Family

Special needs

Are you raising a child with special needs? We're here to help with personal stories, expert advice, the latest research, and tips on how to support your child.

Making a holiday wishlist for kids with special needs

Making a holiday wishlist for kids with special needs

Creating a wishlist in advance can make gift-giving that much easier for relatives of kids with special needs.

Anchel Krishna

Special-needs parenting: Why fitness is especially important

Special-needs parenting: Why fitness is especially important

Lifting wheelchairs and towing walkers are just part of the everyday routine for some parents of kids with special needs.

Anchel Krishna

When your child meets unexpected milestones

When your child meets unexpected milestones

Syona recently started asking "why" and Anchel explains why this milestone question has brought her so much joy.

Anchel Krishna

Special-needs parenting: Bittersweet birth of a new baby

Special-needs parenting: Bittersweet birth of a new baby

Welcoming a new baby into the family can produce a range of mixed emotions for the parents of a child with special needs.

Anchel Krishna

Q&A with BLOOM editor Louise Kinross

Q&A with BLOOM editor Louise Kinross

For many parents of kids with special needs, BLOOM is the perfect online resource.

Anchel Krishna

Meeting other parents of kids with special needs

Meeting other parents of kids with special needs

Despite the wealth of online resources, there's nothing like connecting with other parents of kids with special needs in person.

Anchel Krishna

In the news: Petition for a Disney character with special needs

In the news: Petition for a Disney character with special needs

In the news: A recent online petition is calling for Disney to feature a character with special needs — and it's making waves.

Anchel Krishna

Why I always give my child the flu shot

Why I always give my child the flu shot

With lots of myths about vaccines debunked by scientists and doctors, why does giving kids the flu shot still make some of us uneasy?

Anchel Krishna

Special-needs parenting: Milestones vs. inchstones

Special-needs parenting: Milestones vs. inchstones

In the world of special-needs parenting, even the little steps towards independence mark a major milestone.

Anchel Krishna

Special-needs parenting: Using humour to educate others

Special-needs parenting: Using humour to educate others

Sometimes laughter is the best medicine when trying to explain the world of special needs parenting to others.

Anchel Krishna

Special-needs parenting: A stranger saved my daughter's life

Special-needs parenting: A stranger saved my daughter's life

With the Canadian blood supply at an all-time low, one mom shares how an anonymous donor saved her daughter's life.

Anchel Krishna

Special needs parenting: Letter to myself four years ago

Special needs parenting: Letter to myself four years ago

As her daughter's birthday approaches, one mom reflects on what she would have loved to have told herself four years ago.

Anchel Krishna

The overwhelming process of filling out your child's IEP

The overwhelming process of filling out your child's IEP

Why creating your child's first Individual Education Plan (IEP) can feel like a daunting task.

Anchel Krishna

Seeing my daughter in a wheelchair makes me happy

Seeing my daughter in a wheelchair makes me happy

A kid's growing sense of independence is one of the unexpected joys that comes from parenting a child with special needs.

Anchel Krishna

Signs of dyslexia

Signs of dyslexia

Some reluctant readers could actually be showing signs of dyslexia.

Holly Bennett

Special needs: My daughter's first school bus ride

Special needs: My daughter's first school bus ride

When it comes to parenting a special-needs child, sometimes even the tiniest milestones are the most significant.

Anchel Krishna

6 things to say to parents of kids with special needs

6 things to say to parents of kids with special needs

Tips on how to talk to families of kids with special needs.

Anchel Krishna

Back-to-school basics for kids with special needs

Back-to-school basics for kids with special needs

When you have a child with special needs, back-to-school prep requires a few extra steps. Here are some tips.

Anchel Krishna

Special needs: 16-second GapKids ad makes a difference

Special needs: 16-second GapKids ad makes a difference

A new GapKids ad featuring a little girl with special needs is a step in the right direction.

Anchel Krishna

How a park swing changed our lives

How a park swing changed our lives

The addition of a park swing at a local playground has helped a little girl with cerebral palsy join the other kids.

Anchel Krishna