iVillage Canada Special Needs Parenting Panel.

This week I am participating on a Special Needs Parenting panel on iVillage Canada. Parenting and pregnancy author Ann Douglas is heading up the panel, along with blogger Lisa Thornbury, journalist Ijoema Ross, and myself as we share the joys, sorrows and essential advice on raising special kids. I hope you'll check it out.


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ASD treatment a financial drain on families.

Max Carefoot, 6, sits attentively at a pint-sized table, his hands gently resting on his knees. On cue, he vocalizes a series of words, carefully chosen to perfect his enunciation skills.

Working on his bite and blow sounds, the bright-eyed boy repeats after communicative disorders assistant Gwen Blackburn.

My roof. My leaf. My calf. My knife. My cuff. My elf. My giraffe. My chief. Each letter of every word is audible. His speech is clear and his diction is precise.

“He’s doing amazing with words,” said Blackburn, who has been working with the Oakville boy for the past year. And considering Max was non-verbal until two years ago, his achievements are worthy of a gold star.

“I call him the hardest working kid in autism,” said his mom, Katrina Carefoot.

...Read more on InsideHalton.com

trying to piece together the autism puzzle.

Little Max Carefoot was just a tot when his mom Katrina and dad Scott suspected their son’s development was lagging compared to that of his peers. The blond-haired boy with beautiful doe eyes wasn’t talking, didn’t respond to his name and didn’t offer eye contact.

The Carefoots struggled with the notion something was impeding Max’s development. Doctors weren’t sympathetic. They wouldn’t entertain autism spectrum disorder as a possibility.

“Our doctor was telling us milestones go six months either way. I’m going through my autism checklist saying, ‘Hey, look buddy, he meets all the criteria,’” said the Oakville mom. “We just weren’t taken serious(ly) as first-time parents.”

...Read more on InsideHalton.com