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I am truly honored to have my book listed as the FIRST & ONLY children's book under resources on The NVLD Project website.
My son was diagnosed with NVLD/NLD at age 8. He is now 13. When he was diagnosed I felt like I was sliding down the tallest hill imaginable. I had to educate myself, family members, friends, his school teachers, staff, and the principal.
I had many of them from almost every group tell me that nothing was wrong with him... that he didn't need any help/accommodations. NVLD/NLD people have a lot of strengths that often mask their weaknesses. From the time my son started speaking people were always impressed with his vocabulary and how intelligent he sounded. As a result, it was up to me to be his advocate and fight everyone (including family) who presented a roadblock on our path to success.
I surrounded him with people that were rooting for his success and pulled him away from those who were not. I hired a special needs lawyer and spent $6,000 (that we didn't have) to educate his school and get him a strong IEP when the school said he didn't need one.
I pulled him out of public school the next year and put him in private school. Although this was not affordable we made many sacrifices in order to make it happen. If this didn't work we decided that he would try homeschool. Luckily, private school has worked for my son. Although there are still many roadblocks, the service classroom and the compassion of some of the teachers help my son thrive.
We don't rely on the school alone. We work very hard all year, especially during the summer months. With my son's diagnosis, he can't afford the summer academic slide from being out of school for 2 months. He also has counseling sessions and takes social skills, OT, PT, and ST whenever funds allow.
The journey has been a rollercoaster of emotions and actions. We started off terrified and chaotic. Now we are smooth sailing. Occasionally we hit some bumps in the road. During those times we pause, seek help/info, and regroup. Thankfully organizations like The NVLD Project exist to guide us and others. If it wasn't for them, a few other websites, and Facebook groups, I don't know how we would have made it.
Although there were a ton of tears... He cried. I cried. My tribe cried. We eventually made it to a place where we no longer feel like we are sliding down that huge hill. I was determined to be the support that he could rely on when he couldn't find anyone else to support him. We are still learning a lot and teaching each other every day. My son inspired me to write this book. Our hope is that it will empower others living with NLD/NVLD and educate those who aren't.
This book makes a great gift for children living with NLD/NVLD. It is also a great donation for their school libraries, classrooms, friends, and family members. Although it is a children's book it does a great job educating those big and small.
Thanks in advance for your support!
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