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
Hi all, Does anyone happen to have info to share about Cherry Preschool in Evanston? I am curious to learn more about their inclusion program and how they support autistic children. Thank you! ...
Hello, I am trying to learn more about possible therapeutic schools for young children with autism. I am looking at CSA Academy and Bluebird. I am also trying to think ahead to where my child will go for elementary school. Does anyone have experience with therapeutic schools for students with a...
Hello, Does anyone happen to have a pediatrician they really like who has a special interest/background in autism? In particular, it would be terrific to find someone very knowledgable about PDA (pervasive demand avoidance) autism -- I realize this could be hard to find. I am on a l...
I think my 5 year old is headed towards an ADHD diagnosis and I have so many questions and concerns. Are there any cons to an ADHD diagnosis ? (receiving the diagnosis officially, obviously there are cons to having that collection of symptoms) What age is ADHD commonly diagnos...
Hello, I was wondering if anyone has experience with the autism diagnostic testing at Rush? I am trying to learn more about the process (I see there are three stages -- does the child need to be present for the "parent interview" during stage one)? Thank you! ...
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...
