Hi Everyone - Just thought I would share with you something that was given to me a few days ago. I was speaking with someone who has an 8 yr. old autistic son. We were discussing what a shock it is when your child gets diagnosed with an "unusual" disability/disorder. She, of course, had never heard of CAH and we were having a great discussion about our lives amongst this "stuff" that surrounds us. (She refers to herself and to all of us and all the parents of children with "needs", the special group of parents.) Several days later, she gave me something a friend had passed on to her. It reminded me of the guilt that I felt when my son was 17 days old and near death. I was so guilty that I hadn't reacted sooner etc., not unlike the thoughts and comments of so many I have read on this board. Because we had also discussed how many of our families and friends just "don't get it" when it comes to our "special" children, she thought she would send me this note. It read as follows:

Raising a Special Child is a Journey

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability/disorder - to try to help people who have not shared the unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...

When you're going to have a baby, its like planning a fabuous