1. Your special needs journey won't be the same as anyone else's, so don't let anyone in the world tell you what it should look like. ~ Unknown
2. A child with disabilities often spends hours being taught how to interact with others... but why don't we spend time teaching those without disabilities how to interact with them? ~ Calleen Petersen
3. Having children with special needs can be challenging. Getting people to understand can be the hardest part. ~ Unknown
4. It shouldn’t matter how slowly a child learns. What matters is that we encourage them to never stop trying. ~ Robert John Meehan
5. There is no such thing as a “bad kid” - just angry, hurt, tired, scared, confused, impulsive ones expressing their feelings & needs the only way they know how. We owe it to every single one of them to always remember that. ~ Jessica Stephens
6. When your child is having a meltdown... don't talk. Don't try to reason. Don't get angry. Your child can't hear you. Just be silent and loving until the storm passes. Words can come later. ~ Unknown
7. I think having a child with disabilities teaches you a level of love, patience, protection, compassion and understanding you didn't even know existed. ~ Unknown
8. Don't let others who don't understand your child's struggles, make you doubt your parenting. ~ Unknown
9. A child is like a butterfly in the wind. Some can fly higher than others, but each one flies the best it can. Why compare one against the other? Each one is different, each one is special, each one is beautiful. ~ Unknown
10. Embrace the unique way your child is blooming - even if it's not in the garden you imagined. ~ Jenn Soehnlin
11. They said he wouldn't, but he did. They said he couldn't, but he can. They said he won't, but he will. ~ Unknown
12. The best gift you can give a child with special needs is your friendship. To include them, play with them and believe in them. ~ Unknown
13. Nine times out of 10, the story behind the misbehavior won't make you angry, it will break your heart. ~ Annette Breaux
14. I am a parent. I am a caregiver. I am a family member. It is my job to see the world through this child's eyes. Explain this child to teachers. Explain this child to our community. It is my privilege to fight for this child's needs. ~ Unknown
15. My child isn't giving me a hard time, they are having a hard time. ~ Unknown
16. Special needs parenting can be really tough. Most could never do what you do each day. Don't be so hard on yourself. Be strong. Be brave. You can do this. You are doing a great job. I see you. ~ Unknown
17. Before you judge me as a special needs parent... Please know that I am already my biggest critic. ~ Unknown
18. The hardest part of being a parent is watching a child go through something really tough and not being able to fix it for them. ~ Unknown
19. I think having a child with disabilities teaches you a level of love, patience, protection, compassion and understanding you didn't even know existed. ~ Unknown
20. Sensory Processing Disorder does exist. It's real. Our kids are not bad kids. Our kids do not lack discipline. We are not making excuses for behaviors. A meltdown is not a tantrum. Sensory Processing Disorder can cause extreme reactions and anxiety. Children with SPD are not spoiled and they do not do it for attention. SPD does not affect everyone the same way. Please be understanding and supportive. ~ Jeanette Baker-Loftus
21. There are no bad children. There are bad choices. There are bad moments. There are bad days. There are bad situations. But there are no bad children. Period. L.R Knost
22. We are not special parents because we have special needs children. We are regular people who have become better human beings because of our special needs children. ~ Unknown
23. When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it's our job to share our calm, not join their chaos. ~ L.R Knost
24. Don't let others who don't understand your child's struggles, make you doubt your parenting. ~ Unknown
25. I think the hardest part of having a child with a delay of any kind is the fight. The fight for services, the fight for people to understand who your child is and what they need. The fight for knowledge, because knowledge is power and the quiet fight you have within yourself wondering if you have left no stone unturned. ~ Jessie Doyle
26. People with special needs are not as different from you and me as you might think. They want the same things we want: to love and be loved, and to be accepted, appreciated, and included. ~ Sylvia Phillips
27. I will speak for you, I will fight for you, I will advocate for you, So that one day, You can do it for yourself. ~ Unknown
28. Judging a child who has special needs does not define who they are... it defines who you are. ~ Unknown
29. Crying and feeling sad when you have a child who has special needs does not mean that you are weak. It means that you're a parent who is in search of getting your child all that he/she needs and at times feels frustrated, overwhelmed and isolated. ~ Unknown
30. I don’t think the worst thing that could happen to me is raising a child with special needs. I think the worst thing is to raise a child who is cruel to those with special needs. ~ unknown
31. Do not let a broken system convince you that you have a broken child. ~ Uknown
32. When you are frustrated with me because of the things I cannot do … Just imagine how frustrated I must be because I am not able. ~ Unknown
33. Children with special needs come into our lives, leaving footprints on our hearts and we are never the same. ~ Unknown
34. The kids who need the most love will ask for it in the most unloving ways. ~ Russell Barkley
35. Remember, popcorn is prepared in the same pot, in the same heat, in the same oil, but the kernels don't pop at the same time. Don't compare your child to other children, their turn to pop is coming. ~ Unknown
36. Sometimes the most powerful therapy is just a pause.
~ Amanda J. Friedman
