Search Results for: special needs chronic illness

Special Needs Podcast Roundup – Week of May 14, 2012

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Each and every week, you can count on the Special Needs Podcast Roundup to bring you brand new episodes of podcasts that discuss topics that are relevant to parents of children who have special needs. Those topics could range from autism, to special education, to coping with chronic illness, and more! Mayo Clinic has an episode that was released on May 8, 2012. This episode is called “Kids and Hearing Aids”. Mayo Clinic Dr. Cynthia Hogan discusses hearing aids for children. Coffee Klatch has an episode that was released on May 14, 2012. This episode is called “Bright Not Broken … Continue reading →

When Your Chronically Ill Child Rebels

As a parent of a child with a chronic, life-threatening condition, I know how hard it can be when she fights her treatments or medication. It is frustrating, because you know she needs it. It is heart breaking because you hate that she needs it. In addition, you feel torn between forcing her and just giving in this one time. But it is never just one time. Children with chronic conditions go through a lot of stress and grown-up issues, more than most people can imagine. And they deal with this illness every single day of their lives. Treatments often … Continue reading →

Living With an Invisible Illness

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There are many different invisible illnesses out there — diseases that don’t necessarily come with an outward sign that says “hey, I’m sick” to the world. For some people with an invisible illness, the hardest part is friends and family members who say things like “But you don’t look sick!” or “You look fine!” or “Tough it out!” It can lead to feelings of anger or isolation or both — and more. It may be hard to convince friends and family that while you may LOOK fine, you don’t feel fine. For some people with an invisible illness, the hardest … Continue reading →

What Are Invisible Illnesses?

“But you don’t look/act sick.” Have you heard these words or said them to a friend? Visible illnesses and conditions are easy to spot because the person may use a device like crutches or braces to assist in movement. They may limp, have an unusual posture, or make expressions of pain (physically or vocally) when they move. An invisible illness comes with few (if any) outward signs most (if not all) of the time. Some examples of invisible illness include: Asthma Depression Chronic pain Fibromyalgia Heart disease Diabetes Seizure disorders Osteoporosis Many people think of illness in terms of short-term … Continue reading →

Give Me a Break! Finding a Babysitter for Your Special Needs Child

As the parent of a child with special needs, your responsibilities can seem overwhelming. You need—and certainly deserve—a break from time to time. In fact, without any “time off” from your parental duties, you are at risk for developing a stress-related illness, and jeopardizing your mental health. But finding a caregiver might seem, at first, like an impossible task. Often parents of special needs kids rely solely on family members as babysitters, or else take their child with them everywhere they go. Family members can be good and attentive care-givers, but sometimes they are not available. Perhaps they live far … Continue reading →

Special Education and Children with Chronic Health Problems

Children with an acute or chronic illness have a tough road. Not only must they deal with the typical challenges of growing up, including school work, peer relationships, family stress, etc., but they must simultaneously cope with the symptoms of their disease. Conditions such as asthma, epilepsy, leukemia, sickle-cell anemia, diabetes, and even ADD/ADHD (Attention-Deficit Disorder/Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) fall under the classification of “other health impairment,” which is one of the thirteen recognized areas of disability. This is according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). (See my previous blog entry: “What Qualifies as a Disability?”) … Continue reading →

The Flu and Pneumonia

When I was growing up, my mother repeatedly warned me about getting pneumonia. “Don’t got outside without a coat, or you’ll get pneumonia,” or “Stay in bed with that cough or you’ll get pneumonia.” While we now know that going outside without a coat won’t make you catch pneumonia (although it can affect some people’s immune systems), she was sort of correct on one point. If you have the flu, you can develop pneumonia. I want to point out that pneumonia is not a bad case of the flu. The flu is a viral infection, separate from pneumonia. Pneumonia is … Continue reading →

Paul Ryan’s Plan Will Harm Disabled People

Paul Ryan plans to make massive cuts to the Medicare program. It will result in a larger share of costs being shifted over to the elderly and the disabled people who rely on Medicare. Much has been said about how the plan will affect the elderly. Not as much has been said about how harmful Ryan’s plan will be for the thousands of people who are disabled and who use Medicare. If you have somehow managed to avoid absolutely all information about the 2012 Presidential election, let me give you some very basic facts. The Republican Party have officially nominated … Continue reading →

Lack of Insurance Closes Pharmacies

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We hear a lot about the problems faced by people who are unable to find affordable health insurance. What isn’t being talked about is how those problems affect pharmacies. In small towns, pharmacies are closing because not enough people can afford to pick up their medications there, due to lack of health insurance. How often do you go to your local pharmacy? If you are a fairly healthy person, then you might not go there too often. After all, you can pick up things like kleenex, feminine products, and over the counter medications in most grocery stores. You don’t specifically … Continue reading →

Teens With Diabetes More Likely to Drop Out

A new study reveals that teens and young adults who have diabetes are at a higher risk of dropping out of school, and ending up with a worse job outlook than their peers who do not have diabetes. These are issues that haven’t been focused on before in previous studies. A study was published in the journal of Health Affairs. Researchers looked at data that came from about 15,000 people who were examined in four separate waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The first wave was made up of students who were in grades seven through twelve. … Continue reading →