What a week! We all had to try to get over the Thanksgiving hump and get moving as he head into the next round of holidays. You probably noticed the new look for this site. Dig in and let us know if you see any glitches.

The other big announcement on the site? The drawing for Support for Special Needs’ iPad2 giveaway. Congrats go to Nicole from Abby’s Perfect Broken Heart. She was randomly chosen from more than 400 entries. Thanks to everyone who took part in the drawing.

I’ve had a really big week for my site… Not a ton of posts, but a great amount of giving is happening online. Jordan (my daughter who was born with one hand and a very cute, short left arm that stops just above the elbow) and I discussed how we could celebrate her birthday. We decided to raise money to send kids to Camp No Limits. It’s a limb difference camp that brings kids with congenital and traumatic amputations together with their families. It’s become an important summer experience for Jordan and her brother, Cameron. It’s also super special for my husband and I as well. We’ve already raised more than our goal of $700 (enough for two kids to attend camp) and Jordan’s birthday isn’t until December 29th! We’re still raising money and now we’re $75 away from having enough for a third child. It’s very exciting. I’m so honored to see such an outpouring of support.

New members
Speaking of support, you should drop a line and meet some of our new members on the site!

First, meet Ali Archer. She’s @abarcher on Twitter. Ali is a mom to a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old. Her oldest is on the spectrum and says she hasn’t had time to herself in three years. Hopefully this can be a space where Ali can rant and chat with other parents who understand. She wrote in her bio, “I just wish that people that weren’t living the way we do could truly understand it.” I promise Ali, we understand!

Leah Freeman is also new to the site. She’s the mom to 4-year-old Teegan and 17-month-old Marlow. Little Marlow was diagnosed with Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD) when she was six months old. Be sure to drop her a line, share some support and give her recommendations on groups she can join here.

Group updates
Speaking of groups, there have been some interesting conversations on a number of groups here lately.

The Mental Illness/Mood Disorder group had a really helpful conversation about possibly using medication for a child who is dealing with depression and mood difficulties. It’s worth looking at the conversation and seeing the wonderful advice from the parents in the group.

The ADD/ADHD with Learning Disabilities group discussed handwriting challenges. A mom asked how to help a child improve his writing clarity. Check out the advice. Also, I have to say I’m impressed with the description, “I have the handwriting of a serial killer squirrel wearing oven mitts.” That’s awesome.

That’s just a peek into the comings and goings of the site. Be sure to check out some of the new features of the upgraded site. My favorite is how you can easily favorite anyone’s posts on the site. It’s also much easier and faster to leave a quick note and thought.

See glitches on the site?

Let us know…you can email julia@supportforspecialneeds.com and we’ll look into it. Also, we’re testing the chat feature you’ll notice on the bottom right hand corner…it’s only private to members on the site. We’re looking to add one that has the ability to go into a private chat if you choose.

Want to get more out of our site? Join our community!