Children with Special Needs

Today, I thought that it would be great to talk about children with special needs! When I was fifteen, I volunteered at a summer camp for children with special needs, simply because I needed to complete service hours for my high school. I was actually very nervous about volunteering at Camp Hope because I had never worked with children with special needs before. What I did not know was that this experience was going to change my entire life. When I volunteered at Camp Hope for that one short week, I found a new passion for working with children with special needs. Although some of the children had either Downs Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy while other children were Autistic, I realized that they were so appreciative of someone who would play with them or someone who simply has the patience in to help them to complete an art project. The children at Camp Hope have helped me to become the person I am today and they taught me to appreciate everything and everyone in life. After my first week at Camp Hope, I realized that I would want to become a special education teacher.


As I had mentioned before, children with special needs love when someone spends time with them by doing something fun, such as reading them a story. There are many volunteer opportunities to work with these children. Caldwell College has a Center for Autism and ABA that looks for volunteers to come help with the children who attend the center. Also, now that I am returning for my fifth summer at Camp Hope, I know that they are looking for volunteers, and I have never seen a volunteer leave without looking at the world around them from an entirely different perspective. Lastly, never be afraid to contact your local community center in your home town because I am sure there are many events for special needs children!