It’s really hard bringing up children. It’s great but it’s really hard! All the responsibility you have to ensure these little people grow up to be well-rounded and decent human beings is immense. There’s also the worry of it all too of course! Are you doing it right? Should you be doing something differently? Are they safe? Could you do something better? The list goes on…

Those worries must only be increased by having a child with a disability? Every parent works hard but if you have a child who is autistic or disabled, well your mothering role must have to take on a whole new dimension. I’m sure like with everything to do with children, parents just get on with it and do the best they can to make sure their children are as happy and healthy as they can be. I’m sure when it comes to that nothing changes at all and you just work as hard as you can, no matter what. But the worry must always be that little bit more and it must be very challenging at times.

We recognise single parents as having a tough job to do on their own and I hope that we, as a nation, recognise that the parents of children who have special needs have a pretty immense job to do as well!

Today is World Down Syndrome Day, a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. This is the 8th year it has run and each year the voice of people with Down syndrome, and those who live and work with them, grows louder. It is a day to grow recognition of what Down Syndrome is and raise awareness of the single global voice advocating for the rights, inclusion and well-being of people with Down syndrome.

They have asked bloggers and social networkers to speak on-line and try to help this cause, so here I am, hopefully helping a little, by shouting as loudly as I can about today!

As a Mum myself I guess I look at the subject from the point of view of wondering how it must be in life to have a child with special needs. I honestly don’t know how I would cope? I hope I would do well, I hope I never have to find out – of course that must be how every mother feels.

Deborah French is a Mother who not only knows what it’s like to have one child with special needs but actually, two of her children, who although have very different stories, suffer with difficulties. Her world was turned upside down when after the birth of her first son she went on to have a daughter who was born with Down Syndrome. She had no idea. A year later and aged just two, her son was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Deborah, now aged 35, has four children with her older two being 10 and 8. She has written a book about her emotional journey parenting two children with special needs called ‘A Brief Moment In Time‘. Deborah is an award-winning speaker from the UK who now resides in Israel, she gave up her market research business in order to devote her time to her children and now with her new book she is allowing us to take a glimpse at her life and what it is like raising two children with different special needs.

‘A Brief Moment In Time‘ – The honest truth by a truly remarkable mother – is published by ASD Publishing and will be available for download at all major online bookstores from 8th April 2013.

Deborah says“As a parent of two children with totally different special needs, my redemption and ability to write my upcoming memoir A Brief Moment in Time came from accepting our lives and our children as our kind of ‘normal’, with no comparisons to others. By not succumbing to the world’s current definition, our family has been able to take steps towards finding contentment.Though our journey is far from complete, it feels great to have found the path and I hope that by sharing my story I will empower other parents to be able to do the same.”

Deborah and her family!

French will be blogging on navigating the school system, how to inspire teachers and therapists to help your child with tips on daily life both for parenting and finding yourself. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook or visit her website www.deborah-french.com for more updates.

I have not been paid in any way to write this post.

French will be blogging on navigating the school system, how to inspire teachers and therapists to help your child with tips on daily life both for parenting and finding yourself. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook for more updates.

I have not been paid in any way to write this post.

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