Families Raising Children With Disabilities Attend Workshop

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FULTON, NY – Parents of Special Children Inc. recently held a workshop focusing on “Maintaining Healthy Relationships within the Special Needs Family” at the Fulton Municipal Building with special guest speaker Brenda Larkin, LMSW.

Larkin is a certified social worker with a master’s degree in Social Work from Syracuse University with a concentration in Family Mental Health.  “Families raising children with developmental disabilities find it difficult to have time for themselves or their partners,” noted Parents of Special Children Program Director, Donna Jones.  “Sometimes just getting out to dinner or for a cup of coffee with a friend is challenging.”

The workshop discussed the healthy boundaries that exist, open communication, realistic expectations, balance, and the power of positive supports.

The workshop was one of many informational forums hosted by Parents of Special Children throughout the year for families raising children with special needs.

The agency is a 20-year-old not-for-profit community agency that provides supportive services to families raising children and adults with disabilities.

Services include respite care, caregiver reimbursement; assistance with special requests, advocacy, and recently the agency has organized and been host to a local group of parents of children with Autism called Connections.

Parents of Special Children Inc. is supported by the United Way of Greater Oswego County and the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

For more information about Parents of Special Children, call 598-7672.

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