Relief for Parents of Special Needs Children

Cameron Doolittle is CEO of an inovative and needed ministry called “Jill’s House.” This unique ministry was birthed out of  McLean Bible Church in the Washington DC area. Jill’s House offers respite for parents of special needs children. I had the chance to interview Cameron this week for my Friday Five feature on Leadership Journal‘s Parse blog. Here’s an excerpt:

There are so many misconceptions about children with special needs. But what, in your view, is the biggest?

When we think of people with special needs, our minds dance with pictures of happy children with Down syndrome. That’s a misleading picture in a couple of ways. First, most families that learn they’re having a child with Down syndrome no longer bring that child to term. As followers of Jesus, we’ve asked people to choose life. For those that did, we have a responsibility to walk with them. Second, most of the special needs community is far lower-functioning. The majority of the children we serve are on the severe end of the autism spectrum and 90 percent of their families have noconnection to a church. That’s a whole mission field we’re missing.

You can read the entire interview here: