All children are unique human beings that will develop on their own schedule no matter how much one tries to poke and prod them to "speed up" or "slow down". I have never met a "typical" kid who develops in all areas at the rate "the experts" say s/he will. We are all by nature asynchronous in our development; "special needs" kids usually more so. To allow them the freedom to develop at their own pace without the stigma of constantly being compared to their age peers ("favourably" or not), is to give them a great gift. And for those who's personal needs are physical and/or very challenging, the gift of time to focus on those areas is precious. Therapies can be done without the backdrop of school pressure, and lots of time to just chat, play, and follow their interests without constant evaluation and negative feedback is therapeutic all on it's own.

And I would imagine that for a lot of "special needs" kids when school is removed from the picture there seems to be little need for the labels any more. Many of the labels are there so that they can be used to quickly "describe" a child to their teachers, hoping that they may treat them with respect, not just consider them a pain because they don't fit into the "typical" kid mold. That's certainly been our experience.

But you already know your child intimately ... no molds required!

There are some great sites and articles related to special needs around the web. I have listed a few here and will continue to add to it as I find others, but don't forget about searching on your own as well!

Anne Ohman has written a number of amazing articles and conference talks. I have the privilege of hosting two of them. Definitely make these your first stop.

The Natural Child Project is a website I mentioned in the getting started section. For special needs, be sure to go to the articles section, click on Learning, and read the article by Jan entitled "Learning Disability: A Rose By Another Name". There are also other articles there related to special needs that you will likely find very interesting.

Unschooling and Special Needs will take you to the special needs section of Sandra Dodd's website. Please take the time to read them all because they are wonderful and powerful!

Born To Explore! The OTHER Side of ADD is a website by Teresa Gallagher looking at ADD in detail, in a much more positive light than many others. It focuses on "differences" instead of "defects" and brings together tons of information. I have read quite a bit here, but it is a very large site! Oh, and if you have a minute, read the wonderful page she wrote about herself and the website at About Born To Explore and Its Hyperfocusing Author. Hurray for hyperfocus!!

The range of "special needs" is very wide. I have done some reading in the area and thought I'd list some of the books I found helpful and that may be helpful to you. You can obviously skim over any chapters that relate to trying to deal with schools, but you may find information and observations that will help you to understand your child even better. If your needs are completely different, these may be of no help. Sorry!

Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
It's subtitle says it all: "a guide for parents whose child is more intense, sensitive, perceptive, persistent, energetic". This book takes a much more positive look at the child who may be called "difficult" or "strong-willed" by those trying hard to get him to "fit in". I remember many "aha" moments the first time I read this book!

In Their Own Way by Thomas Armstrong
Subtitled "Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style", this a great book in which he discusses how many of the kids that are labeled as unmotivated or underachieving at school usually have a distinct personal learning style that just doesn't mesh with the schools' "teaching style". He even coined a new "label" ... dysteachia! But forget the school stuff - you may just get a better glimpse of how your child enjoys learning.

Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World - Unlocking the Potential of Your ADD Child by Jeffrey Freed and Laurie Parsons
Was another "aha" book for me. Again, you can ignore the school stuff and pick out all the interesting tidbits about how these kids learn. This will help you recognize and support their learning style. They even have a small section on homeschooling.

The Out-of-Sync Child - Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Integration Dysfunction by Carol Stock Kranowitz
The cover states: "If your child has been labeled with words like difficult, picky, oversensitive, clumsy, or inattentive ... there may be a new explanation - and new hope." It details the body's sensory systems and how they work together. There are lots of examples of how SID can affect a child's behaviour and a chapter on how to give your child a balanced "sensory diet" at home to help strengthen neurological development.