The SpecialMoms Parenting Magazine 3rd Issue | Page 27

Karen Franco, Author

Karen
Franco,
Author
Tell us a little about
yourself and family.
I’m Karen Franco. I was born and raised in
Kenosha, Wisconsin. After earning my Journalism degree at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, I started as a feature writer
for a weekly newspaper, the Zion Benton
News.
Life took me to California, and that’s where
Jacob was born. Little did I know that Jacob
would change my life forever.
I am a founding member of the Board of Directors of a non-profit specialized day care
center, Every Child’s Place, in Kenosha, WI,
whose mission is to care for children with
special needs as well as their typically developing peers. I have served on the board for
14 years. I have amazing stories to tell from
living in “Jacob’s world”, and I am eager to
share them with parents, teachers, caregivers, or anyone with children facing similar
challenges. Today, I live in Yorkville, Wisconsin with my husband, Chris, my Labradoodle, Bella, and, of course, Jacob.
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What have been some of
your biggest obstacles/challenges
in raising your child with
special needs?
Raising a child with special needs has completely changed my life. It can be a juggling
act not knowing what the day is going to
bring. The biggest obstacle is Jacob’s behaviors, which go along with his very “big” personality. I can say I have never met another
child like Jacob. Different challenges appear
daily, and the hard part is trying to understand where they are coming from. Jacob is
verbal but not able to communicate in a way
that can explain how he is feeling. He has
emotional outbursts which can be intense
and can lead to some aggression. Jacob’s
frustration with not being able to communicate what is bothering him is a big factor in
bringing on these behaviors.
Another aspect of managing the behaviors,
is finding the right balance of medications
that can help him cope with his day to day
activities. Medication is all trial and error,
because what might work for one child, may
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