where parents of kids with special needs connect

New here and a bit lost

My name is Amy and I am new here. Found this from the "MOM -Not Otherwise Specified" blog.

I have a 6 year old son, Devin, who was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at age 28 months. He is pretty rapidly showing that he is very much Asperger's. Even others with Asperger's say "Yep, he's an Aspie!" He is an awesome kid who is smarter than he should be by law, lol, and as charismatic as a used car salesman. :)

I, also, have a 4 1/2 year old daughter, Abigial, who had feeding issues as a baby which has led to a speech impediment and has low muscle tone (she was borderline preemie at 37 weeks).

I homeschool my little sweeties and help manage a yarn shop as well as teach knitting and crocheting there. A good friend is the owner.

My husband, Jay is currently unemployed due to the economy no longer needing drafters and is going to school for IT/Web Design. He has been doing it as a hobby for over a decade but is finally getting the piece of paper that says he is good at what he does.

I just need some place to connect with other parents who know what we are dealing with as well as a place to just know that I am not alone.

I am a bit lost here though. I am not sure how to join the groups and things like that. I feel that I must be missing some information or something to allow me to do this. I click on the "join group" but never am a member of the group. Confusing.

Oh well. Thanks for the place to get a lot of information and know that I am not alone.

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by LittleCsMom on February 17, 2011 at 8:09am

Amy,

I too am stumbling through this cyber-resource trying to figure it all out. I am a single mom with three children... One 19 year old epileptic son with some rather significant learning disabilities, one 9 year old daughter as wonderful and special as can be, her "special-ness" comes along with being born missing the fingers on her right hand - she is spunky and fiesty and NOTHING gets in her way, and one 8 year old love bug - my dear Little C - who was recently diagnosed with Asperger's but I've been fighting this fight for about 4 years because there's always been something "not quite the same as it should be" and it's taken this long to get an appropriate diagnosis. Until C, I never considered myself as raising special needs children.....I was just a mom raising my kids. But this Asperger's thing, and the complete ignorance of others about it, has left me feeling overwhelmed and isolated.

My closest friends still don't "get it." The school system makes his difficulties worse rather than better. The people who stare while we are out in public make my blood boil while my face is red with shame. I didn't ask for this.... I was CHOSEN for this. This is the HARDEST THING I have ever faced.

Hang in there....that's all I can say. Because knowing there are others out there feeling just as lost as I do somehow gives me some comfort in knowing that for once I am not alone. I've been reading Hopeful Parents, Diary of a Mom and a few other sites. Sometimes they rip my heart out. Sometimes they give me hope. Every time, they help me realize this is not "uncommon" and there are others out there and there is such a gaping need of support for our journeys. Good luck to you.