Special Kids Family Network

1. A family support group dedicated to serving families with children who have disabilities
2. Includes children who may have genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Spina bifida, mental retardation, autism, physical disabilities, and chronic health conditions that remain undiagnosed
3. Made up of parents who have been there and know what you are going through. Parenting a child with special needs offers challenges and rewards that can sometimes be best shared with other parents who understand some of the difficulties and want to be part of a support system for you and your family
4. Promotes interactions with parents

We invite you to visit one of our meetings and see what we have to offer and maybe discover what you have to offer too!

Meeting place:

Family YMCA
3719 Broadway Drive
Hattiesburg, Miss.

Date:  First Thursday of each month

Time: 6:30 until 8 p.m.

For more information contact: 

Cookie Smith
601.266.5163
Terri.Smith@usm.edu

Co-facilitators:

Kathy Mixon and Sherry Nix

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Programs

All programs are varied and serve group needs. Previous topics have included:

1. School policies
2. Nutrition
3. Laws applying to children with special needs
4. Advocacy and legal issues
5. Therapies and treatments

Social Activities

The social programs we sponsor are designed to give children a chance to just have fun! Social get togethers occur several times a year.

• Parties
• Family Picnics
• Christmas Party
• Easter Egg Hunt

Child Care

Child care is provided at no charge. This service is for special children, as well as for their brothers and/or sisters. This enables the whole family to attend support meetings. Thus, children and parents have the opportunity to meet with each other and share the challenges they face. The children’s play area is supervised by students from The University of Southern Mississippi. The students facilitate children’s activities with toys, drawing, coloring, etc. and children receive lots of attention. A good time is had by all!

Family Library and Resource Center

The Institute for Disability Studies, Mississippi’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, at The University of Southern Mississippi, maintains a library for families to use when they wish to learn more about certain topics related to children and disabilities.

The family library is a rich source of information enabling parents to obtain knowledge concerning problems they may face with their children. The library also contains inspirational books written by parents of children with special needs.

The resource center is located at 622 Corinne Street in Hattiesburg.  Parents and children can check out books, toys, games, software, and attend planned events. Please visit to see the many learning opportunities. 

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The Special Kids Family Network is sponsored by the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) at The University of Southern Mississippi. IDS core funding is provided by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities. For more information about programs at IDS, visit www.usm.edu/ids on the Web or call 1.888.671.0051 (toll free/TTY).

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