My heart swelled and broke simultaneously. I wanted to help him and had to resist approaching the ringleader to ask if my boy could play too. Even though he is only five and -- hopefully -- far from the years that my mere existence will utterly embarrass him, I knew he didn't want me to interfere.

Raising a child with special needs has been challenging to say the least. Convincing the medical community that my concerns about my son were valid, and then attaining a proper diagnosis, was a gruesome battle. My mother has been right there in the trenches with me from day one.

One of my greatest challenges as a new dad was determining what my kid wanted or needed. He seemed to get distressed and yell for no reason, but I knew there must be one -- I just couldn't discern it.

Last year at this time, the birthday party would have been a sweat-inducing experience at a minimum, and probably would have included some tears -- from both of us -- and a quick exit.

By Emily Willingham Some news coverage in the last 48 hours has mentioned autism in the context of the tragedy in Connecticut, particularly referen...

Written by Liza Long, republished from The Blue Review Friday’s horrific national tragedy -- the murder of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Ho...

These labels -- Asperger's, ADD, Dyslexic, Dyspraxic -- do not define or restrict our children, but they can help others to understand our childrens' unique challenges as well as their special gifts. This heightened understanding can bring our children support, respect and empathy.

No one holds your hand when you are a special needs parent. No one leads you through the tangled web of diagnoses, treatment plans, nutritional input and educational advice.

My son welcomes me into the inner sanctum of his most intimate fantasies with open arms.

Anthony Steele loves to play pirates in his backyard, but the black flag aboard his "ship" is stirring up trouble with an English town's district coun...

We as a society need to step back and rethink the view we have of disabled children. And the parents who are raising these children have to get serious about bringing these children up with the understanding that they can live their lives to the fullest.