After 14 years of parenting special needs children, I have finally been convinced to change my approach to parenting. I am unfortunately a bit on the stubborn side, or I would have changed sooner. Certainly my adopted children with special needs, specifically those fetal alcohol effect, would have appreciated it if I had changed sooner. Because I had already been parenting for 11 years when we began to foster children and adopt I thought I knew how to parent. My techniques worked well with children who had not been subjected to early trauma, drugs, or alcohol.

I am one... more

My daughter has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In her weekly therapy sessions, she does a fair amount of play therapy. But lately, the California redwoods have been endangered by the copious amounts of paper she’s using to flood us with drawings! She is quite the little artiste.

Because my background is in Early Childhood Education, I’ve viewed her artwork with a deeper eye toward seeing anything that might be in them that is relevant. I also mentioned this recent proliferation of artwork to her therapist. I suppose the conversation took root, because after his latest session... more

As someone with a background in Early Childhood Education, I am a firm believer in Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP). Developmentally Appropriate Practice, in layman’s terms, is just a fancy way of saying that each child universally goes through certain stages (e.g. every child crawls, then walks, then runs), and caregivers support those stages with activities to strengthen them.

For the adoptive parent, knowing a little about DAP, can help with attachment and transition issues as you welcome your new child(ren) into your home. Let... more