One thing I learned after my son Benjamin was diagnosed with autism is that raising a kid with special needs can be a very isolating experience. Sure, the couple of amazing autism mom friends I’ve been lucky enough to meet have helped tremendously, but most of the time I still felt like an outsider in the mainstream parenting world.
That all changed shortly after I started blogging about autism. Suddenly I discovered a whole community of other special needs bloggers I hadn’t known existed. It was like walking into a virtual playground full of parents who weren’t looking at me funny because my kid was making weird noises or gunning for their kids’ snacks. Everyone there was just like me.
Once in while I’ll stumble across a special needs blog I really identify with—one that, in addition to reporting on life in my alternate mommy universe, is Jew-y, too. I am by no means partial to these sites (the bond I feel with fellow special needs parents transcends any cultural barrier you could think of), but I do often wonder where their authors went to camp.
Here, a couple of the Jewish(y) special needs blogs I enjoy.
I’m Just That Way and That’s Just Me: This blog is by the honest, funny autism mom Dani G., who describes herself as a “A sassy mother warrior from Los Angeles raising a very sweet little girl in the Midwest.” Very sweet indeed—I loved the video of Little Bird (her blog pseudonym) saying the blessing over the Hanukkah candles. In Hebrew.
My Shtub: Sheva, a super-cute Lubavitcher with great vintage librarian glasses, blogs about crafting, the holidays, and her three kids—including Rozie, who has Down Syndrome. Spend a couple of minutes scrolling through her posts and she’ll be your hero. Besides making the most professional-looking mishloach manot you’ve ever seen and taking beautiful photos of her beautiful children, she’s also fighting cancer. This woman is just amazing.
Living With Logan: Logan, a twin and the youngest of seven, has severe food allergies, seizures, and high-functioning autism. Judging from the Christmas posts, I’m not sure if he’s a Yid—but his Bubbe, who writes the “Ask Bubbe” column, certainly is. Her answers to serious questions (“Help me Bubbe! I am drowning in repetitive questions from my child with autism. Any suggestions?”) are peppered with lots of oys and bubbelahs, but they’re packed with good tips, too.
