Special Needs. . .

This past week, I had the privilege of attending the Go Georgia Conference in Athens, Georgia. It was an outstanding event. ​

One of the classes that I attended was for children and pre-teens. The speaker asked if anyone had dealt with special needs children. Many people raised their hands. I was very sad that every one reported difficult or impossible situations. No one seemed to have had a positive interaction and some seemed overwhelmed by their situation.

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I simply could not sit in silence. It was important to share something positive.

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Dewy Rose Baptist Church has advocated special needs children, both within the church and out in the community, for many years. Dewy Rose supported the community in ways such as arranging trips to take all the local special needs children to look at Christmas lights and provided art supplies for the local Advantage center.

The church is a huge supporter of Friends Helping Friends and many of our students are involved through the high school club. Our youth performs at the FHF Programs and walks with the participants in the FHF Beauty Pageant. A lovely young woman attended the Tim Tebow Prom as my son Jim's date.

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Jim spent more than ten years in the youth where he was always treated with loving patience and respect. Last year, at the ripe age of 28, he decided to leave the youth to help with the younger children. They absolutely love him!

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As I spoke to the participants of Go Georgia, I tried to stress that loving patience is the key to dealing with special needs children. They are already stressful and if you are stressed, it simply compounds their own. It can become a vicious circle.

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I realize that our experiences at Dewy Rose are very different from those of the participants who spoke out. I hope I did not make them feel worse about their situations. Obviously, they have kind hearts or they would not be concerned about learning to work with children.

The simple truth is that until communities become more involved in a close loving relationship with their special needs people, they will never develop the ability to fully understand them. 

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Disabilities sometimes overshadow keen intelligence, intriguing personality, and a wonderful sense of humor.

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A "normal" child can be extremely difficult to deal with when left in a church nursery or children's classroom. If a child is unable to communicate effectively, his or her fear and anger can escalate in a hurry.

If the workers in a church have little or no experience in dealing with special needs children, one cannot help wondering about the mothers who never attend church because they are concerned that no one will be able to understand or deal with their child.  She might really need that one hour break. We miss out on knowing the parents and the children. So many missed opportunities to share the love of our Lord.

Get involved. . .

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I encourage everyone to check out the programs in your community, which serve persons with special needs. Check out Friends Helping Friends. Find out how you and your church ministry can become involved. I assure you, you will be blessed!

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