Support is Important!

When you have a child with a disability, support is critical. It can come in many forms, including talking with another parent for emotional support or to help you find needed services for your child.  It is important for you to know where to find support, as it will be essential to the overall benefit of yourself and your family.

Often, other parents who have kids with disabilities can be your best support. Just having someone who is going through and understands the same issues is very helpful!  You don't have to really explain how you feel, because they naturally understand! They don't try to fix things; they are just there for you.

There are many options out there, especially with the worldwide web!  You can find organized support groups on specific disabilities just by typing in what you're looking for. Go to the Find Services, Groups & Events page on this website to connect with support groups in your area! If you have found a resource that is not on our site, if you are part of one we missed, or perhaps you are starting a new one, let us know.  We want to help others find it too!

There are Facebook and Yahoo pages and discussion groups for everything imaginable these days.  You can get helpful tips that have worked for others, find out about meetings and events, and connect with other families.  An up and coming site is Meetup.com.  You can start a group according to your interests or support needs, whatever they may be.  You can initiate the Meetup dates, or group members can take turns with the planning.  Things like moms’ coffee dates, playgroups, Dads’ Adventures, and teen groups. The sky's the limit when it comes to the common issues and interests that bring parents together for support and new friendships.

Let's not overlook some other sources of support in your community:  your friends (of course), your neighbors, co-workers, religious organizations, all the different youth clubs and sports that you can join where you can meet other caring people.  They don't have to be disability oriented in order to help.  Support should be inclusive for everyone!  Take a look at the Connecting with other Parents page on this website to get started!