Being a Father of a child with special needs (in this case a child with CP) is a life-defining event. The following are some affirmations that I have found helpful to do my best through the years:

1. The role of the Father, although not as well defined, as that of the mother, is central;
2. Stability and constancy in your child’s life give direction to move forward in a positive manner;
3. School people respond differently and are more apt to hear the Mother when the Father or other significant male is present;
4. More than success in work, becoming an effective advocate for your child sustains self esteem and self worth over time;
5. It is incredibly hard to define, strategize and implement effective advocacy without another invested adult on behalf of the child. While that does not have to be the other parent, when applicable, the Father should make every effort to step up and play this role.
6. Although the fight often can be hard, the rewards are incredible.
7. Working for myself has allowed me the schedule to do what I need to for my son. If working for yourself is an option, consider it seriously as it will allow you to make most of fatherhood.

Although this site specializes in resources for families in California, the Autism Law site should be a starting point for a parent or legal professional beginning a case for a child with autism. It is comprehensive in its scope both on the law and related resources.

The PACER Center which is clearinghouse of information on topics related to all disabilities including autism, it has a great article on preventing the dangers of household chemicals related to the development of special needs, including autism.

One of the most awesome bloggers on all things special education and special needs is Terri Mauro. She publishes several different blogs which can be accessed from her “personal” blog Mamatude. How she has the time to raise two children with special needs and consistently publish quality blog material is beyond me. All of her blogs are worthwhile reading for their humor, humanity and resources.

A friend of mine publishes the blog Raising Romulus and Remus. Again, while her twin boys from Russia do not have autism, her predicaments, and the day to day tumult that Lydia describes with much fun and aplomb is worth the read, if for no other reason than it will help you get through to another day. Most parents of children with autism and other special needs will be able to relate to her daily trials.

Liz Ditz of the blog I Speak of Dreams has a wide ranging scope and always seems to zero in on the most crucial parts of important articles and arguments. She has one of the most comprehensive blogrolls I have ever seen, and is always worthwhile reading.

Peggy Lou Morgan writes with incredible pathos about her day to day work with her son, who has autism. She spares no details without becoming maudlin. A parent will never feel that they are the only ones going through things after spending time reading Peggy’s accounts of the good and bad times raising a complex child.

A personal favorite of mine is Ryn Tales about the adventures of raising a 27 week preemie with CP. I have to admit that I immediately connected with her site because my son was also a 27 week preemie and has CP. She writes well and does not pull any punches when it comes to the concerns a parent has about the day to day of raising a child with physical challenges. She also brings out a lot of great resources in her postings.

Too often parents with special needs get as many labels as their children, and many of these labels are not very flattering at all. These labels are intended to put parents back in their box and to stifle future efforts at advocacy. There has been some recent discussion that in some states it has become common practice to call Child Protective Services to intimidate parents from exercising effective advocacy. One parent recently even told me of death threats and harassing phone calls to warn her off of advocating. Really amazing stuff, when you consider that parents are exercising their legal rights to advocate on behalf of their children; the most natural role for a parent to take.

One of the most pernicious labels that I have seen liberally thrown around is Munchausen by proxy. Essentially the argument goes like this: parent (Mother) has “issues” and invents disabilities to garner attention for herself, and advantages in school for her child that special education can bring. This devastating label can stop even the strongest parent in their tracks. Unfortunately, parents need to prepare for this possibility especially when the presenting concern is not readily apparent in school, so therefore, it must be made-up or worse. Advocacy in this area of the law can be a rough business and parents need to come prepared not only for the labels to be applied to their children but to them as well.

The best known resource, although not a blawg is Wrightslaw.com. The amount of energy and time that Pete and Pam Wright and their staff put into this massive site is incredible. Despite the fact this site has been around for many years, some parents are not familiar with this site which should be the starting point for any parental research project in the area of special education advocacy; this site will provide access to case law, understanding educational methodologies and evaluations, just to name a few.

One of my personal favorites in the strictly blawg category is the Disability Law Blog. This site is hosted by a law professor from Washington University (my undergraduate alma mater) Law School, and it shows. The articles are thoughtful, useful and not just designed for attorneys. The postings are incredibly timely and have commentary that help put the topic into perspective and context.

The blawg that inspired me to start my own blawg is Fapepage. Although the postings are not daily (as has been my bane recently as well), the author comes up with some gems of case law and is always a worthwhile read for topical information that sometimes gets overlooked else where. Sandy Hausler is also a very nice person and has generously shared much information with me.

Dorene Philpot, who recently moved from Indiana to Texas, which is a loss for families in Indiana, has a wonderful website that is chock full of resources and some selected humor as well. It is a good site to check out especially for guidance and case law in the 7th Circuit.

Another site to look to for statutory and regulatory references and many special education resources, especially for those in New Jersey is from Sussan and Greenwald. This site is well organized and updated frequently with case law both state (N.J.) and Federal. I particularly like the autism study they have linked at their site. There is a solidness about this site that inspires confidence that the information is accurate and not over done.

Any parent or special education professional that consulted any or all of these sites in addition to this site would be well armed for advocacy on behalf of a child with special needs.