Monthly Archives: May 2011

Be Not Anxious…Helping Kids With Anxiety Grow Spiritually

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Dr. G

More so than any other disability, anxiety is seen as a condition that’s indicative of a lack of faith. That awareness, in and of itself, can produce more anxiety in a child or a parent seeking to follow Christ or grow in faith. Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety Disorders, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Spiritual Development | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Summer Stuff

Posted on May 29, 2011 by Dr. G

Summer may have arrived (even in Northeast Ohio), but our crew at Key Ministry will hardly be relaxing and taking it easy over the next few months. Continue reading →

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A Child Shall Lead Them…Update

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Dr. G

This past March, I shared a post describing a 14 year-old volunteer who had served in Breathe Respite events held at my church who approached our senior pastor with a fleshed-out proposal for the church to host a luau this summer as an outreach to 50 adults with developmental disabilities living in our community.
Continue reading →

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How Can I Get Involved and Help?

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Dr. G

I started kicking around the question of how I hope people will respond when they’re exposed to our people, training and ministry resources. Ultimately, I would hope folks would respond by looking for where God might be at work in the unique intersection of their experiences, talents, giftedness and circumstances in providing opportunities to build His Kingdom. Continue reading →

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CDC: One in Six U.S. Children Have Developmental Disabilities

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Dr. G

If this is true of society at large, how much more true should it be of the church? While churches don’t necessarily need to create “programs” to address the spiritual growth of kids with developmental disabilities, the church certainly needs to devote time and energy to acquiring the resources to lend support to parents of kids with developmental disabilities as they function in their role as primary faith trainers of their children. Continue reading →

Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Are Parents of Kids With ADHD Stigmatized at Church?

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Dr. G

Earlier this week, Shannon Dingle had a wonderful post on her blog The Works of God Displayed (I’d highly encourage readers of this blog to subscribe to Shannon’s blog) on perceptions of folks in the church about the diagnosis of ADHD. I’d encourage you to read her post, because I’m challenged to express my opinions as eloquently as she did on her blog. I very much appreciate as well the comments on her blog from a pastor (Perry) who was willing to give voice to some of the thoughts and feelings Shannon was seeking to describe in her post.
Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, Controversies, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Great New Resource for Special Needs Ministry

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Dr. G

Mike Woods from Making Room has launched specialneedsministry.org as a tool to help disseminate free resources from influential leaders in special needs ministry. Continue reading →

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Depression and Comorbidity in Children and Adolescents

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Dr. G

Children and youth who meet criteria for a full-fledged episode of Major Depression are especially prone to comorbid mental health disorders. The slide below illustrates some of the most common comorbidities associated with depression in children and teens. Depending upon the practice setting, as many as 90% of kids with depression have at least one comorbid condition, while 50% experience two or more conditions. Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Resources | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Join me today on Blog Talk Radio

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Dr. G

I’m honored to have the opportunity to join Mike Woods from Making Room on his blog talk radio program today, Tuesday, May 17th at 10:00 AM EDT. We’ll be discussing the topic of Family-Focused Special Needs Ministry. Continue reading →

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The relationship between ADHD and autism

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Dr. G

The implication of all this for church staff and volunteers is to appreciate the reality that if you’ve seen one kid with autism, you’ve seen one kid with autism. Effective strategies for inclusion at church and the resources families find helpful in promoting the spiritual growth of their child aren’t “one size fits all” for kids with ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, or both. Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, Autism, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Resources | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments