this month. Make sure to come back! If there is a particular subject you would like me to research and write about, please contact me . Click here www.SparklingHope.net for more support and inspiration!