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Raising boys and raising kids with special needs have been the most challenging parts of my parenting journey. Don’t get me wrong. I love parenting, and I love my boys. But I’m not male, and never will be, and quite frankly boys think differently than girls do. At least mine do.
And then add in the special needs that both my sons and oldest daughter have, and well, let’s just say I spend a great deal of time and energy trying to find the best way to help my kids succeed in who they are and in the world around them. And I love it, but it also helps to talk with others who have already been down the road.
Well, in this episode of the Living Life at Home podcast, I got to pick the brain of another mom who has been down this road of parenting boys and boys with special needs and emerged the other side – successfully! And she is generous enough to share her lessons learned with those of us who are still on the journey.
Kayla Fay is the mom of 4 boys, three of whom have ADHD Inattentive, and one with a learning disability and the mom behind the wonderful parenting site about raising kids with ADHD Inattentive, GoAskMom.com.
Kayla has also written several parenting books including Focus Pocus: 100 Ways to Help Your Child Pay Attention and Waking Up from the Homework Nightmare.
Listen in as Kayla and I discuss what it’s like to parent boys to adulthood, and how to help our children who have special needs succeed through their school years and into adulthood. Some of the topics we covered included:
- How we can help our children focus, whether they have ADHD or not
- Tips for working with teachers and other extracurricular activity leaders
- The importance of routines and transitions, but also the importance of teaching our kids to be flexible, especially when they aren’t inclined to be
- How to get to school activities, church, and sports activities with as few battles as possible
- How the food our children eat affects their focus and self-control.
- How time outdoors impacts our children’s ability to focus and succeed in school.
- What battles are worth fighting and which are not.
- Memorization tips for students who have difficulty with spelling, bible verses, and other facts
Might want to grab a pad of paper and pencil though, Kayla’s got some great tips and insights. Several of which I implemented right after our call – with results. 
To listen in, simply click the play button below. To download the recording to your computer, right click on download link below and choose ‘Save Target As’.
Raising Boys & Kids with ADHD Inattentive & Special Needs [ 1:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadEnjoy!
…Shannon
P.S. For those of you with children who are traditionally schooled or who take outside classes, be sure to check out the Planner for Kids that Kayla developed and used with her boys and see if it might work for you too.
P.S.S. Prefer to read? Be sure to subscribe to our email list and I’ll be sure to let you know when the transcript for this episode is available.
You may also like:
7 Tips for a Successful Science Project Guest Post by Kayla Fay
The Non-Scientific Parent’s Guide to a Science Project a free guide by Kayla Fay
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August 29th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Enjoyed listening. That half ball thing to help get the wiggles out sounds interesting! It’s always good to hear from a mom who has been there done that.
February 1st, 2011 at 4:33 pm
[...] good news, the transcript from the Raising Special Needs Kids interivew I did with Kayla Fay, is now available. And it’s [...]
March 4th, 2011 at 11:26 am
[...] And I’ll still be here, too. In fact, I’d like to give you the opportunity to listen to an interview I had with Shannon S of Living Life at Home. Shannon also has four kids – and has her share of learning challenges. She’s a homeschooling mom, and a great all around person. You’ll love the interview! Hear it here. [...]
March 24th, 2011 at 11:16 am
[...] conversation the two of us had last summer on Blogspot.com. You can listen to the interview on her Living Life at Home blog, or you can read the transcript here. Shannon homeschools her four children, and she’s [...]