Meet Mom Robin Suzelis
Robin, 47, grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and attended Clarion University of PA pursuing Communications. She met her husband Ted Suzelis in the summer of 1994 while working a summer...
Autism
Why Teaching Self-Care Skills is Critical to Our Children’s Success
Mary is a 6-year-old child. Her mother and father, Betty and Tom, wait anxiously at a psychologist’s office. When called into the appointment room, they hear that Mary has been...
Mask As a Tool for Communication
Masks can be so much fun to wear but did you know that masks have been part of our culture since 7000 B.C. From the masks of Camaroon in Africa...
Wandering and Elopement: Risks Factors and Strategies
Challenging behavior goes hand-in-hand with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or a developmental disability. However, no behavior is more dangerous, or more concerning for parents of special needs,...
Friends of Brian: Achieving Quality of Life Through GAP
Group Action Planning We aren’t nearly done! This inescapable fact confronted me as we approached the last of three Person-Centered Planning (PCP) meetings for my son, Brian, who was 16...
List and Explanation of Disabilities for Disability Awareness Month
October Is Disability Awareness Month What is 22q? What is ABA Now Really? Apraxia: when the words just won’t come What is Asperger Syndrome? What is Autism? ASA Guide to...
2019 Cover Winner: Yomi & Kofi Karade
Yomi & Kofi Karade On our cover this month is Kofi Karade, 17, and his very proud mother, Yomi. Kofi has been diagnosed with autism, albinism, ADHD, as well as...
Leandro Teaches a Lesson
Leandro was diagnosed with Autism. To his mom, dad and even me, his therapist, a better description would be Difficult. Very Difficult. Leandro had opinions and mostly they were “No”....
Sharing “I CAN!” attitudes: Kelsey
Kelsey Shares a Proud Moment My hero is my daughter, Kelsey Norris, age 13. Kelsey is on the autism spectrum – Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) and has Rubenstein-Taybi Syndrome. She is...
What Is Autism? ASA Guide to Diagnosing & Treating Autism
To help Raise awareness on the various disorders, Parenting Special Needs magazine will be highlighting one disorder per issue. In this issue we are highlighting Autism