Posts by Special Needs Consulting

The Stigma Around Adderall Is Real… …and I wish I hadn’t believed the lies for so long. The first time I heard about stimulant abuse, I was in middle school. According to rumors, our vice principal had been caught stealing a kid’s Ritalin from the nurse’s office and, seemingly overnight, he became a pariah in our small…

What causes ADHD? Is it a genetic or hereditary condition? Influenced by culture and environment? What about nutrition? We don’t know for certain what causes attention deficit, but medical research points to genetic and neurological explanations for symptoms exacerbated by some external factors. ADHD & Symptom Tests ADHD Overview WHAT CAUSES ADHD? Is ADHD Hereditary…

Access to government benefits can be beneficial due to the fact they can help pay for services that your daughter needs today or may need in the future.  The reason you may not be able to qualify for certain government benefit programs is because your daughter is under the age of 18.  If that is…

Being a single parent is tough. In many developed countries, having children gives you various benefits and aid in the form of government subsidies and support, but in the US, we fall way behind the standard for how parenting should be. Still, numerous companies across America have recognized that we should help single parents by…

Oftentimes, parents of special needs children experience isolation. Raising children with special needs can be both challenging and rewarding, often within the same day (or even hour).  Our emotions as special needs parents are complicated. We can simultaneously feel like giving up and also be ready to go to the ends of the earth for…

We always want to provide the best for our kids, but somehow, the pressure is even greater when our kids have special needs. Of course, there are direct costs, such as the need for medical equipment to make their lives easier, but we also want to provide them with happy memories to at least partly…

If you are a special needs mom, you likely have days when you feel like you have nothing left to give – this post is for you. There are many unique challenges to raising a special needs child. Often parents of children with disabilities feel chronic stress, worry and overwhelm.  What better way to help…

School creates multiple challenges for kids with ADHD, but with patience and an effective plan, your child can thrive in the classroom. As a parent, you can work with your child and their teacher to implement practical strategies for learning both inside and out of the classroom. With consistent support, these strategies can help your…

“Ten out of 10 children with your son’s diagnosis do poorly in Montessori schools.” When my oldest son was entering kindergarten, I heard this line from a lot of different professionals encouraging me to rethink our choice of a Montessori magnet for our zesty son with ADHD. Their comment wasn’t unexpected. Lots of professionals feel that the Montessori…

I am often asked “which is better a 504 Plan or an IEP?”  My response always starts with “it depends.”  That’ s a hard question to answer, because they both serve different purposes and have their own strengths. In a broad sense, they are both detailed plans, created by the school and parents, to outline…