The SpecialMoms Parenting Magazine Issue 5 | Page 14

Lisa
Lightner
I live in southeastern PA with my
husband, two sons and two dogs.
I run the blog, do some lobbying, work as an advocate (I prefer
the term disabilities consultant),
have a newspaper column, PTO
president…I keep busy.

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Please tell us more about your family.
I have one boy in kindergarten and my older son
with special needs goes to Devereux CARES Day
School, an intensive ABA program for children with
disabilities.

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Thinking about your journey raising a child
with special needs, can you elaborate on
this comment: “I wished I knew then, what
I know now”?
That it wouldn’t be so dark, so full of despair.
Those first few weeks and months are devastating.
But you know, the fog lifts, acceptance comes to be
and you’re ok, just doing what you gotta do. You
think that your life will never be normal. It’s different, it’s a different normal, but most of what we do
is normal stuff.

Can you share with us your child’s
diagnosis?
My son has a condition called Dup15Q. As far as
what it looks like….it’s autism, intellectual disability, cortical visual impairment, mobile and ambulatory, but non-verbal. Very sweet, very agreeable
passive kid.

Looking into the future, what do you wish
for your child(ren)?
My new wishes for my kids are to be safe, and to
live a happy life…but not at the expense of others.
That’s it.

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