CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

In the United States, special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. For example, Children with autism, Down syndrome, dyslexia, blindness, or cystic fibrosis, may be considered to have special needs.

According to the Census Bureau from 2005, about one in five U.S. residents, 19% of Americans are classified as a person with a disability, which equals the population of the states of FL and CA combined. There were 4.7 million children 6 to 14, or 13 percent, with a disability. The most prevalent type was difficulty doing regular schoolwork (2.5 million, or 7 percent). Both the number and percentage of Americans with a disability has risen in recent years.

With this continually growing population of children, more effective therapies need to be developed and shared. Early intervention has been key to the child’s development into society.

HOMELESS YOUTH

More than 16.4 million children in America are poor, but they live in working families. A disproportionate number are Black and Latino. Poor children lag behind their peers in many ways beyond income: They are less healthy, trail in emotional and intellectual development, and are less likely to graduate from high school. Poor children also are likely to become the poor parents of the future. Every year that we keep children in poverty costs our nation half a trillion dollars in lost productivity, poorer health and increased crime.

Our vision is to help in ending child poverty. We must invest in high quality education for every child, livable wages for families, income safety nets like job training and job creation and work supports like child care and health coverage. We support programs that take the initiative to fight against the battle of poverty for the children.

MEDICALLY FRAGILE CHILDREN

A medically fragile child is one who, because of an accident, illness, congenital disorder, abuse or neglect, has been left in a stable condition, but is dependent on life sustaining medications, treatments, equipment, and has need for assistance with activities of daily living.

Diagnosed medically fragile by a medical physician, this child may:

• Have chronic health care conditions such as diabetes, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy (CP);
• Be a transplant recipient and require special health care support, such as tube feedings, oxygen therapy, suctioning, tracheostomy care, or a ventilator;
• Have limited mobility and require special health care support due to paralysis or chronic disease.

FOSTER CARE CHILDREN

There are 408,425 children in foster care; over 360,000 are in foster family homes, group homes or child care institutions during the course of a year. These children face enormous challenges in getting the health and mental health care, education and other special services they need. Although foster care is intended to be temporary, many children stay in foster care for long periods of time. They move frequently from one temporary family home to another, often with little notice. Moves often mean having to adjusting to a new a neighborhood, school and friends among other things. Older foster youth without permanent families need help transitioning from foster care to adulthood, since they lack the supports families provide. Without help they are at increased risk of not graduating from high school or not enrolling in college, unemployment, incarceration and homelessness.

The youths pay and society pays when these youth are forced to leave foster care at age 18 without an education, connections to their families and communities, or the supports they need to succeed as adults. Desperate attention is needed for this population of Youth. We strive to help make a difference and make more people aware of their need for assistance.

CHILDREN OF NEGLECT OR ABUSE

Children are suffering from a hidden epidemic of child abuse and neglect. Every year 3.3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving nearly 6 million children (a report can include multiple children). The United States has the worst record in the industrialized nation – losing five children every day due to abuse-related deaths.