In honor of this month. I am sharing the article we put together for the Icdl enewsletter at icdl.com


It was a shock and a hurtful time when we discovered our son had challenges. Like many of you we went through the stages of, denial, anger, and helplessness. We looked at our situation as a large impossible mountain. Giving up seemed like the only option. We prayed and asked to find an approach that would help our son through love and play.

We started up the mountain after reading "Jacob's Story". It inspired us and we began using Floortime™ . The Floortime™ list serves, webradio shows and books, got us through many sleepless nights. One day while I sat in the waiting room at my son's Occupational therapy, I saw a need. Parents and therapists were asking the same questions and looking for Floortime™ videos.
They wanted to find a place where they could see a session, and collaborate on ways to use it at home, in school, or while they were at the store. My husband and I used our creativity and found helpful articles and videos. Using the internet we created a network. The Floortime™ Repository was born. A repository like a huge library of resources, at your fingertips. Now others could find their way up the mountain and inspire each other to keep going. Parents could upload a video showing interactions at home either from a cell phone or video camera, or Youtube. Professionals could offer suggestions, post journals and helpful guides, upload an audio on the media player we have or podcast feed to help.

Live chats could be used to answer questions, or the instant messaging feature. Groups could be created for each area to help build more support in the community. My husband and I saw the possibilities of the resources this could offer. Our site became a central place like a huge internet library, that many could access at the touch of their fingertips. One example was a special education teacher that found our site on a Google search. She was trying to help a student. He had been struggling in school but she saw his potential and wouldn't give up. She became a member of our site. She was able to ask some questions, and began using Floortime™ . The little boy started to enjoy going to school and is doing very well. She was able to show his parents how to do this in their home. Now everyday is a new discovery and his parents have hope. Professionals were able to help her, find different ways to engage him. It made a big difference in the life of that little boy.

As we worked with our son, we shared our moments of joy. The day we heard our son's laughter, as we played a game of chase. Or the day he wiped away my tears and gave me a hug. Those are the moments that gave us hope. It's a long way to the top, but each moment he moves up the ladder is a celebration. As a family we have learned to embrace his differences. We made the site, to help others like ourselves, find the support and resources, so each child could reach their potential and dare to dream.