In celebration of PATH CT’s 40th anniversary, we are looking for 40 generous supporters to make a one-time donation of $40 or an ongoing monthly gift of $40. Your support will help us continue providing parent-to-parent connections, special education advocacy, health information, training, and other essential services to Connecticut families of children and adults with disabilities and special healthcare needs. Together, we can honor 40 years of connecting, supporting, and empowering families while ensuring that PATH CT remains a trusted resource for generations to come. 

To donate visit: www.pathct.org/donate

If you have or know of a business that would like to make a product, service, or gift certificate donation, contact Marni McNiff today at mmcniff@pathct.org.

A heartfelt thank you to Sirius About Acceptance for their generous donation to PATH following the 3rd Annual Sirius About Acceptance Autism Walk! We were so grateful to be part of such a wonderful event and truly appreciate their support of PATH and the families we serve.

To learn more about Sirius About Acceptance, visit their Facebook page.

Managing Parental Anxiety to Support Special Needs Kids at School

Parents and caregivers supporting children with disabilities often enter the special needs school transition carrying more than a supply list. Back-to-school stress can quickly turn into parental anxiety, especially when routines change, support plans feel uncertain, or past school experiences still sting. The hard part is that this worry rarely stays contained; it can shape how a child anticipates the day, tolerates sensory demands, and recovers from setbacks, creating a real emotional impact on families. Recognizing this loop is the first step toward calmer, clearer support.

Understanding Anxiety Transmission in Kids

Anxiety can be “contagious” at home because kids track your tone, speed, and urgency to decide if school is safe. For children with disabilities, anxiety may look less like worry-words and more like shutdowns, stomachaches, refusal, or sudden irritability when sensory input piles up. Because 1 in 12 children three to 17 have anxiety, it helps to notice patterns without rushing to label them.

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