Determining Where to Start as Your Child with Special Needs Nears Adulthood

by jphilo | Feb 9, 2022 | Different Dream, How Tos and Resources, How-Tos

Determining Where to Start as Your Child with Special Needs Nears Adulthood

Determining Where to Start as Your Child with Special Needs Nears Adulthood

Determining where to start as your child with special needs nears adulthood is no easy task. There are legal matters to address such as special needs trusts and guardianship, advocacy strategies to pass on to kids, and many more. The list is full of important things to address. Because your child’s eighteenth birthday is not yet imminent, they may be ignored.

You know what I’m talking about, right?

I’d like to give you a hand in determining where to start as your child with special needs nears adulthood. So today I’m sharing three—count ’em—just three ideas. Whether your child is five or fifteen or somewhere in-between, completing these three steps can help you jumpstart the process.

#1: Obtain Hard Copies of Your Child’s Medical Records

Electronic medical records are a great invention. They can also be very hard to access when hospitals and clinics update their computer systems. Who knows what will be in place when your child reaches adulthood? It’s wise to obtain paper copies by contacting the practices of the doctors and therapists who treat your child. They can tell you how their process works and what costs may be involved. Most likely you will be sent an electronic file to download and print out. If your child’s medical history is complex and ongoing, you may want to request records every year or two to update your paper files.

#2: Write Down Your Memories of Your Child’s Medical History

To read the rest of Determining Where to Start as Your Child with Special Needs Nears Adulthood, visit the Hope Anew blog

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Jolene Philo is the author of the Different Dream series for parents of kids with special needs. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. She’s also the creator and host of the Different Dream website. Sharing Love Abundantly With Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and at Amazon. The first book in her cozy mystery series, See Jane Run!, features people with disabilities and will be released in June of 2022.

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Five Read Aloud Tips for Families

Five read aloud tips for families is a post near and dear to my heart. As a parent, a grandparent, and a teacher I have observed the power of reading aloud to kids for more than forty years. Today I’m sharing five of my favorite read aloud strategies with you.

Between jet lag and back spasms, both the result of my first post-pandemic airplane trip, I didn’t feel well the other night. Even so, I was loathe to forego reading aloud to our grandkids, ages 3 and 6.

Reading aloud to these sweet children is one of the great delights of living in a multigenerational household. I knew that sitting beside them on the couch could make my back worse. Then again due to my travels I hadn’t read to them for over a week.

The solution was surprisingly simple–they climbed into my bed, books in hand, and we had read aloud time there. It was a rousing success, in great part because of these five read aloud tips employed by many parents.

Cuddle up. Reading aloud is an opportunity to share snuggles. Children will want to be close to you so they can look at the pictures. Put them on your lap if they’re small. Drape an arm around their shoulders if they’re bigger. Not only will they benefit from physical touch, they will feel the vibrations of your voice as they listen. Such tactile experiences help children feel secure and loved.
Use expression. Do more than read the story. Read it with expression. Vary the speed of your reading to match what’s happening in the story. Raise and lower your volume to create suspense or drama. Use different voices for different characters. Laugh, cry, whisper, and shout when the characters do. Doing so makes the story come alive, and it provides a model for your children about how they can read aloud expressively, too.

To read the rest of Five Read Aloud Tips for Families, visit Key Ministry’s blog for special needs parents.

Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the monthly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email.

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Jolene Philo is the author of the Different Dream series for parents of kids with special needs. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. She’s also the creator and host of the Different Dream website. Sharing Love Abundantly With Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and at Amazon. The first book in her cozy mystery series, See Jane Run!, features people with disabilities and will be released in June of 2022.