special needs

November 14, 2019

Special Needs Ministry: Where To Start

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Heidi Hensley joins the podcast to discuss diagnoses of special needs are at an all time high. As the church, we need to be prepared to minister to these families and kids. In this session we will look at where to start, no matter your church size, and how to develop a program and team to love this very under resourced population.

Heidi M. Hensley has been a Children’s Pastor for the past 24 years. She is passionate about leadership and ministry, and developing more leaders who love to minister to children. Heidi has a Master’s Degree from Southern California Seminary, and lives in San Diego where she leads the Children’s Ministry area at Shadow Mountain Community Church

Kids Ministry, Resources, Sunday School

March 21, 2019

Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day

By Joy Fisher

It’s March 21: World Down Syndrome Day! All over the world, people will be decked out in cool T-shirts and brightly-colored socks to raise awareness for the rights, inclusion, and well being of people with Down syndrome.

Today is a great day to remember that differently-abled children will be much better equipped to make the life-changing decision to become Christians when churches open their doors, arms, and hearts to them and their families. Special Buddies can help!

Special Buddies is designed for children in grades 1-6 who have intellectual and developmental special needs. It is part of the Bible Studies for Life curriculum line. One of the primary differences about Special Buddies is that a new Bible story is introduced every other week instead of every week. This enables kids to learn and grow at a gentle (and individualized) pace, allowing time for extended activities or repetition of meaningful activities over the two-week span.

A child with any of the following characteristics can thrive in an environment where the Special Buddies curriculum is taught:
• a child who would benefit from remaining in the same classroom with familiar teachers for several years in a row
• a child with social limitations
• a child who has minimal reading, writing, and verbal communication skills
• a child who needs individual attention and assistance to complete hands-on activities
• a child who is unable to tolerate typical classroom noise
• a child who requires an adapted physical environment

Special Buddies is versatile. Try one of these methods:
• Implement it in a self-contained classroom comprised of children with special needs.
• Use it with an individual child who receives one-on-one care at church while parents attend Bible study.
• Plug it in as a supplemental resource for a child with special needs who attends a typically-graded Bible study group but responds well to modified lessons and individualized attention.

Want to learn more? Visit TeachKids@Lifeway.com or contact William.Summey@lifeway.com for a free sample.

Register now for our Special Buddies Giveaway on March 25! You will have until 8 a.m. on 3/25 to follow this link and register here

To learn about Special Friends VBS, follow this link

Joy Fisher is Content Editor of Bible Studies for Life Special Buddies. Her 20-year-old son, Samuel, has Down syndrome.

Podcasts

August 3, 2017

Making the Gospel Accessible to Children with Special Needs

By Andy Dukes

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Amy Fenton Lee joins our podcast to discuss how to make the Gospel accessible to children with special needs. Chuck and Amy discuss what the term inclusion really means. We know there are children in our ministry with a wide range of abilities and learning styles. How can we create environments and programming to help these kids develop a faith of their own?

Amy Fenton Lee has written extensively on the subject of special needs inclusion in the church and blogs at www.TheInclusiveChurch.com. Amy grew up in the church as a “PK” (Preacher’s kid) and has since served as a volunteer leader in virtually every type of children’s and preschool ministry environment. Amy lives in Atlanta with her husband and son. She is the author of the book “Leading a Special Needs Ministry”, available at LifeWay.com and other major retail outlets.

Podcasts

March 2, 2017

Special Needs Ministry Secrets to Success

By Andy Dukes

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Amy Fenton Lee joins us on the Kids Ministry 101 Podcast to discuss why some churches have enthusiastic synergy and success when it comes to special needs inclusion while other churches seem to flounder. The answers might surprise you. There are some myths that make churches feel that they may not succeed in Special Needs Ministry that prevent them from starting. Topics of discussion include:

What struggles do special needs ministries in churches face?
Why do some special needs ministries seem not to be successful?
What does a successful and healthy special needs ministry look like?
Why is a successful special needs ministry important in a church?
How can churches develop a successful special needs ministry?

Special Needs

September 15, 2014

5 Practical Steps to Help Special Needs Families Get Through Surgery

By Jana Magruder

Ellen Stumbo offers ideas for supporting families who have a special needs child undergoing surgery. These tips can apply to any family going through similar situations. Help equip the families you shepherd to be the hands and feet of Christ during these times.

It’s hard when your child has surgery, but when your child has special needs, it can be even more challenging. For many kids, their disabilities increase these challenges exponentially.

What if your child is non-verbal and cannot tell you how they are managing the pain?
What if your child has an intellectual disability and they do not understand what is happening?
What if your child has sensory processing issues and the hospital environment becomes overwhelming?

Special needs parents already have a lot on their plates, so here are 5 practical tips to help special needs families get through a surgery:
1. Offer to watch the other children on the day of surgery, or the first few days following surgery
If trusted friends help with the other children, parents can focus solely on their sick child. You might even go an extra step and offer to drive the kids to dance class or soccer.
2. Skip the hospital visit
Unless the child with special needs is very familiar with you and you plan to come to the hospital to give the parents a break, it might be best not to visit. Always ask, “Would it be helpful if we came to visit, or is it better to wait?” Some families have a hard time saying no, but it is overwhelming to entertain the visitors while trying to keep their child comfortable.
3. Text or email
Not going to the hospital does not mean that you cannot support the family. Text, email, message. You can do this throughout the day of surgery and the days following letting the family know you are thinking about them and praying for them. This is an incredible encouragement.
4. Bring meals or gift cards
This helps the family give their full attention and energy to help their child recover without worrying about the little things, like feeding the rest of the family. Maybe your church can organize meals for a week or two.
5. Offer a special home visit
When one of my daughters was in the hospital, a group of women from my church came to our house to clean and do laundry. Not everyone is willing to take this help, but you can offer. Or maybe a group of friends can pitch in and hire a cleaning lady for a day.

Ellen Stumbo is the wife of a pastor and a mother to three little girls, two of which have special needs. In Ellen’s words, she’s passionate about helping the church embrace people with disabilities – not out of pity or out of service, but out of a genuine understanding, acceptance, and celebration of their life. Find more on parenting, special needs, adoption, and faith at her blog – ellenstumbo.com

Encouragement, Special Needs, Training

February 21, 2014

Serving the Least of These: Special Needs Ministry

By Cristy Whitlock

Serving the “least of these” requires each of us to “see disability” in our church and community. Laney Wootten, the mother of a special needs child, shares her heart regarding this important need. With years of experience in church leadership, loving on the needy, and parenting an autistic child, Laney brings much wisdom in teaching us, the church, how to best minister to special needs families. — Cristy Whitlock

I’ve heard differing statistics on the percentage of how many special needs families do not attend church. It’s not good. Those percentages range anywhere from 90-98%. While the percentage may be an estimate, I am sure of this: it takes an unbelievable amount of courage, determination and humility to bring your special needs child to church gathering. How do I know? Because I am a mother of a five-year-old with autism. His name is Jude.

My husband and I grew up in church and have a growing, intimate relationship with the Lord, so staying home on the weekends with our family never once crossed our minds; it never once crossed our minds until our son’s autism took center stage. That’s when I realized the odds that special needs families will darken the doors of a church are slim to none — even if they are growing and dedicated followers of Jesus.

The sad reality is that even if a family is courageous enough to present their disabled child to a children’s ministry, most churches will not know what to do with them and in some cases even turn them away. Is that acceptable or even biblical?

Jesus identified Himself with the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40). These precious children definitely fall into that category. I think I can be as bold to say that if we are not giving special needs children an honorable place at our table, we are rejecting Christ Himself. I would go even further and say that if you want to know the biblical health of a church, ask to see their special needs ministry.

Does it have to be crawling with happy and helpful volunteers? Should there be a sensory room filled with state-of-the-art occupational therapy equipment? No, but that would be nice! I look for a spirit of “welcome.” Ask yourself:

Is the children’s ministry moving in a direction to accommodate special needs children?
Are special needs kids on their radar?
Would a disabled child feel like a celebrity when they come into the children’s area or would they be received with hesitation?

Families like mine will be gracious. A church has to start somewhere. Even my precious church body can’t provide consistent workers for my son during the Sunday School hour. My husband and I spend many Sundays teaching him ourselves in a separate classroom because he is just too physically aggressive to go into a class with his peers. Am I bitter about that? No. Because every single Wednesday, Sunday night and Sunday morning during worship, Jude has an adult (buddy) volunteering their time so he can be a part of our children’s ministry and we can receive a moment of respite.

Our childcare workers have been bitten, scratched, kicked, changed “big kid” diapers and never once complained about it. They have taken my Jude on countless buggy rides to calm meltdowns, risked the life of their digits prying Playdoh out of his mouth, and most importantly, they’ve shared the gospel with my non-responsive son week after week. How could I be bitter? Deep within the veins of my church pumps great passion for the “least of these” and it is blatantly evident in our children’s special needs ministry.

I pass on the challenge to you that John Piper passed on to me in his message on John 9 — see disability. Don’t turn your eyes away from it. Run to it and trust that God will provide everything you need to minister to these little Jesus’ in disguise. See them as gifts and not burdens. Touch them, accommodate them and welcome them. In doing so, you will touch, accommodate and welcome the King of Kings.

Laney Wootten is a stay-at-home wife and mother of three beautiful children, Jude — 5, Hazel — 2 and Titus — due May 17. Her passion is to love her family deeply and raise her children to walk with God and know the joy of serving Him. She and her husband frequently lead worship and write and record music. They are currently working on a musical project that will reflect their autism journey and how God sustains them. They pray it infuses hope and purpose into all the souls who feel the daily weight autism imposes.

Encouragement, Leadership, Special Needs, Training

October 29, 2013

6 Ways to Serve Families with Special Needs Children

By Jana Magruder

As Kids Ministers, we are called to serve and care for the needs of the church body – even those with special needs. No matter what capacity you have in your children’s ministry, this is something to be sensitive to and act on.

Here are six ways to serve families with special needs children:

1. Have a willing heart.

Approach these needs with a prayerful spirit and a willing heart that desires to serve all families that walk in your door. Train your leaders and volunteers to do the same. Once that posture is taken, then families feel welcome and at ease to tell you what they need for their child to be well-cared for during the teaching and worship hours.

2. Make small modifications.

Many special needs children need small modifications in order to have a comfortable experience at church. Visual instructions and a structured schedule help most any child feel at-ease about what to expect next. This will help almost any child in your classes, not just ones with extra needs. Think through your schedules and make signs with pictures for your leaders to show what is happening next. Structure your teaching hour so that it is roughly the same each week. Mark spaces in your environments with colorful tape or dots to show where you want children to sit, stand or walk. These are small modifications, but can help children know what to do, limiting anxiety.

3. Provide an extra volunteer.

For children who may require extra attention, provide a “special buddy” to stay with a child to help with any extra needs that are beyond the capacity of your teachers and leaders.

4. Think through scenarios.

Some children are uncomfortable with leaving the classroom or with participating in a large group environment. This may be for various reasons including loud music or lots of movement and excitement. Have an alternate activity for these children to do during this time and quickly reunite them with the group when they feel comfortable.

5. Keep open communication with parents and caregivers.

If families know your heart is to provide an inclusive experience for their children, they will be more willing to share specifics about what their child needs. This starts with you. Communicate to your church body that you have a willingness to provide an environment that is inclusive of all children and that you’ll do your best to serve and accommodate those with special needs.

6. Love on these families.

Remember that the stress of bringing up children who have special needs is overwhelming on marriages and home-life. They, more than anyone, need time to worship and know that their children are being cared for and taught about the love of Jesus. Do whatever you can and prioritize this service in your ministry.

Encouragement, Special Needs, Sunday School

September 18, 2013

5 Tips for Special Needs Ministry – From an Expert

By Cristy Whitlock

Matthew 12:34 says, “For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.” This is one of my favorite verses. When we are truly loving Christ, it’s evident by our words. Our passions are showcased in what we talk about.

In July, I met Sophie Boudreaux. Sophie is a sophomore at LSU. Within minutes of meeting, I knew her passion for loving people with special needs. We met on a mission trip to South Africa, and I was privileged to watch her interact with a teenage boy who has Down Syndrome. Sophie’s passion stems from growing up with a brother with Down’s, and she strategically places herself in more areas to love on others with this condition. Take a look at the five tips Sophie gives for doing special needs ministry:

1. Embrace the fact that everyone is special.

2. Recognize that our needs are the same – to feel loved, accepted & valuable.

3. Understand that the path to meeting needs has to be tailor-made for each person.

4. Read about the diagnosis or condition, then put the book down and get to know the person!

5. Avoid predetermining limitations.

There they are – five simple tips that will help you love your special buddies more effectively. I first saw the picture above on Sophie’s Facebook page, where she added the caption, “My heart has never been this happy. #blessedbeyondmeasure #rockingthatextrachromosome” On top of these tips, Sophie’s heart teaches us that doing special needs ministry is a blessing.

What other tips would you give for special needs ministry? Comment below!

Encouragement, Missions, Resources, Special Needs, Sunday School

August 30, 2013

Pinterest Friday: Special Needs Ministry

By Cristy Whitlock

With class clowns, quiet cuddle bugs, analytical thinkers, and everything in between, it’s a teacher’s job to facilitate a learning experience for each of the children gracing a colorful plastic chair or lounging on the carpet. Many times, these little bodies include one or more kids with special needs. This week’s Pinterest board highlights specific ways we can minister to kids with special needs and their families. We hope you enjoy it!

For resources specifically designed for Special Needs ministry, check out Special Buddies from LifeWay Kids!

Resources, Special Needs, Training

August 28, 2013

Help for Kids with Difficulty: Shadowing in the Classroom

By Katie DeCillo

Have you ever heard of shadowing in a kidmin classroom? Shadowing is a great technique used with children who are having difficulty in group settings. It requires an extra volunteer to stay close and assist when the child requires help. The person shadowing becomes the child’s buddy and must remain close enough to intervene when necessary. The volunteer would help, love, support, and encourage the child. And being close to the child will help limit disruptive behavior, help protect other children, and help the child feel guided, loved, and accepted.

Shadowing works well with different ages and stages of development. One of the earliest issues that teachers encounter is biting. The person shadowing stays close to the child that is having difficulty controlling the urge to bite. Because the volunteer is close, they can intervene when the child is getting ready to bite. This person also gets to know the child better and learns to recognize what is causing the child’s frustration which results in biting. This method also works with children who are having difficulty getting along with others. Children sometimes need gentle loving reminders to be nice while playing with friends.

Shadowing is a great way to maintain a positive teaching and learning environment. This technique benefits the child that is experiencing difficulty in group settings too. It will help the child get adjusted to being in a group as well as helping him through any transitional periods. Shadowing will create a happier, more positive teaching and learning environment for both the teacher and child.

Do you practice shadowing in your kids ministry classroom? Do you think it might improve the classroom experience for kids who need a little extra help?

Special Needs Ministry: Where To Start

Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day

Making the Gospel Accessible to Children with Special Needs

Special Needs Ministry Secrets to Success

5 Practical Steps to Help Special Needs Families Get Through Surgery

Serving the Least of These: Special Needs Ministry

6 Ways to Serve Families with Special Needs Children

5 Tips for Special Needs Ministry – From an Expert

Pinterest Friday: Special Needs Ministry

Help for Kids with Difficulty: Shadowing in the Classroom

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