Children rely on their immediate and extended families for care and nurture, social and cultural education, and a sense of who they are in the world. Those who have a complicated diagnosis may lose connections with extended and even immediate family members, increasing vulnerability due to isolation

Use of time-out or seclusion rooms, physical restraints and other aversive techniques for any child ~ and especially for students who communicate mainly through their behavior ~ should be eliminated from the written policies and all practices of our children's schools, care and education facilities

Kawasaki Syndrome, or Kawasaki Disease, is a serious though rare condition resulting in a sudden fever of five days or more; red rash; pink eyes; redness inside mouth, ´strawberry´ tongue; ´glove and sock´ hardening red rash and swelling in hands and feet; swollen glands; or cracked, inflamed lips.

Children with delayed language can communicate through snapshots and inexpensive picture books showing their daily activities, interests and talents. Taking snapshots regularly gives us a deeper look into their lives, opportunities and capabilities as individuals, too.

Anxiety in children can be due to any number of stresses and experiences, and may be felt to be a debilitating challenge even when the outward symptoms seem to be mild enough to be seen as a function of a child's personality.

Are our lives funnier with witnesses? Families of children with special needs may find resilience and survival sometimes depend on our ability to find more humor in ordinary situations and family events, especially when stress and unexpected emergencies collide with expectations and traditions.

We can best support other mothers of children with special needs by exercising our best friendship skills and remembering that we are people first, too.

Parents of children with insulin dependent diabetes along with national advocacy and research organizations protest elimination of a provision allowing trained non-licensed school staff in California to administer insulin when a school nurse is not available, creating unsafe condtions for students.

Children with disabilities celebrate Thanksgiving with the same traditions and expectations as their mainstream siblings and cousins. Families already make accommodations for many individuals who have no diagnosis but have histories of behavioral, personality or culinary idiosyncrasies.

Families of children with disabilities can learn a great deal about the scope of issues involved in planning for a better quality of life and richness of experience throughout their son or daughter´s lifespan by reading "Barack Obama and Joe Biden´s Plan to Empower People with Disabilities."