Hazardous Parenting: How to Regain and Maintain Your Life While Raising a Child with Dis-Regulated Behaviours and Behavior Disorders Hazardous Parenting is a term I use to describe and define the parenting experience of raising children who have serious and multiple behaviour disorders. This term is not a negative reflection of the children nor does it indicate a lack of love in the parent/child relationship. Indeed, most parents of children with behaviour disorders or dis-regulated behaviors dedicate their lives to giving their child every opportunity to reach their full potential. As well, the behaviour disorders do not negate the many positive attributes that the children or youth possess and the many parts of their personality that are brave, funny, happy, creative, and just plain wonderful. And, to be clear, not all children who have a behaviour disorder create chronic stress in those who live with them. But for those who are finding themselves overwhelmed by stress, then this article will help you acknowledge your stress and begin your recovery. WHAT IS THE LONG TERM IMPACT OF HAZARDOUS PARENTING? As the parent of a child with challenges you may have experiences stress from any of the following: – trying to find, afford, and access all available services – responding to regular crisis calls from the school and others when your child cannot comply with the agenda –...

Hazardous Parenting advises on managing stress when raising children with behavior disorders, emphasizing self-care and setting boundaries.

Hazardous Parenting

  Hazardous Parenting:     How to Regain and Maintain Your Life While Raising a Child with Dis-Regulated Behaviours and Behavior Disorders     Hazardous Parenting is a term I use to describe and define the parenting experience of raising children who have serious and multiple behaviour disorders. This term is not a negative reflection of the children nor does it indicate a lack of love in the parent/child relationship. Indeed, most parents of children with behaviour disorders or dis-regulated behaviors dedicate their lives to giving their child every opportunity to reach their full potential. As well, the behaviour disorders do not negate the many positive attributes that the children or youth possess and the many parts of their personality that are brave, funny, happy, creative, and just plain wonderful. And, to be clear, not all children who have a behaviour disorder create chronic stress in those who live with them. But for those who are finding themselves overwhelmed by stress, then this article will help you acknowledge your stress and begin your recovery.      WHAT IS THE LONG TERM IMPACT OF HAZARDOUS PARENTING?    As the parent of a child with challenges you may have experiences stress from any of the following:   – trying to find, afford, and access all available services   – responding to regular crisis calls from the school and others when your child cannot comply with the agenda   –...

Hazardous Parenting advises on managing stress when raising children with behavior disorders, emphasizing self-care and setting boundaries.

Hazardous Parenting

The wheelchair ramp your family needs costs $4,000. The bathroom remodel to make it accessible costs another $8,000. You own your home, you're rural, and Medicaid doesn't cover construction. You're looking at financing options you can't afford, or not making the changes at all. There's a federal program most rural families don't know exists. The USDA Section 504 Home Repair program offers grants up to $10,000 and loans up to $40,000 for accessibility modifications and health-and-safety repairs. If you're 62 or older, or have a household member with a disability, and your income qualifies, this money can cover ramps, grab bars, widened doorways, accessible bathrooms, and structural fixes that make your home safe. Here's who qualifies, what the program covers, and how to apply. What the USDA Section 504 Program Covers. The official name is Single Family Housing Repair Loans and Grants. It has two components: loans and grants. You can use one or combine both. Loan: Up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest, repaid over 20 years. You qualify if your income is below 50% of your area's median income and you can't get affordable credit elsewhere. Grant: Up to $10,000 lifetime maximum ($15,000 in FEMA-declared disaster areas). You qualify if you're 62 or older AND unable to repay a loan. Income must be below 50% area median income. Combined: You can layer both for up to $50,000 total. The money covers two categories of repairs: removing health or safety hazards, and making the home accessible...

USDA Section 504 offers grants up to $10,000 and loans up to $40,000 for rural homeowners to make accessibility modifications.

How to Get a USDA Section 504 Grant or Loan to Make Your Home Accessible

The wheelchair ramp your family needs costs $4,000. The bathroom remodel to make it accessible costs another $8,000. You own your home, you're rural, and Medicaid doesn't cover construction. You're looking at financing options you can't afford, or not making the changes at all. There's a federal program most rural families don't know exists. The USDA Section 504 Home Repair program offers grants up to $10,000 and loans up to $40,000 for accessibility modifications and health-and-safety repairs. If you're 62 or older, or have a household member with a disability, and your income qualifies, this money can cover ramps, grab bars, widened doorways, accessible bathrooms, and structural fixes that make your home safe. Here's who qualifies, what the program covers, and how to apply. What the USDA Section 504 Program Covers. The official name is Single Family Housing Repair Loans and Grants. It has two components: loans and grants. You can use one or combine both.  Loan: Up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest, repaid over 20 years. You qualify if your income is below 50% of your area's median income and you can't get affordable credit elsewhere.  Grant: Up to $10,000 lifetime maximum ($15,000 in FEMA-declared disaster areas). You qualify if you're 62 or older AND unable to repay a loan. Income must be below 50% area median income.  Combined: You can layer both for up to $50,000 total. The money covers two categories of repairs: removing health or safety hazards, and making the home accessible...

Most parents are aware that swimming is a lifesaving skill that must be taught at an early age. Sadly, drowning remains the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children between one and fourteen years of age, and children with intellectual challenges are at an even higher risk. As an alarming statistic, drowning is the number one leading cause of death of children with autism. Children with autism tend to have three characteristics, which when combined, can be very dangerous: a tendency to wander, no inherent sense of danger, and a fascination with water. We need to stress the importance of water safety to families of all children, through education, awareness, and training in order to come together as unified communities and prevent tragedies. If children participate in formal swimming lessons by the age of four, the drowning rate is reduced by 88%, according to the case control study conducted by Dr. Ruth Brenner, lead author of the study from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, based in Bethesda, Maryland. Yet swimming lessons alone are not enough; a multi-layered approach to reduce and prevent drowning is required, particularly for at-risk children. Parents need to be aware of the dangers and limit the exposure to potential hazards. Here are a few tips: Alarms should be installed to notify the family if a child has left the house Barriers around pools such as fences should be maintained at all times Parents and caregivers should...

Swimming is vital for safety, even more so for kids with intellectual challenges, offering therapeutic benefits and reducing drowning risks.

Swimming: A Life-saving Skill

Most parents are aware that swimming is a lifesaving skill that must be taught at an early age. Sadly, drowning remains the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children between one and fourteen years of age, and children with intellectual challenges are at an even higher risk. As an alarming statistic, drowning is the number one leading cause of death of children with autism. Children with autism tend to have three characteristics, which when combined, can be very dangerous: a tendency to wander, no inherent sense of danger, and a fascination with water. We need to stress the importance of water safety to families of all children, through education, awareness, and training in order to come together as unified communities and prevent tragedies. If children participate in formal swimming lessons by the age of four, the drowning rate is reduced by 88%, according to the case control study conducted by Dr. Ruth Brenner, lead author of the study from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, based in Bethesda, Maryland. Yet swimming lessons alone are not enough; a multi-layered approach to reduce and prevent drowning is required, particularly for at-risk children. Parents need to be aware of the dangers and limit the exposure to potential hazards. Here are a few tips:  Alarms should be installed to notify the family if a child has left the house Barriers around pools such as fences should be maintained at all times Parents and caregivers should...

You need grab bars in the bathroom to transfer safely. Your wheelchair requires a ramp at the front entrance. Your child's mobility device can't clear the standard bedroom doorway. These aren't policy changes a landlord can implement with a phone call: they're physical alterations to the property. That distinction matters under federal housing law. Unlike reasonable accommodations, which involve policy adjustments like allowing a service animal or assigning an accessible parking space, reasonable modifications involve structural changes that tenants with disabilities may need to pay for themselves and may be required to reverse when they move out. Here's how the process works, who pays for what, and what happens at lease end. What Qualifies as a Reasonable Modification. The Fair Housing Act allows tenants with disabilities to request physical changes to their rental unit or common areas when those changes are necessary for the tenant to use and enjoy the housing. Modifications typically include: Installing grab bars in bathrooms Adding a ramp to the entrance Widening doorways to accommodate wheelchairs or walkers Lowering kitchen countertops or cabinets Installing visual alert systems for fire alarms Modifying flooring to eliminate trip hazards The request must be disability-related and necessary. "Necessary" doesn't mean medically required; it means the modification enables you to live safely and independently in the unit. Who Pays for the Modification. In most private rental housing, tenants pay for reasonable modifications themselves. This can feel unfair when the modification makes the unit livable, but the legal framework places...

Physical changes to rental units—grab bars, ramps, widened doorways—require written requests, documentation, and cost planning.

Requesting Reasonable Modifications in Rental Housing

You need grab bars in the bathroom to transfer safely. Your wheelchair requires a ramp at the front entrance. Your child's mobility device can't clear the standard bedroom doorway. These aren't policy changes a landlord can implement with a phone call: they're physical alterations to the property. That distinction matters under federal housing law. Unlike reasonable accommodations, which involve policy adjustments like allowing a service animal or assigning an accessible parking space, reasonable modifications involve structural changes that tenants with disabilities may need to pay for themselves and may be required to reverse when they move out. Here's how the process works, who pays for what, and what happens at lease end. What Qualifies as a Reasonable Modification. The Fair Housing Act allows tenants with disabilities to request physical changes to their rental unit or common areas when those changes are necessary for the tenant to use and enjoy the housing. Modifications typically include:  Installing grab bars in bathrooms Adding a ramp to the entrance Widening doorways to accommodate wheelchairs or walkers Lowering kitchen countertops or cabinets Installing visual alert systems for fire alarms Modifying flooring to eliminate trip hazards  The request must be disability-related and necessary. "Necessary" doesn't mean medically required; it means the modification enables you to live safely and independently in the unit. Who Pays for the Modification. In most private rental housing, tenants pay for reasonable modifications themselves. This can feel unfair when the modification makes the unit livable, but the legal framework places...

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Special Needs
Articles

Hazardous Parenting

How to Get a USDA Section 504 Grant or Loan to Make Your Home Accessible

Swimming: A Life-saving Skill

Requesting Reasonable Modifications in Rental Housing

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs Articles

Hazardous Parenting

How to Get a USDA Section 504 Grant or Loan to Make Your Home Accessible

Swimming: A Life-saving Skill

Requesting Reasonable Modifications in Rental Housing

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs
Articles