New York City Special Needs Guide
Jul 5 2012
Finding the right resources can be overwhelming for any New York City family, but it can be especially challenging for parents of children with special needs. We hope our Special Needs Guide makes your life a little easier by helping you navigate what's out there. Our special needs posts—many written by local moms who have children on the autism spectrum, or with ADHD or sensory issues—include info on playgroups, programs, camps and sensory gyms, plus awesome apps and toy stores that cater to children with challenges.
For additional information for NYC families with special needs, we recommend checking out A Parent's Guide to Special Education in New York City and the Metropolitan Area.
Special Needs Organizations and Resources
Cool Special Needs Programs, Play Spaces & Classes
Helpful Sites, Apps & Toys
Sensory Friendly...
Sensory Gyms in Manhattan: Eight Spots for Physical, Occupational and Other Sensory Therapy for Kids
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A few weeks ago I wrote about special needs music classes for kids in the five boroughs. Today I'm spotlighting dance programs for children with special needs in NYC. Just as organizations like Daniel’s Music Foundation changed my son’s life and allowed him to be able to get up on...
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As the mother of a son with special needs, we have our work cut out for us in many areas. While we’ve pretty much figured out the crazy NYC school system (at least for the moment) and explored a whole slew of extracurricular activities, there are still lots of things we need help with on a...
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As a musician turned stay-at-home-mom, I've made sure that music plays a major part in my children's lives. But that's been a bit of a challenge with my oldest son, who was born with multiple disabilities, including severe sensory issues. He cried at the sound of applause at concerts,...
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When our neighborhood school wouldn’t accept our child with special needs into the second grade because there was supposedly “no space,” we called Advocates for Children of New York. After suffering through weeks of stress and strife on our own, the organization got us in touch...
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As a mom to four children including a tween with special needs, I'm always happy to share information about the best resources I've found for New York City special needs families. So I'm continuing my series of monthly special needs posts with a look at an organization we (and countless...
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As parents, we instinctively want to make things easy on our kids, but making sure they are faced with appropriate challenges is one of the best things we can do for them. Tackling a challenge builds self-esteem and teaches new skills, resilience and perseverance. This past summer, I organized a...
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My oldest son was four-years-old before we figured out that his constant coughs, colds and bronchial infections were being caused by food allergies. Once we removed the offending items from his diet, he became a different child (though the hearing loss he suffered as a result of us not catching his...
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When my family and I moved to New York City a few years ago, we were excited about living in a place that had so many opportunities for our son with special needs. But after we finally figured out the school situation and a couple of extracurricular activities, we wondered what our next steps would...