More and more frequently, youth ministries are reaching adolescents with special needs. With statistics like 15% of kids being identified as having a developmental disability, or 1 in 88 kids identified as having an autism spectrum disorder, how disability-sensitive is your ministry? At our Connection, Kathy Castor will briefly explore disability areas, parent perspectives, and introduce strategies that will help you begin to think more purposefully about students with special needs.
Kathy Castor, MS, CCC-SLP, is the mother of three future adults – a developing cartoonist, an on-the-go adventure seeker, and a warrior princess. She is a Certified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and is currently working in a suburban school district. In this role, she works with students from kindergarten to age 20 in Lifeskills classrooms, designed for students with severe disabilities. Kathy has been involved with youth ministry and/or children’s ministry for over 20 years. Kathy comes to the topic of Ministry with Special Needs in Mind as a parent, a professional, and a Jesus-following youth worker.
Coming Connections:
April 18 – Michael Novelli: founder of Echo the Story, senior curriculum developer for Sparkhouse, and former youth pastor. “For several years Michael has been developing narratives and training to help others discover the art of ‘Storying,’ a dialogical approach to Bible learning. Michael is continually seeking the most effective ways to help people learn.” http://echo.wearesparkhouse.org
May 16 – Dr. Paul Eddy, Biblical and Theological Studies professor at Bethel University, will be talking about theology and youth ministry.
