Strategies for Communicating with your Teen or Young Adult Child Photo by: Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash

Photo by Sean Foster on Unsplash

When a family comes to me sharing the story of their child who is struggling, I also ask, "And, how is this impacting you, their parents, your marriage, and especially their siblings?"

As a clinical social worker trained in family systems, I look at the health of the entire family system. When one child struggles, requiring more of their parents' attention and emotional energy, the siblings will be impacted. It's not a matter of if – it's a matter of how.

If you've a child with special needs, you've likely been following the news about proposed changes to federal education oversight and funding. I won't lie - it's concerning. The potential downsizing of the Department of Education, shifting oversight responsibilities, and reduced federal enforcement could impact the services our kids depend on.

But here's what we want you to remember: your child still has rights, and you still have power as their advocate. The federal laws that protect students with disabilities - IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA - are still in place. What's changing is how they might be enforced and funded. We aim to keep you informed.

Fair Play is Rodsky's answer to the imbalance of work that often crops up in managing a house and family. The book offers tools, techniques, and resources that help couples learn how to share responsibility for household tasks and decision-making in a way that works for the whole family. For families struggling with school stress or a mental health crisis, this structure is invaluable.