re: Any special needs parents here in the OT? ADMIN NEEDED

That's honestly one of my biggest fears of having kids but it's something you have to get over if you want them eventually I imagine.

One of my close buddies has a daughter with a microdeletion of the 13th chromosome. It's virtually similar to Down Syndrome. They develop to a certain level and don't progress mentally past that stage. She has the added complication that she will never speak as a part of her condition. She can make noises, but cannot form words or sentences. She is 3 or 4 now.

Whatever you do, despite what "normal" is for their condition, continue to press through those. For example, my buddy's daughter will likely never speak fluently, but they continue to press her and encourage her to try to speak. They're working on potty training right now even though her brain doesn't exactly acknowledge that the sensation of needing to go, means go to the bathroom.

You'll never know their capability or potential if you give up on them.