Special Parents Confidential 03 Playdates

Playdates. Guest: Cyndi Blair. Special Parents Confidential Episode 03. Playdates. Sleep overs. Parties. Extra-cirricular activities. Friends. Many children have active and highly involved social lives. But that’s not always possible for special needs children who have challenges in social situations. Meeting new friends and having lasting friendships can be difficult for kids with special needs. Disabilities and challenges with social skills can sometimes mean a child might not have any friends of their own. Our guest on this episode had just such a problem with her special needs child not being able to find friends to have playdates or other social activities. Cyndi Blair is a mom from Muskegon, MI, and has a daughter with autism and cerebral palsy. She also has three other children who don’t have disabilities or special needs. Her special needs child noticed that her siblings were always having playdates, sporting events, parties, sleep-overs, and other activities. But her daughter would become upset because she (in her own words) ‘didn’t have any friends of her own’. So Cyndi decided to do something about it. We talk with Cyndi about the organization she founded, No More Sidelines, and how it not only helped her special needs child find new friends, but is also helping nearly 300 other special needs children. It’s become so successful she wants to take her organization’s concept to other communities and states around the nation. As we mentioned in the podcast, here’s the No More Sidelines voice mail number that you can call to listen to their events calendar and leave a message: (231) 724-7142.