My Child Without Out Limits Community Guidelines

The My Child Without Limits support community is a place for parents of children with developmental disabilities and their families to share their experiences, celebrate their accomplishments, and talk about their concerns.

Because sensitive health topics are frequently discussed in this community, it is important for members to remember the following: 

• This community is meant to provide support for parents and their families. Be courteous and compassionate when posting to the forum.
• Giving advice is okay, but don’t play doctor. The My Child Without Limits support community does not endorse medical advice provided by members on this Site. Members are urged to consult their clinician for guidance on medical decisions.
• Remember that everyone’s situation is unique. What works for your child may not work for someone else’s.

Membership

The My Child Without Limits support community welcomes parents of children with developmental disabilities, families, caregivers, members of the medical communities, and friends. Individuals that do not fit the community membership description may be asked to leave the community.

Users do not have to sign up for an account to read posts in the community, but they do need an account to post a discussion or journal entry.

Users are limited to one membership. Individuals who attempt to register more than one account or use more than one screen name will be asked to leave the community.

Privacy

Your comments are visible to the public. Non-members can read discussion and journal posts—unless they are marked private.  Therefore, members are encouraged to keep their personal information private. A screen name that can not identify the member outside the community and a generic photo are highly recommended. Members who wish to communicate with one another through the community’s “send message” option are encouraged to engage in several discussions through the discussion forum before contact is made.

What do the different privacy settings - public, members, friends and no one - mean?

Every part of your profile and each discussion and journal entry that you post on the site has a privacy (aka sharing) setting. Privacy settings that you'll see include:

• Public means that anyone on the Internet - including search engines - can see the information.
• Members means that one must have an account on this site and be signed in to see the information.
• Friends means that only those members who you have explicitly added as friends on this site can see the information.
• No one means that no one can see the information. The only exception is members of Team Inspire who need to see the information in order to perform their duties and keep the site running properly.

Conduct

Online support communities are very different from face-to-face meetings because communication isn’t verbal. Remember that the people you encounter are coping with a child who may have been diagnosed with a serious disability.

• Value other’s opinions — when necessary, agree to disagree
• Respect each other—personal attacks are unnecessary and will not be tolerated
• Keep sensitive information private—don’t reveal anything about yourself or anyone else you don’t want on the Internet
• Don’t SPAM—don’t post text and/or links soliciting or advertising products or services anywhere in the community—including your journal. Members who do so will be removed from the community.
• No CAPS—capital letters are the equivalent of “yelling” online and are hard to read
• Be relevant—Posts (new and replies to established posts) should be of interest to the entire group.
• Be fair—include pros and cons
• Stick with the facts—the best recommendations are made by members who support them with evidence
• Keep it clean—don’t post anything that is illegal, distasteful, or pornographic. Members who do so will be removed from the community.

^{Note: My Child Without Limits reserves the right to revoke community membership at any time.}