Reach Out & Read (ROR) | We're Special Too!

We're Special Too! (a sibling program)
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What is We're Special Too?
When a child is ill or has other special needs, the whole family is affected. Parents struggle with their own emotions, as well as the added effort of caring for that child. But what about the other children in the family? What are their roles and feelings? How does the illness or disability affect them?

We're Special Too!, a program for siblings, was created in 1995 by the Friends of the Children's Hospital at Yale-New Haven to meet the needs of the brothers and sisters of children with chronic or terminal illness or special health care needs. The program has been recognized as the best of its kind in the nation.

What We're Special Too Does
The program offers siblings ages five to 15 years monthly Sibshops based on the model created by Donald J. Meyer, director of the Sibling Support Project at the University of Washington. They are free half-day sessions that incorporate fun-filled projects with a therapeutic component and are led by trained, community volunteer facilitators.

Supersib News Flash is published six times a year and features the children who participate in the workshops, thematic puzzles and issues for siblings that have come up during the previous workshops.

In addition, the program features family events throughout the year, biannual sessions for parents and an activity at the Night of Remembrance for children who have suffered the loss of a brother and sister during the previous year.

We're Special Too! also has sponsored educational and informational programs for parents and professionals. These seminars give parents the opportunity to learn and share information and experiences. They explore issues faced by families when there are other children in a family who are dealing with exceptional challenges.

For more information, call (203) 688-2336.