How to get your Learning Disabled Child integrated into the Community
by Merely Me
Monday, January 25, 2010
Quinn's Guide to Friendship, Dating and Self-Confidence
Your local library is yet another resource of community activities for your child. Almost every library that I know of offers a story time. Our local library's story time is elaborate with stories, puppet shows, and dancing. It is always packed. For older kids you may find that they offer various themed clubs like the Harry Potter club for example. The library is an excellent resource to get your child socializing with other children.
Every town usually has a Parks and Recreation resource. We found tons of classes and activities for Max this way. Our local nature center offered walks through the woods to learn about everything from spiders to owls. We have taken nature classes where we dug for fossils or waded in streams to see tadpoles and frogs. The art center in town offered family arts and crafts evenings where parents and children could create crafts together like making a birdhouse or even homemade paper. The arts and crafts classes were Max's favorite as he loves art so much. For older children or teens they had some cool classes like learning how to sail or canoe, or the ropes courses where you must rely upon others as a team to get you through an obstacle course set either low to the ground or on ropes high in the trees.
Most Park and Recreational programs usually have a listing of classes geared especially for people having special needs. They might have social groups where adults having special needs meet for seeing the latest movies or to go bowling. We had found a wonderful swimming program led by an instructor who led group activities at the local swimming pool for children having assorted challenges. He had fun with the other kids and also learned how to swim.
Local non-profit agencies are also a wonderful resource of activities and classes specially geared for children and adults having special needs or challenges. We found numerous activities through our local autism society such as an arts and crafts class as well as a dance class. We really liked these classes as we didn't have to explain a thing. The instructors understood what my son's needs were and individual needs were accommodated without even having to ask.
I am just listing some of the resources we have found over the years. I have to say that community resources do seem to dwindle once your child is a teenager. I wish there were more activities offered for this age group and especially for those teens with special needs.
Now it is your turn! How have you used community resources for your child or young adult? What community classes and programs did your child most enjoy? Tell us all about it!
Learning Disability Resources, Tips and Tools