Does your child seem to be moving all the time and never get enough “input” from the world? Or is she perfectly content just sitting around all day and almost seem lethargic?

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a term I became personally familiar with a few years ago when I saw the behavior and needs of my son being beyond what would consider “typical” for a child his age. I started researching and reading books like “The Out of Sync Child” and “Raising a Sensory Smart Child.“

And it wasn’t because of my rheumatoid arthritis that my son needed more energetic playtime in his schedule. It was because the chapter that described him was called “MORE! MORE! MORE!”

By Lindsey Biel, OTR/L and Nancy Peske, author of “Raising a Sensory Smart Child” just sent out information about the new version of the book.

I know there are a lot of parents out there who feel like I do–that your child’s inability to “do enough” is a symptom of YOUR illness and inability to give him all that he needs. We all have a little bit of sensory issues (do you hate tags in your clothes or dislike the feel of tapioca pudding on your tongue?) But for some kids it can impact their world and behavior a great deal more. It’s always good to be aware!

The updated and expanded version of Raising a Sensory Smart Child is being released on today! It will be “face out” on the Special Needs shelf in Barnes and Noble stores starting in September and should be in other bookstores as well (usually in Special Needs).

Or, you can order it on Amazon.com now (if you do, you might want to go through my website, www.sensorysmarts.com, and check out what’s new there too). We added a chapter on autism and sensory issues, lots of sensory diet tips for families, and many more practical solutions for everyday challenges.

Since it was first published in 2005, this definitive handbook for helping your child with sensory processing issues has won an iMedia Parenting Award and a NAPPA (National Association of Parenting Publications Award) and received rave reviews and endorsements.

It’s the book I wished I’d had when my son was diagnosed with SPD, which was called sensory integration (SI) dysfunction back then. Written by me, a parent of a child with SPD and developmental delays, and his first OT, who has extensive experience helping children with and without autism, in the public schools, early intervention, and in their homes, it covers everything you can imagine and is chock full of resources and recommendations.

I always suggest checking out the first few chapters then bouncing around to read the sections that most apply to your concerns, coming back to it again and again whenever you have a question or concern.

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• Sensory Processing Disorder: One Mother’s Story (momblognetwork.com)

I saw this posted on a blog I read by a mom with a special needs child and thought I’d pass it along to share.

Written by Ellen S. Ellen, can be found at To The Max.

A Bill of Rights For Parents of Kids With Special Needs

We, the parents, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure tranquility (and sanity) and promote the general welfare of our families, do ordain and establish this Bill of Rights.

* We have the right to expect our kids to be seen for who they are as individuals, not as labels or diagnoses.

* We have a right to trust our instincts about our kids and realize that experts don’t always know best.

* We have a right to ignore the remarks, questions and stares and not give explanations or excuses for why our children are the way they are.

* We have a right to choose alternative therapies for our kids.

* We have a right to roll our eyes straight out of our heads when we encounter certain mothers who brag nonstop that their kids are the smartest students/best athletes ever.

* We have a right to wonder “What if…” every so often.

* We have a right to play aimlessly with our children. Not for therapeutic or educational purposes—just for fun.

* We have a right to blast Bruce Springsteen/Tom Petty/Any Rocker, down a glass of Pinot Grigio, get a pedicure, go out with the girls or do all of the aforementioned at once if that’s what it takes to avoid burnout.

* We have a right to react to people’s ignorance in whatever way we feel necessary.

* We have a right to not always have our child be the poster child for his/her disability and some days be just a child.

* We have a right to go through the grieving process and realize we may never quite be “over it.”

* We have the right to give our kids chores. Even better if they can learn to make breakfast in bed for us.

* We have a right to stretch the truth when we fail to do the exercises the therapist asked us to do this week because we were too darn tired or overwhelmed.

* We have a right to have yet more Pinot Grigio * We have a right to fire any doctor or therapist who’s negative, unsupportive or who generally says suck-y things.

* We have a right to tell family and friends that everything may not be OK—at least not how they mean it, anyway.

* We have a right to hope for an empty playground so we don’t have to look into another child’s eyes and answer the question, “What’s wrong with him?”

* We have a right to bawl on the way back from the playground, the birthday party, the mall or anyplace where our children’s challenges become glaringly obvious in the face of all the other kids doing their typical-development things.

* We have the right to give our children consequences for their behavior. They may be “special” but they can still be a royal pain in the ass.

* We have a right to take a break from Googling therapies, procedures, medicine and treatments for our kids to research upcoming concerts, exotic teas or anything not related to our child’s disabilities.

* We have a right to talk about how great our kids are when people don’t get it.

* We have the right to not alw

ays behave as inspirational icons who never complain or gripe about the sometimes awful realities of raising a child with special needs.

* We have a right to expect quality services for our children not just when they’re infants, preschoolers and elementary school age, but when they’re in older grades and adults, too.

* We have a right to adequate funding for those services and to not have to kick, scream or endure a wait for them.

* We have a right to get tired of people saying, as they give that sympathy stare, “I don’t know how you do it.”

* We have a right to wish that sometimes things could be easier.

* We have a right to cheer like crazy anytime our children amaze us—or weep like lunatics.

* We have a right to push, push and push some more to make sure our children are treated fairly by the world.

For a printable copy, e-mail LoveThatMax@gmail.com.

It’s so hard to wait. Summer seems to be filled with  a million happy families everywhere you turn taking their kids for bike rides, ice cream, posting updates on Facebook about Disneyland vacations and going to visit grandma and grandpa. It’s so hard not to get jealous, isn’t it?

I remember those days well. I tried so, so hard not to be bitter, but to celebrate adoptions or births, but it hurt. One year, in January (right after emotional holidays) the local news announced that a celebrity (from Los Angeles) had adopted a baby boy from San Diego (where I live.) Well! I felt like that could hav been my baby! As a celebrity she could have abdopted anywhere, any time.. why in my town?

When I read the blog Grace in My Heart I was inspired by her attitude. Then I read more of her blog about the experience of parenting she and her husband had. They adopted a newborn baby boy for four months, only to have the birthfather contest (and win) the adoption. My heart just went out to her. I know she will inspire you too!

She shares…

…an old friend of mine had the following quote as her [Facebook] status update:

“Love is the uniting of our will to the will of God. It is abandoning ourselves totally into His hands, as a habitual disposition, even if we feel nothing.”

After I read this, I had a profound realization. As hard as it is, and for whatever reason, it is just not our turn to adopt yet. This quote was telling me that true love is completely abandoning all of my wants, needs, and desires to follow Christ’s will- even if I get nothing in return and feel nothing in return.

I could sit and feel sorry for myself, contemplate what else we could have said in our birthmother letter, and figure out what else I could do to make our picture look better or… I could accept God’s will, be happy for this couple and their new adopted baby, and be grateful that an adoption is taking place this month.

We Never Gave Up Hope - Adoption Transparency

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• Adoption seekers using YouTube, Facebook to find birth moms (web2list.com)

What’s new? What’s free? Read this week’s newsletter to find out!

I love how this woman, author All You Who Hope: Adoption blog, described her emotional journey to adoption. . .

I hate saying that things are signs. Obviously, these articles and videos are out there for everyone to consume. I’m not implying that God had all of these people conspire just so I could know that adoption is what he wants of us! What it’s about for me is how I’ve reacted to all of these things. Each and every time it comes up – from the conversation with my social worker the other day to a sudden influx in stories about adoption on the internet – I find myself not only excited about adoption but actually touched that I’ve been chosen for this path, and thankful. That’s definitely a change in my attitude since a year ago, or even last fall.

My heart has changed dramatically, and this week God is showing me that. That there’s nothing to be afraid of, and that this isn’t a second best life. He answered my prayer for insight this week and I wanted to recognize that.

Adoption Was God's Best

Regardless of your beliefs, you may have heard last year when Steven Curtis Chapman, Christian singer, mourned the tragic accident of one of his adopted daughters, Maria Sue. A sibling accidentally backed the truck up. A family’s nightmare– however, has turned into a quest for hope to make her legacy long-standing.

Today Steven Curtis and his wife Mary Beth Chapman announced the grand opening of Maria’s Big House of Hope, a renovated  building in China that will take care of orphans who have  special needs. It’s a part of their Show Hope initiative.

Read more about this story here.

What’s new? What’s free? Read this week’s newsletter to find out!

Do you know someone you would like to nominate to a Congressional
Office because of their dedication to improving the lives of children?

Complete the form at Angels
in Adoption and they will forward your nomination to the appropriate Congressional Office. In order to maintain the quality of this program, they need your knowledge of outstanding people or organizations to be passed along to your Members of Congress.

Without your nominations, this program would not be possible!

Note: the deadline is coming up! July 31st

I loved this blog post by Libby of about the reactions of her nieces and nephews when she told them of the upcoming adoption.

Our nieces and nephews are all very aware of the fact we are planning to adopt a baby, and all of them are very excited about the idea of a new cousin. They are even more excited though, because this baby is not coming “the old fashioned” way.

Luke, for instance, seems to think that adoption is a sort of baby pizza delivery service — you tell them exactly what they want and they bring it to your door. He has already told me several times that he would prefer a boy, because he has “way too many girl cousins.” He also would like a baby that doesn’t cry, and that likes to be outside, preferably to swim.

Amaya looks at adoption as more of a Home Depot. She thinks that somewhere in the Salt Lake valley there is a large warehouse where all the babies are kept, and we just need to go pick one up. I explained to her that, no, that is not quite how it works…

What’s new? What’s free? Read this week’s newsletter to find out!