Table of contentsTEN POINTS FOR RAISING CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIESAlso remember that it is not your faultAccept your child as he isFaith will illuminate the future of your childWork with your child's doctors, physical therapist, and other professionalsTips: Be your child's advocate People will look at you and make judgments Never be ashamed of your child with a disability Are there stories that you are you not ashamed? Treat your child as normally as possible and never impose limits on your child. DISABLED You are afraid of your child's future. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay July 2, 1985 I will always remember this day. I let my six month old daughter work and I did things that six month old babies do. She was sitting by herself. She was crawling and achieving her goals. While I was at work, I received a terrible call. The person told me that my baby had been in an accident and was in the hospital. I immediately left work and didn't know what to expect. My heart was beating fast and when I got to see her, I immediately collapsed. I was so hurt and angry that my child was hurt. Later, the Doctor told me the news. He told me that my child would never be able to walk and would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He said his spinal cord was severed and could not be repaired with surgery. I went to work with a healthy baby and came back and saw that she couldn't sit up on her own and wasn't moving her legs. It hurt a lot and I cried and cried. I didn't know how I was going to take care of her but I knew that I loved her and would do whatever it took to help her survive in this world. I knew that God had given her to me and that she had a purpose in this world. Later, years later, I was pregnant with another child. The doctor noticed during my ultrasound that something was wrong with my baby. This time I was better prepared because the Doctor told me while I was pregnant with her. But I was still shocked and sad that it happened again. They told me she would have a severe intellectual disability and that I wanted to abort her. Of course I said no. This child couldn't do anything for herself. She couldn't walk. She couldn't speak but she could communicate with you with her voice. I was sad but I knew that God wouldn't force too many things on you that you couldn't handle. I felt like God gave me this child for a reason and that she had a purpose too. I would love her, accept her and take care of her. I was his eyes, his ears, his hands, his legs, everything. She needed a lot of care, so I was her nurse. I had to learn a lot of things to take care of her. It didn't bother me because she was a very happy and cheerful child who burst out laughing all the time. She was very funny and always made me laugh. I didn't see her as a burden because she was so strong in her illness. When she got sick, she bounced back every time. She lived to be 17 years old. The doctors said that thanks to my love, she lived longer than expected. Most children like her don't live that long. She has outlived many children who had the same thing as her. Tip: At first you are shocked when you learn that your child has a disability. You are afraid because you don't know what the future holds for your child,so you have to let it soak in. You find out what his limits will be and you do your best to get him to reach and go as far as he wants. can follow their limits. Also remember that it's not your fault. Often, parents feel guilty that they did something wrong so that their child ended up with a disability. I felt like it was my fault for the car accident because I was working at the time. I felt like if I didn't work and left her with this other person who caused this accident to her, this would never have happened to her. When I got pregnant with my other daughter and she was born with a severe disability. I started to wonder what was wrong with me. Why do I have two disabled children. Was I being punished for something? Did I do something wrong to get the cold in my stomach that caused my daughter's CMV. As parents, we often blame ourselves when our children have disabilities. We think it's our fault and sometimes people even get angry with God. I asked God why. What I do know is that life happens. Tip: Different people take different paths in life. Life isn't fair. I know that there is a God and that He will not force too many things on you that you cannot bear. I know He loves you and the special children He has given you, and there is no point in feeling guilty about you or your children. Just give it to God. We don't understand why certain things happen, but God knows why. Accept your child as he is. Once my two children were diagnosed, I was initially shocked. But then I realized I had to accept reality. I had to face it. But be aware that they walk with a wheelchair, a walker or orthodontic appliances. I played with my children in wheelchairs. I danced with them and made them dance to music. I played games with them. I took them to the store. At the mall. Tip: You accept your child as he is and face reality. You need to face the fact that your child might not be able to run or walk like other children. But you can also play with your children in your own way, regardless of their diagnosis. Children with special needs can bring you a lot of joy. I'm not saying it's not hard to take care of them sometimes. Yes sometimes you have to do more than other parents but that's your reality. Yes. Sometimes you are tired and weary. It's not always easy. What you do is pray and ask God to give you the strength to take care of them. It's not easy to go to the doctor all the time. It's not easy to see a physiotherapist, speech therapist and occupational therapist every week. But that was my reality and you have to face it and go head on. Faith will brighten your child's future. I hugged them and showed them love. I was there for them all the time. I took my children to church. I let them ask a pastor for prayer. I had hope that they would do good in life. When I took my children to church, he taught me that everyone has a purpose in life and that God loves everyone. It gave me and my child faith and hope and my daughter believed that she also had a purpose in life. There's a reason she was born. This is how I laid the foundation for my children by giving them faith and hope. Advice: You love your child with all your might and trust that he or she will be okay. You have to trust that your child will be okay. Faith is hope. Faith is the substance of things hoped forand the proof of things not seen. Everyone has something wrong with them. It's just that we see people with disabilities better. Remember that God gave you this child and he doesn't make mistakes. There are all kinds of people in this world. We are all children of God. Children with special needs are special in God's eyes. I believe that. And if he gave them to you, it means that you are a special parent capable of taking care of a special child. Mention that parents' love and hope play an essential role in their child's success in life. Work with your child's doctors, physical therapist and other professionals. I took my kids to their doctor appointments. I took them to physiotherapy. With physiotherapy, they work on their legs. I learned to do the exercises myself so I could apply them at home. Occupational therapists work with their hands. Speech therapy works on their speech. I learned what they did and did it at home. Sometimes the doctor will tell you that your child needs to wear a back brace, leg brace, or hand splints. Whatever my kids needed according to the doctor, I made sure they had it. If it was a certain type of medication, I made sure they had it. I listened to the doctor and asked questions if I didn't understand. Tip: This is a lot to do with children with special needs, but if you don't understand, ask the doctor or therapist. Learn as much as you can about your child's condition. You must know. You are their parent. Learn how to do therapy at home. I had to do a lot of things that a nurse does. I had to learn how to use a catheter. My youngest daughter couldn't eat through her mouth, so I had to feed her through a tube placed in her stomach. I had to be a mother and a nurse. You have to do what you have to do to keep your child alive. Be your child's advocate When doctors told me one of my children wouldn't live long, I didn't just give up on him. She was lucky enough to reach the age of 17. I continued to take care of her. I kept taking him to church. I continued to take it out. I fought for her. A physical therapist told me my other daughter had a closed head injury. I didn't accept that. I knew my daughter was smart. She didn't accept it either. She worked in special education herself and later earned a bachelor's degree from Oakland University. She later became Miss Wheelchair. She is now married and has two children. I raised a successful daughter. Advice: fight for her. Not everything professionals say has to be true. Have faith in God. Help your child be the best they can be despite their disability. You don't have to accept everything a professional says. Sometimes they can be wrong. You know your child better than doctors or professionals. You are their parent. You can also express your opinion. 22People will watch and make judgmentsSome people have asked me how my child ended up in a wheelchair. I told them she had been in a car accident. A doctor once told me to please use a car seat. My daughter was in a car seat when she was injured and I wasn't there. I was at work. When I left her that morning, she was in a car seat. This is what I mean when I say people might judge us as parents. I didn't like the looks. But so what. That didn’t stop me from taking my kids out in public. I ignored them.