Columns

Children with Angelman syndrome are known to have sleep issues, and I have heard and read trying tales about problems some families have encountered. But my 11-year-old Angel, Juliana, is a sleeper. We don’t hypnotize her or use anything special, and I wonder if her ever-improving…

Walking is something many of us take for granted. It seems so simple — you just put one foot in front of the other and go. But as the parent of a child with Angelman syndrome, it’s not always that easy. Our 11-year-old Angel, Juliana, has been walking for…

People used to ask me sometimes if my husband and I knew when we adopted our daughter, Juliana, that she had Angelman syndrome. My answer, of course, has always been no, but I never understood why that was relevant. Now that Juliana is 11, we are rarely…

It’s never too late for an Angel to find her voice. This past summer, Juliana, 11, finally got an iPad as her dedicated augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device. Getting Juliana her own tablet for communicating has been on my list of things to do for…

Reflux and constipation are not pretty words to hear. Unfortunately, when you’re the parent of an Angel, you may hear them a lot. My 11-year-old Angel, Juliana, is now far removed from the digestive issues that plagued her as an infant and a toddler.

When you’re raising a child with Angelman syndrome, even Halloween plans need modifications. For the past several years, we have been changing the way we handle the beloved event of trick-or-treating. The modifications resulted in part from my Angel’s anxiety when traveling out and about on Halloween night. Now…

As the parent of an Angel, I have learned that things don’t always go as planned. My 11-year-old Angel, Juliana, is getting better at a lot of things as she gets older. However, sometimes she continues to have unpredictable behavior. It is medically proven that Angels have…

If I hadn’t seen it countless times, I would never believe a smile could make someone’s day. Leave it to my 11-year-old Angelman child’s happy demeanor to do just that. The first Friday in October is World Smile Day. It’s supposed to be a day for a random act…

“Do you know what middle school Juliana is going to next year?” “Nope,” I answer, shaking my head with a smile. Juliana, my 11-year-old Angel, will be going to middle school next year. I’ve spent some time catching up with friends recently, and I’ve been getting this question a lot.

Taking my 11-year-old Angel, Juliana to the store with me is a trip that always has the potential to lead to an unexpected or unwelcome adventure. However, I received a pleasant surprise when we headed to the store on a recent hot summer day. We made it through the entire…