On this page, you’ll find articles related to welcoming families affected by disabilities at church. Please note: Not every strategy will work for every church and family! If you need some help modifying strategies to suit your needs, please email me at katie@keyministry.org …that’s what I’m here for!

Autism

• Welcome aboard our church…please locate the exit nearest to you…
• Welcome to church! Can I take your autism?
• Are we speaking the same language?

Managing Your MInistry

• Inclusion is Not a Place
• Starting your Ministry: First Steps
• Getting started: policies and procedures from the inside-out
• Starting your ministry: Creating a team
• Orange Slices: How to recruit volunteers for special needs ministry
• The Merry, Merry Month of MAY-hem

Teaching Tips

• Let’s Read the Bible: Products for Helping Kids Succeed!
• Fidget Toys: Do They Really Work?
• How Can a Teacher Get a Group of Kids to SETTLE DOWN?
• Helping Kids Take Turns in Group Discussions
• Let’s Read the Bible! Understanding kids with dyslexia
• Let’s Read the Bible! Strategies for Struggling Readers
• Visual Timers~a great tool
• The Weekly News
• Attention!
• Raised-Line Paper
• Arranging Your Classroom for Success
• Managing Behavior: Proximity Control
• Through the Roof and Under the Table: Creating a Positive Sunday School Experience for all Learners
        ~published in HeartShapers online magazine (Standard Publishing) April, 2010

Proactive, Positive Planning

• Proactive Partnering: Including the Most Valuable Player
• IEPs at Church: Yes? No? Maybe So?
• Well begun is half done…
• Set up and Materials
• Lesson Planning: Procedures
• Lesson Planning: Evaluation
• Why Planning Matters
• IEPs at Church: Yes? No? Maybe So?

Communication

• Communication and Confidentiality: Defining Expectations That Edify
•  Confidentiality and Communication in the Age of Social Media
• Communication & Confidentiality: Say THIS, not THAT
• The Illusion of Communication
• How to Avoid Being the “Master of Disguise“
• Effective Communication: Avoiding Assumptions
• Effective Communication: Don’t Be a Cinderella Step-Sister
• Effective Communication: “Honey I Shrunk the Worries”
• The Importance of Collaboration and Good Communication
• Confidentiality in the Age of Social Media
• Communication and Confidentiality: Defining Expectations
• Communication: Say THIS not THAT
• Communication: Web-Based Tools
• Communication and Confidentiality: Building Trust

Church Family

• Hungry
• Has the Church Disabled Itself? Guest Post by Shannon Dingle
• Getting Your Gifts Unwrapped: Why Connections Matter
• Body Building
• Are You Drinking the Sand? Are you Serving It?

Positive Solutions for Common Special Needs Ministry Issues

• Real Life Problem Solving

Partnering with Parents

• Helping Parents Catch the Vision with Sue Miller (Orange)

Adults with Special Needs

• Job Coaching: What Can the Church Do?