Meeting Special Needs

I met Earl one summer at Camp Glisson in Dahlonega. Earl, his counselor, and I hung out at campfire one night. He laughed, sang and had a great time like we hope all campers experience. Earl asked for my e-mail which I was happy to give to him. I still get e-mails from Earl on a regular basis. It makes my day every time I see his name in my mailbox. Earl is in his early 40’s and a man with special needs. More than that, I feel so thankful to say Earl is my friend.

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the diagnoses of people with special needs. This has been documented in many publications and publicized as well. Some of those with special needs appear more obvious than others, like my friend Earl. Some, however, are not. Some adults and children are termed “gifted,” which can be a confusing term. Gifted can be someone with special needs or someone with a high IQ. Some are even termed “twice gifted” because they have both a special need and a high IQ.

I have heard and read too from those who dismiss the conditions of many of these children and adults as a matter of poor parenting which has resulted in bad behavior in the kids. Diagnoses of special needs such as ADD, AD/HD, Aspergers, and Autism, have been brushed aside by some in the media and society.

However, I do not have the luxury of passing such judgments. Not when I know parents who live everyday and sleep little at night caring for a child or young adult who has special needs. Not when I know those who worry and stress regarding how their children will behave. Not when I have been privileged to work with young adults who were “odd,” “didn’t fit” or “problems.”

I'll never forget one young man, who was gifted, came to a church I served. A young woman who was also visiting, pointed to him and asked, “What is he doing here?” I looked back to her and asked, “Where else should he be?”

It was Jesus who called, …the children and said, “Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Luke 18:16-17)
Inspired by Jesus’ call, we all can help these amazing children and their families; but where to start? Here are a few ideas:

Learn More.
Wikipedia.com is one resource to get an introduction and find more links to the variety of special needs.

Support Special Needs.
Support Acworth’s Special Needs Field and “250 Campaign” (www.acworth.org)
Precious Jewels and Noah’s Ark are ministries for children and adults (www.duewest.org)
Sparrowwood is a unique summer camp for special needs children and adults (www.campglisson.org)

Be Understanding.
You may not know when you’re entertaining angels (Hebrews 13:2) and you may not know when a family has a special needs child.





May I Ask:What do you know about Special Needs?
May I Suggest:Start with Wikipedia and explore the many links regarding Special Needs. What did you learn? How will you use that knowledge? Let me know here!