Posted: 10/29/04
| Jim DeHoog, chaplain for Mission Road Ministries in San Antonio, points a group of parents of special-needs children to places they can find emotional and spiritual support. |
Emotional, spiritual support available
to parents of special-needs children
By John Hall
Texas Baptist Communications
MOUNT LEBANON–Emotional and spiritual support for parents of special-needs children is all around, but they have to take advantage of those opportunities, a chaplain who ministers to mentally challenged people stressed.
Parents can find help in universities and web sites, but particularly in churches, said Jim DeHoog, chaplain for Mission Road Ministries in San Antonio.
“Sunday school and Bible study groups are areas where (parents) can find support,” he said during the Baptist General Convention of Texas Special Friends Retreat, partially funded by the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.
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| A pair of special-needs adults take time for crafts during the Baptist General Convention of Texas Special Friends Retreat. Participants later would put together hygiene bags that will be shipped to Russian orphans. |
Echoing the experiences of many parents, DeHoog explained Christians wanting to help is not the same as people doing it. Believers may wish to serve, but too often they are afraid of doing something wrong with the child. They need help understanding how to care for someone with special needs. That's where parents can help.
“We have needs for emotional support, and sometimes the church and people around us don't know how to meet the need,” he said. “We need to educate others.”
That educational process may take an extended time, but DeHoog encouraged parents to commit to it. If people are dedicated to helping, they can greatly benefit parents.
Many communities are starting groups for parents of special-needs people, he noted. Those groups can be good places for parents to network with others. If a town does not have such a group, parents may want to start one, he suggested.
Some universities have special education programs that require students to attain practical experience with special-needs people, DeHoog added. Those schools typically either work with a group or start their own efforts to provide an avenue for that service.
Numerous web sites are tailored specifically to parents of special needs children, DeHoog said. They include chat rooms, literature, book reviews and message boards that provide parents a gathering place.
“I know it doesn't express the emotion,” he said. “You can't hear the emotion, but they can be helpful.”
A pair of special-needs adults take time for crafts during the Special Friends Retreat. Participants later would put together hygiene bags that will be shipped to Russian orphans.
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