SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN

Finding competent, compassionate care for a child with special needs can be a big challenge. The goal of this article is to give you as many options as possible to help you connect with just the right person. However, the first thing you need to do is: Decide what type of childcare you are looking for:

=> Year round help (summers, after school, evenings, weekends)
=> Summer daycare while you are working
=> Regular childcare to offer you a break, but not daily
=> Occasional respite care to give you a break

For each situation, you will have different options, but hopefully one of the ideas below will help you connect with the perfect caregiver for your unique situation.

1. For occasional help, consider local family members. If you have extended family members who live nearby, they can be a ready source of help.

Family is an especially good solution for those who only need occasional help as few other caregivers can afford to accommodate such a flexible or sporadic schedule. Be sure to offer them training just as you would any caregiver and develop a compensation system that everyone is comfortable with.

If your own family isn’t available, talk with other special needs families with older children -- find out whom these families used when their kids were younger. This allows you to network with other families without them feeling like you’re going to “take away” their help.

Although therapists aren’t technically family members, they can sometimes seem like it if you visit them frequently enough. If you just need occasional help or breaks, consider asking if you can post a flyer at your child’s pediatric hospital or PT/OT therapy rooms for a respite caregiver.

2. If you need summer help, look for compatible schedules. The key here is to think about who (besides your school age child) has summers off.

Your answer might include teachers, paraprofessionals, high school, or college students. From these groups it’s just a matter of connecting with the right person.

To reach teachers:
Ask for permission to post a flyer in the teachers’ lounge or place a small “help wanted” ad in your school’s spring newsletter.

To reach paraprofessionals:
Talk with your child’s paraprofessional first if you’ve been pleased with their performance. If they can’t help, they may be able to recommend someone else. If not talk with teachers; the principal or other special needs families whose children utilize a support staff for recommendations.

To reach high school students:
Talk with the high school counselor. Ask about honor students looking for volunteer experience. Many schools require honor students to participate in community service. If yours doesn’t, the counselor may still may able to direct you toward reliable students with an interest in special needs children.

To reach college students:
Check out likely departments at your local college such as nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, special education, psychology, social work, or family counseling. Most departments have a central bulletin board where you can post a flyer. For a more personal approach, consider talking with some of the professors in these departments. They may be able to give you some suggestions of students that could help you with your childcare.

3. For year-round help, you will need to find a full time daycare provider.

Start with a call to your city’s local RESOURCE AND REFERRAL service. They have a listing of all the daycare providers in your area and what type of care they are willing to do. To locate your nearest Resource & Referral Service, visit http://www.childcareaware.org/en/findcare.html

Other parents can also be a tremendous resource. Ask if they know of any local providers with a medical background or that have shown a willingness to care for special needs children.

If you locate the “perfect” provider, but they don’t have any current openings ask if they would be willing to serve as a mentor. Knowing that an “expert” is available to help may encourage a less experienced, but loving provider to expand their skills. If your favorite provider is still hesitant, consider sharing the appropriate fact sheet from the National Network for Childcare. These sheets are written especially for caregivers and offer them practical strategies for successfully including your child in their daycare program. You’ll find them at: http://www.causeonline.org/

4. For short, regular breaks -- you need to find a good respite program.

Respite programs vary from natural community supports to state and federally funded programs. The key is to “plug in” to what’s available. Many of these programs are utilized by only a small percentages of the eligible families simply because families don’t know they are available.

=> Check with your local YMCA or the larger churches in your area. Many offer family support or parents’ day out programs. Even if the program doesn’t specifically cater to special needs children, contact the coordinator and discuss your needs. They may be willing to expand their program, especially if you offer to do some disability awareness training and skill building with their volunteers.

=> See if your child qualifies for state or federally funded Respite Care. In almost all state-funded programs, eligibility is based on the child's age and disabilities. Family income is also usually considered. To learn about federally funded options, visit http://www.chtop.com/

=> Visit the National Respite Locator website to get contact information on respite programs near you.

=> Go straight to the source to find out about state funded respite services in your state. Ask where to find a listing of approved respite providers, where to access funding for respite services, and how to apply. The following list represents some of the types of groups you may want to contact in seeking services. Many will be listed in your telephone book.

• State Department of Mental Retardation
• State Developmental Disabilities Council
• State Program for Children with Special Health Care Needs
• Departments of Health and Human Services, or Social Services
• Department of Mental Health
• State and local Departments of Education
• State Protection and Advocacy Agency

=> Some states also have designated group homes that allow kids to visit for weekends or designated respite times, so ask about this service if your child has behavioral challenges that make it particularly difficult to use natural community supports.

As with any caregiver situation, don’t forget to:

** Check references **
** Make unannounced visits **
** Communicate regularly with your caregiver **

All My Best,

* Note: If you should discover a broken link within the above article, please contact the Author and inform them of the problem. Thank you.