There were times when Dr. Myava Clark found herself frustrated and overwhelmed as she fulfilled her duties as a wife and mother. Life did not always go as planned but she navigated the curve balls that life presented, with her husband, Chris Sr. Their oldest child, Chris Jr. was diagnosed with developmental delays (learning and thinking differences) when he was 2-1/2 years of age. Chris Jr. needed occupational, physical, and speech therapies as a child. This was time-consuming but necessary. As Chris progressed through school, he received Early Intervention and an individual education program (IEP) through special education. The Clark’s daughter, Kyra, had medical challenges which led her to receive a 504 Plan through special education. Dr. Clark was grateful to have Chris’ support during the special education process, especially during the challenging times. However, even with Chris’ support, there were times that she felt frustrated, overwhelmed, and lonely, during the process. These emotional experiences prompted Dr. Clark to look for support groups as an avenue for relief. However, she did not find the resources that she needed to help ease her discomfort and she learned how to find other ways to cope.

Parenting children with learning and thinking differences can be overwhelming to any parent but it can be particularly challenging for frustrated professional mothers. Mothers tend to take a greater role in running their children around to doctor appointments and extracurricular activities, as well as getting the children dressed and ready for school and taking them to and from school. The stress can be compounded when the mother adds work-related stress on top of the other stressful duties felt at home.

Mothers of children with learning and thinking differences may face significant emotional challenges by feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or guilty during their parenting process. CASEN realized that Parents of children with learning and thinking differences need support as well as the children. In 2023, CASEN Parents was developed to provide emotional support, share information & resources, empower self-advocacy, facilitate networking & peer support, promote work-life balance, and collaborate with other professionals. CASEN Parents provide emotional support to professional mothers who may feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or guilty through their parenting process. CASEN Parents is an understanding and non-judgmental space for parents to express their emotions and share their experiences. CASEN Parents seek to provide up-to-date information, resources, and strategies that can help parents advocate for their children more effectively.

CASEN has three platforms to support children focusing on children with learning and thinking differences. The platforms are CASEN Outreach, CASEN Education, and CASEN Connect. These three platforms are used to strengthen social-emotional development, bullying identification, mental health development, and social media readiness in children. Although CASEN enjoys serving children, they realized that parents could benefit from support too. Through these courses, the parents are able to continue the conversations at home that the children are learning through the program.

If you are interested in learning more about CASEN Education, visit their website at www.casenllc.com