Welcome to Special Needs Abu Dhabi

Raising a child with special needs can be, in itself, quite challenging. Raising a child with special needs in a new country seems to add much more to that challenge. I started this blog shortly after my husband and I, and our two sons, moved to Abu Dhabi in the summer of 2009. We lived there for under 2 years and are now living back in the United States.


Our oldest son, AJ, has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder. Finding the resources in Abu Dhabi to help him with his special needs was an ongoing effort. In the U.S., the public school system provides testing, accommodations, and an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for students with special needs, so we were spoiled there -- and dismayed at the seemingly apparent shortage of resources available to ex-patriot families (aka "ex-pats") in Abu Dhabi.


There are resources available in Abu Dhabi -- you just have to know where to look. Which is why I started this blog. My hope was to bring together in one place information to help parents of kids with special needs... so you will at least have a starting point. I also wanted this to be a place where we can reach out and support one another with advice and sometimes just a shoulder to lean on.


We have been back in the U.S. for about a year now, and I haven't written on the blog since the move -- until now. There have been a few parents who found the blog and wrote to me for advice -- and I have been happy to give it. I'm glad that it continues to serve its original purpose of helping ex-pat parents to find resources in Abu Dhabi to help their kids with special needs.


Recently, I have begun feeling the need to write again, but I've been unsure how to move ahead with the blog. In hindsight, I don't know if life is any less challenging in the U.S. than it was in Abu Dhabi. There are still daily struggles. I continue to advocate for my son who has ADHD -- to get him the help in school and in life that he needs in order to thrive, learn and grow. There have been steps forward and backward. I have felt hopeless and hopeful.


If you are in Abu Dhabi, or considering a move there, please leave a comment. If you know of resources that you've found helpful, let me know and I'll add them to the list. If you come across an article or book that has made a difference in your child's life, please share. Most of all, I hope you will share your stories. Wherever you are, it's good to know you're not alone.


Thanks for coming by.


For our kids,

Karen

Friday, January 14, 2011

Minnie's Shoe

I took down the Christmas tree today while Jim took the boys to lunch and a fun center. I kind of like doing this by myself so I can ponder over each ornament and the meaning it has for me and our family. There's the "First Christmas Together" ornament from when Jim and I first got married (three days before Christmas). There's the "Baby's First Christmas, 2003" for when AJ was almost one year old. Then there's the "Baby's First Christmas, 2004" for when JT celebrated his first Christmas. And there are all the Hallmark Keepsake ornaments which we've tried to collect every year that Jim and I have been married. We always look for a special one with the year on it and we have one for just about every one of our 26 years. Our tree is decorated with a mix of breakables and non-breakables. When we decorated the tree together this year, I tried to grab all the breakables and place them up high but, inevitably one of the kids would hang one down low. I worried that they would break one or that the cat would knock it off the tree. Jim helped me to realize that it's not about the fragile ornaments. It's about the kids wanting to take part in this special family tradition. I let go of my anxiety and enjoyed my kids and it was a wonderful time.

Shortly after the tree was up, I found something odd. It looked like a very long, tiny, uncoiled spring. I followed the length of this very long spring and found something else odd attached to the end. It was bright yellow, very shiny, pointy on one end, a little bit round on the other, with a tiny red painted bow on top. I picked it up to examine it more closely. Hmmm, glittery. Ah ha!! Minnie Mouse's shoe! Attached to Minnie Mouse's leg! Not attached to Minnie Mouse!

I love a mystery, so I went directly to the Christmas tree to see if I could find the Minnie and Mickey Mouse ornament on the tree. Not there. But down below, hiding under the tree skirt, was the cute little ornament with Minnie and Mickey riding a bicycle, with springy legs dangling -- minus Minnie's leg. Then I looked up and saw a guilty-faced AJ watching me. He said, "I'm sorry." I asked, "What happened?" He said, "I was playing with it and her leg fell off." (Hmmm.) I asked, "How did her leg get stretched out so long?" He answered, "I don't remember. I'm sorry."

My first thought was to throw it all in the trash, but that thought quickly vanished. I decided that this is a Christmas memory I want to save. So what if it's not perfect. I still love it and I love the little boy who broke it. So, I'm going to glue Minnie's extra long leg back on and let it dangle. And I'll smile every year when I see it. And, if it survives the years, maybe it'll end up on AJ's tree some day.

For our kids,
Karen
specialneedsabudhabi@gmail.com
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