What is Special Kids? Check out these cute pictures and video to see exactly what goes on at Special Kids, Inc.

Feeding therapy where Christian learns to ear

Occupational therapy where Christian learns to master his fine motor skills

crawling through the tunnel!

Little brothers need entertainment too! :)

     Special Kids, Inc. is a Christain, non-profit organization in Murfreesboro, Tennessee that provides therapeutic rehabilitation and professional nursing services to children with special needs. Special Kids opened in 1998 with just one child, and today over 2,000 children have been served. They offer physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, feeding therapy, nursing services, recreational therapy, art therapy, and a summer day camp. They are a one of a kind facility, being the only organization  in the state that offers rehabilitation and nursing services under one roof.
    
     Special Kids started with a vision from an outpatient nurse, Carrie Goodwin, who envisioned a place where children with special needs would not be turned away because of their family's inability to pay. She instead saw a place where these children would be "embraced with Christian love and healing arms."
    
     Special Kids is a group on a mission. Their mission statement reads: "Special Kids exists to serve Jesus Christ by caring for His children, and we strive to live this out through our service, example, and trust. For us, it's ALL about Jesus Christ and the children we serve."

     What exactly are all these therapies and services that Special Kids offers? Children with special needs sometimes struggle to do things that might come natural to a child without special needs. For example, Christain struggles with mobility because of his vision impairment. Where other babies eventually get up and crawl to reach their favorite toy without much help, Christian did not. He had to be taught, because he doesn't "see" a toy to go get. Physical therapy did just this. It teaches gross motor skills, coordination, and core strengthening to name a few. Occupational therapy addresses fine motor skills and teaches independent living skills such as handwriting and self care. Speech language pathology teaches children comprehension and expression of language. Feeding therapy teaches children how to eat. It addresses a range of issues that can prevent a child from being able to eat, such as cleft lip and palate, like Christian, to sensory procession disorders.

     The nursing services that Special Kids provides are amazing. We all know how hard it can be to find a baby sitter or day care for our children. Adding the weighty responsibility of special needs to that mix makes it even harder. I know personally how stressful this can be. Special Kids offers a day care that is staffed with professional nurses for these children. This allows parents to be able to maintain their jobs and still give the child the care he or she needs. And if that isn't great enough, all children are under the care of a pediatrician while they are there.

     These services are absolutely invaluable to a family with a child with special needs. Special Kids is located on Arnette Drive in Murfreesboro. If you ever have a chance to stop by and visit, I encourage you to do so. Their website is also a great place to start to learn more, check it out at www.specialkidstn.com.

     If you are looking for a way to reach out and impact the disabled community, a great opportunity has presented itself locally. I am thrilled to be a part of the Special Kids Race that will takes place each March. Special Kids recently upgraded its facility to a larger place where more children can receive services! This fundraiser will help ensure that Special Kids can stay true to its mission of never turning a child away for the inability to pay! The race will be held in Murfreesboro and will consist of a 1 mile fun run, 5k, and 15k. You can find out more and also register for the race at www.specialkidsrace.org. Team Christian will be out in full force on race day. You are welcome to join our team and help raise money for such a worthy cause!!!!

     If you would like more information or if you have ideas, comments, or questions, please feel free to e-mail me at laceybuchanan@gmail.com.