Author’s latest book helps parents be voice of special-needs children
Sarnia native Cynthia Lockrey never set out to be a patient advocate.
But after a high-risk pregnancy, strict in-patient bed rest and the responsibility of caring for a son with special needs, she knew she needed to step up. Lockrey’s latest book, Your Child’s Voice, is a guide for caregivers who are advocating for children with special needs.
It covers her first-hand experiences as a mom, along with tips and advice from professionals. “You’re always your child’s voice until they’re old enough to have their own voice — then you become their megaphone,” she said. Lockrey, who now lives in British Columbia, lived and worked in London for several years and spent six weeks at Victoria Hospital on strict bed rest in 2012 while she was pregnant with her son. Following the high-risk pregnancy, Lockrey then spent several more months in and out of the hospital while her son was in the neonatal intensive care unit. In the years since, she’s navigated the health-care and education systems trying to ensure her son’s needs are being met. Being a parent of a child with special needs can be overwhelming, she said, adding there are few easy-tofollow resources for families. “I found there wasn’t anything to really help parents navigate,” she said. “Because I know the realities of raising a child with needs, I kept it short, I kept it concise.” Lockrey’s book covers everything from individual education plans to communicating with doctors and health-care specialists. It’s meant to demystify the complicated health, educational and social supports that are out there. “It helps them think of things that they may not have thought of to ask,” Lockrey said.
Your Child’s Voice is the second book by the communications consultant-turned-author. Earlier this year, Lockrey ’s book Bed Rest Mom was released. The book is meant to guide and support other women with high-risk pregnancies and builds on her own experience at Victoria Hospital and the mothers she met there too.
Lockrey’s latest book will be available in stores and online.