Empowering Families Together
Dawn Needels
Founder, Mom, and Special Needs Child
I am a devoted mom who openly shares my experiences both raising children with special needs and growing up as a special needs child herself. Through my journey, I try to offer practical guidance, encouragement, and hope to families walking similar paths. Growing up in the 1970s with Dyslexia, I experienced first hand the challenges of learning differently. With the unwavering love and support of my parents, I learned resilience, perseverance and values that now carry me into advocacy work. Currently, I have temporarily stepped away from my corporate career as an Organizational Change Manager. I am dedicating my focus to my family and to serving other parents through volunteering, advocacy, and shared lived experience.
My Family
Content Creators and Inspirations
We are so blessed! It hasn't been easy but we have strived to be a resilient family navigating life with several invisible disabilities. These encompass ASD, Dyslexia, ADHD/ADD, OCD, and DMDD. Together, we have faced challenges that aren’t always seen or understood by others. As a family we are learning to adapt, grow and advocate in a world not designed for neuro-divergent learners. By sharing our story openly and honestly, we hope to encourage other families to know they are not alone. Walking in faith and united we understand strength, support, and success are possible together.
Our Community
Finding a Combination of Support
We understand that helping Special Needs children requires many different approaches. There isn’t one single simple solution that will work for everyone. We believe families need to find their own combination of supports, such as:
Together, we encourage an approach of using multiple layers of support to create a strong foundation for growth at home, at school, and in your community.
- Church and community involvement to provide acceptance, belonging, and a spiritual support.
- Therapy to build communication, social, emotional regulation and self-reflection skills.
- Extracurricular activities such as music and choir to encourage confidence, friendships, and fun.
- Medications to help with challenges like anxiety, focus, and impulsiveness.
Together, we encourage an approach of using multiple layers of support to create a strong foundation for growth at home, at school, and in your community.
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