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Thriving in the Midst of Chaos: Parenting With Special Needs Kids


Mar 19, 2020

Episode 27: Three Secrets Every Special Needs Parent Needs To Know With Guest Melissa Corkum


In this episode, we discuss three secrets every special needs parent needs to know. Melissa Corkum and her husband have 6 children, two of whom have special needs. Over the course of raising her children, she developed an individual and group parent coaching business, providing the knowledge she had learned over the years to others who require assistance. She noticed that her family exhibited blocked care. She sought to figure out how to treat this by utilizing numerous trainings and readings to help release the blocked care. These taught her about high structure and high nurture parenting, which helped her family grow in a positive manner. In order to cope with challenging situations, finding social support and connecting to others in similar situations on social media was very helpful to her. It was also helpful to her to redefine success as a parent to not revolve around her children's maladaptive behaviors. Through her coaching company, she has drop-in group coaching, but she has also created short courses that are manageable and digestible. Other resources she has found helpful are essential oils, having a mindset shift, the safe and sound protocol, EMDR, relaxation and mindfulness apps.


Melissa divulged her three secret every special needs parent needs to know.


Secret 1: It is not your child's fault or your fault that the child "can't act his age." When children are supported appropriately, they do not misbehave. Therefore, it is up to us as parents to figure out what they are.


Secret 2: Bad behavior is your child's way of telling you he/she needs something. There are 5 things to examine that might be leading to the "bad behavior." Do they feel tired, hungry, sick or thirsty? How is this affecting their sensory processing? What are their emotional regulation needs? Are they feeling safe? Do they have the skills needed to do what is asked of them?


Secret 3: You don't have to choose between being the bad guy and being a pushover. You can choose both structure and nurture.


Melissa is offering our listeners free access to her Laugh More, Yell Less Challenge. Check it out!

Links:

Melissa Corkum
Laugh More, Yell Less Challenge
Empowered to Connect
The Connected Child
Trust Based Relational Intervention
Safe and Sound Protocol
Eye Movement Desensitization and Processing (EMDR)
Stop, Breathe, Think


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Show Music:
Intro Outro: Intro Outro 2 by Mattias Lahoud under CC-BY 3.0 License (www.freesound.org)
Theme Song: 90s rock style by monkeyman535 under CC-BY 3.0 License (www.freesound.org)
Self Care Song: Green and Orange No Water by Duncan Alex under CC-BY 3.0 License (www.freesound.org)

Hosted by: Jessica Temple and Lewis Temple

Disclaimer: Our show is not designed to provide listeners with specific or personal legal, medical, or professional services or advice. Parents of children with health issues should always consult their health care provider for medical advice, medication, or treatment.


Copyright 2020 Jessica and Lewis Temple