When your special needs child becomes a special needs teen

My daughter's body is changing. But inside, she remains a child.

Child illustration
(Image credit: (iStock))

My daughter recently turned 13.

"Does she know what it means to be a teenager?" someone asked.

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Eileen Flood O'Connor is a writer and mother of four children, the oldest of whom has an autistic spectrum disorder. She graduated from the University of Virginia, holds an MA in literature from University of London, and attended Columbia School of Journalism.