GROW with Shield HealthCare has been named a PR News' Social Media Awards finalist in the Best Blog category for its support of special needs families.

When you're parenting a child with special needs, there will always be storms. Life is about unexpected situations and how we weather them.

Wanted: Parent of a Child with Complex Needs. Must be willing to work more than 100 hours per week on minimal sleep. Experience in nursing, pharmacy, physical/occupational/speech therapy, teaching and medical law preferred. Must begin immediately upon qualifying diagnosis.

To be independent is a hard-wrought thing. Eating, breathing, speaking, moving…these things take intense effort from a child and family with special needs.

There’s something to be said for developing your “surprise face” when someone close to you tells you she’s pregnant. As a special needs mom to a son who was born ten weeks early and has a myriad of life-long complications, I have more than a touch of PTSD when it comes to pregnancy and labor and delivery.

Raising a child with complex medical, developmental and mental health needs can be a nerve-wracking experience. Join our panel of four parents as they discuss the skills and mindset they’ve developed to manage this extreme environment.

When it hit us, it hit hard and fast. I don’t know if there’s an actual name for it, but I call it therapy burnout. Here's what we learned from quitting therapy for over a year.

For many families, the day that a toddler uses the potty for the first time is a time of celebration. But for some families with children with special needs, that day may come much later, or not at all. And that's okay!

My husband's unusual request for a Father's Day gift surprised me...until I stopped and thought about all he does for our child with cerebral palsy and for our whole family.