The SpecialMoms Parenting Magazine 3rd Issue | Page 28

Karen Franco, Author
not work with another. Those can be extremely difficult times to get through.

Elaborate on this comment:
“I wish I knew then,
what I know now!”
This question is something that I think about
quite often. I found that since I’ve written
“Just Hold My Hand,” and have met many
families who have children with special
needs, each one has different ideas to share
about how they have helped their children.
Most of the approaches seem to be more
holistic. I’ve attended seminars on essential
oils, chiropractic services, sensory processing, digestive treatments/diet changes, in
home therapies and now my son is 19 years
old. These methods of treatment seem to be
more effective at a younger age.

When Jacob was growing
up, I wasn’t exposed to
the information that I’m
learning about now and
I feel I may have missed
out in helping him
in a more holistic way
which may have helped
to manage his behaviors
more and helped him
internally feel better.

My life is very regulated and full of routines because Jacob needs that order to feel
grounded during the day. Changes and transitions are never easy in my life…Jacob likes
to know what is coming next which can be
challenging. I think it’s very important not
to lose yourself within your child’s disability. I found that I wasn’t Karen anymore, I
was “Jacob’s mom.” That’s fine to some extent, but you need to remember to take care
of yourself and find that healthy balance between being a mom and being a person.
Having a support system in place is important, meaning finding the right people to do
respite care so you and your husband can
have that “date night” or you and your girlfriends can go shopping. It took me awhile
to figure that out and I’m very fortunate
to have a loving, and supportive husband,
Chris, who has helped me find myself again
and he has let me know I’m not alone helping Jacob grow and thrive to be the best he
can be.

Are there any special needs
resources that have helped you
along the way that you would like
to share with other parents?

Not saying that his medications aren’t helping him cope with the day to day, but maybe
if I could introduced some of the other methods along the way it would have been even
more efficient in Jacob’s overall well-being.
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How has your life changed
and what advice can you
give to other mothers?

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My son definitely struggles with sensory
processing disorder, and it can be so overwhelming that it effects his day to day activities. Through the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin, I attended a seminar
about Sensory Processing and I bought the
book, “Raising a Sensory Smart Child.” I
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