IMPACT will hold meeting Feb. 20
Parenting a child with challenges can feel like a lonely journey.
We would like to make families aware of a support group for Shamong parents, grandparents and caregivers of children with any type of special needs. The group is called IMPACT — which stands for Indian Mills Parent Advisory Cooperative Team. This parent-run group has a mission to make a positive impact in the lives of students in our community who have learning, social or behavioral differences.
Every month, meetings provide an opportunity to: share ideas, resources and information; learn from each other; and ensure these children reach their highest level of achievement. But in addition to general meetings, which allow for these discussions, the group has also been very successful in getting expert speakers to come out to IMMS to present on a variety of topics. Recent speakers have been:
— A local psychologist speaking about behavior management
– Another local psychologist and expert author speaking about executive functioning/ADHD children
– Co-authors of two books on “Traveling with Children with Special Needs” giving great advice about places that are “special needs friendly” and important info on flying and cruising with special needs kids, www.starbritetravel.com
The next meeting is Thursday, Feb. 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the IMMS library. Amy Golden, M.S., BCBA will present on “Social Skills: Best Practices for Developing and Generalizing Skills.” March 20 will be a general meeting and on April 10 the group has arranged for Dr. Sarah Allen, a neuropsychologist and certified brain injury specialist to present on “Concussions” — a topic of interest to a very broad population.
Seminars are open to all parents interested in the topic. If you would like to learn more or join the group’s email list for meeting and speaker announcements, write to: impact4shamong@gmail.com. This is the group’s email address and a parent will get back to you.
Meetings are monthly at IMMS Library -Check school website for start time www.ims.k12.nj.us/district/Parents/ParentAdvisoryGroup.aspx
