June 2018 - EASTERN OREGON PARENT - 13
Including special needs families in the community
By JENNIFER COLTON
Yelling, stares and the panic
that follows a public meltdown
can tempt special needs parents
to build private walls, but working
through it has long-term benefits.
“I think the parents know that
it’s good for them to get out and
interact, but on the other hand,
sometimes the reactions the com-
munity has to the meltdowns at the
end drive the parents back into the
house,” says Winnie Burnett. “It’s
very difficult to be the parent of a
special needs child.”
As such a parent, Burnett says
being around a community that
understands can make the differ-
ence. In Eastern Oregon, programs
for special needs children range
from specialized sports opportuni-
ties – including the Little League
Challenger Division and US Youth
Soccer TOPSoccer – to the iCan Bike
summer day camp that teaches
how to ride a bicycle. For a half-
decade, Burnett has run the special
needs open gym times at the Pend-
leton Recreation Center. She says
the physical activity helps children
focus and handle reactions better in
the long-term.
“The social interactions, the
more they meet with people and
interact with people, the better it
is,” she remarks. “The social part
is huge for them, getting out and
meeting people and being able to
observe. They learn so much by
observing.”
The special needs open gym
runs from October through May
each year, and The Arc of Umatilla
County offers multiple camps dur-
ing the summer, focused on both
those with intellectual and devel-
opmental disabilities and neuro-
typical children, especially siblings.
The Summer Recreation and Inclu-
sion Program for 2018 includes two
camps: a Stay and Play Camp at
The Arc Building in Herm-
iston and a Trip and
Travel Camp that
starts in Hermis-
ton but includes
activities at the
SAGE Center in
Boardman, a
cooking class,
and a trip to the
Tri-Cities. For
more information
on either of The
Arc camps, contact
Camp Director Jessica
Brown at 541-720-7951.
Other organizations host
events that can be modified to
meet the needs of children with
disabilities. The Public Library Sum-
mer Reading Program includes fun
– and free – events, and the Herm-
iston Public Library offers a weekly
“Adventure Time Story Time”
geared directly for developmen-
tally disabled children and adults.
Community organizations, includ-
ing the Pendleton Arts Center and
the SAGE Center in Boardman, will
work with children to help them
get the most out of a lesson, and
Special Olympics has a strong pro-
gram that includes seasonal sports
like track and field, bocce, and golf.
Kristi Smalley is a parent of a
special needs child actively in-
volved with The Arc of Umatilla
County, Special Olympics and more.
She says parents of special needs
children have to create opportuni-
ties for the child.
“Parents of special needs chil-
dren have to create their own
opportunities for their children to
learn language, social skills and
how to function with neuro-typical
peers,” she says. “Find out who
your child ‘clicks’ with in their
class and take the initia-
tive to invite that child
to play at the park,
feed the ducks or
whatever.”
Some of
those outings
can evolve into
more. Smalley
says she reached
out to friends
with neuro-
typical children
and developed a
playtime cooperative,
allowing all the children
to participate in an activity
once a week. That type of coop-
erative also gives parents a break
when it isn’t their turn to host the
activity, because keeping a child in-
volved – with or without a disability
– can be stressful for parents.
“Resist the temptation to keep
your child at home and isolated
from the public,” Smalley says.
“Take small steps and reward your
child for complying with your
simple directions. As they build
language and social skills, your
child will have more opportunities
to interact with both disabled and
neuro-typical peers.”
Socialization is a benefit for the
child, for the family, and for the
community. Interaction with the
community helps a child observe,
but it also helps community mem-
bers observe the child. Burnett
points out many of the “melt-
downs” happen when the child
has to leave, and when community
members are aware of what is hap-
pening, they are often more under-
standing.
Strategies
“These aren’t bratty kids.
They’re just kids that at this mo-
ment are unable to handle all the
stress coming their way. It’s about
education: letting people know
that they have meltdowns because
they’re overstimulated, because
they’re having fun, because they
don’t want it to end,” Burnett ex-
plains.
Taking care of special needs
children and adults also includes
sensory events, which are designed
not to overstimulate children. Both
Destiny Theaters in Hermiston and
the Children’s Museum of Eastern
Oregon in Pendleton offer monthly
sensory experiences. During the
summer, spray parks can be an
opportunity for those with special
needs to enjoy water – even on
days when an aquatic center or
pool can be too overwhelming.
Multiple parent support groups,
such as the Eastern Oregon Down
Syndrome Support Group that
meets in Hermiston, also exist to
help parents remember they aren’t
alone.
“If you want to get your child
involved, we can try to make
something work for people. That’s
huge – having a community that’s
willing to meet them where they’re
at,” Burnett says. “It’s really hard
on the parents, but it’s really good
for them to know that it will benefit
their kids long term.”
________
Jennifer Colton is news director of
KOHU and KQFM, and mother of
three, based in Pendleton.