Developmental Differences
We see you, parents of kids with special needs. Yours is not an easy road, but NPN has many resources to help you along, whether you’ve just received a diagnosis or you’re looking for further supports for your older child.
Our Developmental Differences Parent Support Group has been making parents and caregivers feel less alone for nearly 10 years. The group meets the third Wednesday of every month—see the NPN calendar to RSVP for the next meeting.
Also celebrating its 10th birthday, the annual Developmental Differences Resource Fair brings together therapy providers, schools and fun activities for kids with special needs. And our library of videos on developmental differences offers tips and strategies on everything from potty training to IEPs.
The best part: All of our developmental differences resources are free to members and non-members alike.
👉 New! Use our Developmental Differences Resource Directory to find doctors, schools, therapy providers and more.
Providers: Click here to participate in our Developmental Differences Resource Program.
Discussions
My 12 yo daughter stutters when she talks to teachers and people she doesn't know. She's frustrated by it. There's a component of social anxiety related to her stuttering. She started speech therapy earlier this fall but I don't think it's helping. Any recommendations for speech therapists you've u...
My son was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5 and just had a re-eval at age 8. The latest neuropsych results maintain the ADHD diagnoses but added ASD level 1. This was not a huge surprise, we had suspected it due to poor social communication skills and ASD was in scope in the neuropsych eval at 5 years o...
Hello, Does anyone have any recommendations for preschools for a 3 year old who has sensory processing challenges (ex: possible ADHD/autism) and anxiety? We would ideally want a small teacher:student ratio. We are in the Ravenswood neighborhood, but open to a short drive. We don't think a thera...
Hi all, I am in the process of trying to have my 3 year old evaluated for autism (we suspect level one) and possible ADHD and we are trying to find the right preschool for her (she is currently on a "pause" from her earlier school and at home because of intense anxiety about going to school/sc...
Hi all, I am hoping to learn more about the experience of neurodiverse students (with IEPs) in CPS preschools. My daughter is three years old and having challenges with school refusal (she is enrolled right now in a montessori school. She has a sensory processing disorder and we sus...
More Articles related to this topic
NPN is known for helping families find childcare, research schools, navigate developmental differences, and get parent-to-parent advice. Helping families navigate developmental differences is one part of our mission that is especially meaningful to me and the rest of the staff team. NPN’...
Traveling with children can be fun, exciting and challenging and traveling with a child with a special needs child adds a whole new dynamic. I’m a mom of three: I have one 3 year old son and 5 year old boy/girl twins and my oldest son, Owen, has autism. To get ready for a trip, whether that be an ou...
It was an early Sunday morning in March 2012. I did not get much sleep the night before, because I was 4 months pregnant with our second child, and our first child, Luke, had just received a diagnosis of autism and epilepsy. To say that I was stressed would be an understatement. Related: Your ...
As a pediatric physical therapist, something I hear quite often in new assessments with families is that they "knew something wasn't quite right and had questions on it, but were told to wait and see if it was still a problem" at their next pediatrician visit. Many times, things do work themselves o...
As a parent of a special needs child, I look forward to the periods of platitude. Every developmental stage is an uphill climb that seems to take forever. So when my child hits a plateau and can thrive in an age-appropriate developmental stage, I relish in the peace that comes with it. I have learne...
