August 2023 Special Needs Living Akron/Canton

A FATHER’S PERSPECTIVE RAISING 3 SPECIAL NEEDS SONS

BY SEAN BROOM

Special Needs … 32 years ago, those two words never entered my mind, now, they never leave. In 1992 my wife and I were expecting our first child and all I could think about was what sport was he going to play and whether he go pro in baseball or basketball. I was like any other expectant father, and still am like any other father, however now I know how lucky I am to be the parent of a special needs child / adult, as I have three sons with autism, Max, Cameron, and Tristan.

When our oldest son, Max was diagnosed with “special needs”, it hit me like a ton of bricks. No one in my immediate family had special needs, what do you do? Who do you rely on? Who do you talk to? Trust? Get counsel from? There’s no Dr. Spock book on how to raise a special needs child. It’s scary … But like any challenges in life, you can either take the challenge head-on, accept fate and move forward positively or you can run away from the issues at hand. Fortunately for me, I have a very strong wife (Jodi Broom) and we took the challenge head-on.

Thirty-two years and three sons with special needs later, I can write forever about what it’s like to be the father of a special needs child. From infancy through school age to adulthood. It’s been a roller-coaster affair. High’s lows, ups and downs, but don’t all parents go through that? I have learned that trial and error, asking questions, never accepting, “NO” and having a great support system starting with my wife was the key to our son’s successful development.

Now that Jodi and I are in our mid 50’s and our sons are now adults we are entering truly the scariest of times. What will happen to our sons when we are gone? We have made it through adolescence, grade school, junior high, high school, and now into adulthood. You thought all of that was scary? Try planning for them without you. But you have to do it. Like all the other challenges we have faced, you have to plan and prepare and I am so lucky I have Jodi around to see this through.

From this dad’s perspective, I am truly the luckiest dad in the world. I have raised three sons with special needs that have brought me so much joy and happiness. They have truly made me a better person. It’s been a unique journey, hopefully, I will get to espouse more about our adventures, trials, and tribulations in later articles but from my perspective, a dad’s perspective, even though “special needs” was never planned for, I am truly happy with the way ours and our son’s lives have played out.