Virginia Are You Ready To Join A Local Group?
Are You A Special Needs Sibling?
AGES 8-17
Located within Lynchburg and surrounding areas.
1st Meeting starts September 17th!!
There will be adult chaperones, food, drinks, games and fun times! Come talk and get to know other kids just like you who understand what it feels like to be a special needs sibling.
For More Information About SNS Rock:
Welcome to Special Needs Siblings! My name is Jeniece LaGloria. I am the mother of five fabulous children all of whom rock my world and shake up my soul! I am the founder of Special Needs Siblings, Inc. I am a writer, a speaker, and an advocate for autism, epilepsy, and special needs siblings. I am here bold, faulty, and free. Why the motivation for this movement?
#SpecialNeedsSiblings
I began Special Needs Siblings in May 2016 with the desire to bring awareness and support to our special needs community. I had no idea it would become such a beautiful movement of love and support. I was a mother who was struggling with balance and imperfections. I knew something was missing but I did not know what. Things kept happening in our family where I was missing the mom mark. Now, this was not intentional, but it still had a huge impact on the children.
One day at Caleb’s basketball game I missed a BIG shot he made because Christian (brother with autism and epilepsy) had an episode and I needed calm him. Another time I was supposed to attend a field trip for Jada’s class, but I had to withdraw because Christian had began seizing and I needed to stay with him. Honestly, I could always find assistance regarding my son’s disability, but information pertaining to his siblings was scarce. I was hurting, confused, and torn. I wanted to be the best mother to them all, but I did not know how! I decided I wanted to find others like myself. I made a choice to create an Instagram account and begin sharing stories of myself and my children with hopes others would want to speak their truths as well. Today, we have a growing network of 20,000 people who recognize and share the same desire to bring awareness to the siblings within our families.
I have found in speaking with parents and siblings over the last few years that there is a great need to support the siblings within the special needs families. The parents are often strained emotionally, financially, and physically when dealing with their disabled child that sometimes the typical child does not receive the same needed attention. This has been known to cause different problems, ex. resentment, anger, jealousy. There were also greater possibilities of behavior issues with the siblings of special needs children. We additionally noticed that the siblings are often full of compassion and empathy for others in greater capacities than their peers. They are some of the kindest individuals you will ever come across. Their hearts are full and their feelings matter.
Special Needs Siblings, Inc.’s mission is to empower and embrace the parents and siblings within the special needs families by providing education, resources and support programs. Donations made to Special Needs Siblings, Inc. will be used to build programs, secure resources, and provide assistance to special needs siblings in the community. We will offer a place of community by bringing awareness to the families by focusing on bridging the gap between the siblings. Our goal is to be able to strengthen the family and sibling bond. We are proud to say we are officially tax exempt and looking forward to the GREAT things we can do !!
Thank you so much Lauren for being such an wonderful mother!! We really enjoyed hearing from you and about your daughter Julia. She sounds like such a joy! Thank you for allowing us to share your story with others to start off this New Year with encouragement and love. SNS!
My name is Lauren and I’m a single mother of two wonderfully amazing children! My oldest daughter Julia is 13 and my non verbal autistic son Colin who is 5. Words don’t describe how blessed I am to have these two kiddos because without them I’d be lost.
The reason for my email is really to tell you about my 13 daughter Julia who is my rock my best friend and the daughter every parent dreams of! Julia has always been a straight A student who is always there to lend a helping hand and the kind of patience and love in her heart that we all strive to have!
This past year my ex husband and their father had to walk away from the children’s lives as he struggled with an addiction he is hopefully trying to overcome to this day but knowing that these two kids dearly miss their father and hurt inside ways I’m not even aware of at times. Christmas is just a few days away and I want nothing more than for these two babies have their father back and healthy but realistically that’s not in the cards for the time being!
Please don’t feel bad for my children or myself but remember this holiday season that we all should be thankful for everyone and everything we have in our lives and that no matter what show the ones you care about that you love them and are so blessed to have them in your life. Never take anything for granted because it can all disappear in an instant and those memories are all you’ll have left.
Thank you so much Shalyn for being such an awesome sister!! We really enjoyed hearing from you and wish you the best in every future endeavor! We love you, SNS SNS: Do you have a favorite memory with you and your brother?
Shalyn: My favorite memory with my brother was going to Chicago for a skateboard championship and he got to meet all of his favorite skateboarders, he’s really into skateboarding. Just seeing how happy he was made me happy and excited he got to be there.
A deep thank you to Miss Southeast International, Ciara Hibdon, of Fayetteville Arkansas. She is the older sister of Steele and we honor her for being such an amazing big sister!! We love you, SNS
Steele and I have had quite the extraordinary life. Being exactly two years and two days apart we share a close bond and have shared countless birthday parties.
At the age of three, Steele was diagnosed with autism. I was five at the time. I remember hearing the word autism for the first time and thinking, “but there’s nothing wrong with him”. Since that day it has been my mission to be his advocate and a Hero for Autism. Through our brother sister bond I have learned compassion, patience and most importantly hard work.
We were told Steele would never graduate high school, this fall he will be attending the University of Arkansas studying journalism in the honors program. None of this would have been possible without his Heroes for Autism.
As Miss Southeast International I am spreading the message of autism acceptance through my platform Heroes for Autism, we often hear of autism awareness but not acceptance. My job, to educate and encourage others to reach out and befriend those who minds work a little differently and help create a world that is more sensory friendly for these people.
I am working with Walmart Corporate on enhancing the shopping experience for those who have autism and other special needs by offering quiet hours and assistance shopping and checking out. It’s the simple things that make the biggest difference.
Steele has gone to infinity and beyond to be where he is today and I am so proud of the young man he has become. He inspires me each and every day and makes me strive to be a better person. He truly is a Hero for Autism.