Celebrities open up about raising children with disabilities

Having a disability doesn't mean a person's dreams are unreachable. In reality, many successful celebrities live with developmental disorders like autism and ADHD. Yet, having a child with a physical or developmental disorder can significantly alter the experience of parenthood.

Many well-known figures have gone through this and have spoken openly about raising kids who face conditions like autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy.

Browse through the following gallery and check what these stars have to say about parenting children with different needs.

Sylvester Stallone

The actor discussed the difficulty he faced connecting with his son due to the condition.“There is no real father-and-son thing there. I have to become his playmate. With a child like this, you have to put away your ego. You can’t force him into your world. I sort of go along with whatever he is doing,” said Stallone.

Neil Young

Music legend Neil Young has two sons (now adults) with cerebral palsy. Speaking to Rolling Stone about his son Ben in 1988, he said, " "He was brought into the world in this form, and this is the way he is. A lot of the things that we take for granted, that we can do, he can't do. But his soul is there, and I'm sure that he has an outlook on the world that we don't have because of the disabilities."

Toni Braxton

The singer's son, Diezel, was diagnosed with autism. Braxton became involved with Autism Speaks, and in 2016, she controversially claimed that her son was no longer autistic. 

Mia Farrow

The actress has four children (out of 14) with special needs. Thaddeus (pictured), had polio and sadly passed away in 2016. Additionally, Moses Farrow was born with cerebral palsy, Frankie-Minh Farrow is visually impaired, and Quincy Farrow had early challenges due to prenatal drug exposure.

David and Victoria Beckham

In 2006, it became known that Posh and Becks' son Romeo had epilepsy. At the airport, Victoria Beckham cautioned paparazzi against using flashes, as these could trigger seizures in her son.

Brendan Fraser

"You will have to fight with school boards," he explained, adding that parents like him meet a lot of people with varying agendas for autistic kids but "how you navigate that comes down to how much you know that everything's going to be okay. You must believe that in spite of it. "But the struggle never overpowered the joy. "Then you learn quickly that, I wouldn't have it any other way," Fraser added. "This kid has the most joy onboard of anyone I know, and he happens to be related to me as my son. I want to know what he thinks is so gut-bustingly funny all day long, in a genuine way, he's cracking himself up." When Stern asked if Griffin's diagnosis contributed to the marital issues between him and ex-wife Afton Smith, Fraser explained that Griffin is actually what unites them and makes them able to look past their problems. 

Sarah Palin

“I am on the Internet and… [have seen] some horrible ads about him that he should have never been born. But, for the most part, people have been so loving and supportive of us that that encourages us and it makes us know that there is … a lot of hope and there is a lot of love in this country,” said the politician.

Jenny McCarthy

The actress is on a quest to find the best alternative treatment for her son Evan's autism. "Evan couldn’t talk—now he talks. Evan couldn’t make eye contact—now he makes eye contact. Evan was antisocial—now he makes friends. It was amazing to watch, over the course of doing this, how certain therapies work for certain kids and they completely don’t work for others.”

Laura San Giacomo

The actress' son, Mason, has cerebral palsy. "We don’t have a really constructive or positive view of disability really around the world. But what would happen if the doctor said to you, instead of these ridiculously heartbreaking predictions, which are so often not true, why don’t they say to you, ‘Look, this is the greatest gift you’re going to be given’,” said Giacomo.

John C. McGinley

"So parenting Max and parenting Billie represent two polar opposites on the spoken-word spectrum. How we parent them in the same household and find a happy middle has been really interesting and continues to be," added the actor.

Tisha Campbell

“You don’t have time to feel guilty, you don’t have time to feel sorry for him, for yourself, or your family—it’s time to get down and busy,” she added.

Joe Mantegna

The actor's daughter, Mia has autism. "We thought if we were going to face this, let’s all face it together. Let’s do this as a family," said Mantegna.

Brian Littrell

Baylee underwent open-heart surgery in his early 20s. Littrell opened up about the family's experience. “You feel helpless as a parent because you’re relying on people who are educated about these things. It’s been an emotional roller coaster. Fans all over the world were praying for Baylee. We felt that love.”

Holly Robinson Peete

“When I look back and see RJ, this strapping young man who’s 20 and has a job—he’s doing all these things that I was told he would never do. It really makes you emotional, because I can’t believe he’s come so far, and I’m still so blessed," she said in 2018.

Greg Grunberg

“I’m a control freak, as we all are, especially for our kids, we want the best for them, and with something out of control like seizures, you want to do something," he said. “How can I make an impact in this community? And talking about it is what we need to do,” Grunberg added.

Mark Feuerstein

The actor's daughter, Addie, was diagnosed with a rare heart condition. "It's a miracle. All those surgeons, doctors, and nurses who helped her remind me what an honor and privilege it is to get to pretend to be one of them," said Feuerstein.

Doug Flutie

The American football player's son, Doug Flutie, Jr., was diagnosed with autism. "Dougie has taught us to keep our lives in the right perspective. He has taught us to take it one day at a time, don't take anything for granted and appreciate everything about life, especially the small things," said Flutie. "But most especially he has taught us how to smile and be happy and look at every aspect of life in the most positive way possible," he added.

Jacqueline Laurita

“I love having the opportunity to be able to show people [what it’s like to live with autism],” she said. “Because honestly, what’s given me strength is listening to everyone else’s stories, their struggles, their successes. That’s what gives us hope and strength, so if I can do that for someone else, then it feels so good to me,” added Laurita.