Special Needs Parenting

Rebecca Smith Masterson recently posted a blog.

To My Son's Autism Therapists

It's an open letter to her son's therapists. In the blog she offers insights into what it is like to be the parent of a special needs child. The experience can be isolating.

Among the insights...

I'll tell you that as a parent, it is tough to get your head around the fact that you have a child you can't help.


We're fragile. We're scared. We're struggling. We're hopeful. We're grateful. We're really, really tired.

Do you know how much we have to fight for our kids? The biggest surprise to me in this special needs parenting world was how much I have to advocate for my son to people who should be on his team. Schools, therapists, doctors, insurance -- you name it, it was probably a battle.

Your training should have included how much this therapy costs. I'm sure it didn't, but I'd like you to understand the sacrifices we are making to pay for all of this.

We too have special needs children. They are young adults now. They've made a lot of progress, but their needs have not gone away.

And this...there is no cure for Autism...there is no pill to take for treatment. Therapy is the only way right now, and it is expensive.