From Terri Mauro,
Your Guide to Parenting Special Needs.
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Are friends and family members asking you what they can give you this year? Sometimes the things you really need don't fit under a tree. Fine-tune this holiday wish list to your own special needs and then let people know what you're really hoping for.

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So you'd like to give me a gift this holiday season? That's nice. I appreciate that so much that I'm going to save you some shopping time. Put the wrapping paper away, forget about the bows and gift tags, and just give me one of these. All I want for Christmas is:

Babysitting
A few nights out this year will do me a lot more good than another sweater or DVD.

House Cleaning
Oh, yeah. Come clean my house. Anytime. Do you do windows?

Homework Help
Teach my kid math; help her write a paper; drill him with flashcards; give me a break.

Sounding Board
Therapy? Expensive. Someone like you, who I can call and gripe to for hours? Priceless.

Faster Internet Service
Dial-up is making me old before my time. Take up a collection to buy me a faster connection.

Back-Up
Come to IEP meetings with me. Bring tissues. And maybe a baseball bat.

Child's Play
My child wants to play with me, needs to play with me, all the darn time. You take a few shifts, okay?

Sleep
Offer to take my kids to school one morning. Also wake them up, and get them dressed and fed. I'm sleeping in.