The following is an article recently sent to me by a parent about stress. The stress we’re talking about is the parent’s stress, not the child’s. The article discusses findings from a study which explore the levels of stress in parents with children with special needs versus parents with typically developing children.
I post this with some hesitancy, because although this article provides a great topic for discussion, as well a giving many parents out there a sense of shared experience (“it’s not only me that feels this way”), it also points out the reality of how much more energy, both physically and psychologically, raising a child with special needs requires (and patience). I hope that this sparks conversation among parents. I’d love to see some responses to this piece on the blog.

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/11/10/autism-moms-stress/6121/