Organization Profile: About Special Kids

Join ASK for one of our most impactful fundraising events of the year! Walking for Dreams will be held on Sunday, May 23rd. Please, join us at the Canal in Downtown Indianapolis, walk for ASK virtually, or donate to our mission! Indianapolis families raising children with special medical, developmental, behavioral, and emotional needs have many questions to address throughout the lifetime of that child. The success of a child with special needs from birth to high school and beyond depends considerably on parents who are knowledgeable of information, resources, and programs pertinent to their child at different stages of development. As a result, nearly 2,000 new Hoosier families look to About Special Kids for support every year. We walk to raise funds to support ASK’s Parent Education Project. Through this project, services are provided by ASK Parent Liaisons who are parents of children with special health care needs. Once a family is in contact with ASK, they are assigned to a Parent Liaison who communicates with the family through a series of follow-up calls and emails. This follow up ensures that not only the family’s initial concerns are addressed, but that we all priority areas essential for families of children with special needs are covered. Topics include healthcare financing, transitioning into adulthood, family support, special education, safety, and recreation. A key goal of parent-to-parent programming and this project is building family leaders and teaching parents to advocate for themselves and their children with special needs. Parents adapt differently to having a child with a disability, but peer support like that offered by ASK helps parents progress through a well-documented pattern from being in crisis, to relief, to empowerment and then often to advocacy. The cost for our staff to serve a family for one year is $250.00. Your donation ensures these critical supports remain free to Indiana families raising children with special needs.