Children at an earlier Sibshops event pose for a photo
Children wait in line for ice cream during an earlier Sibshops event
Under normal circumstances, Lewis County Parent to Parent’s Sibshops events would allow the siblings of children with special needs to have a place where they can enjoy themselves around other children who come from a similar situation.
Due to the restrictions on social gatherings due to COVID-19, though, Lewis County Parent to Parent Coordinator Shawna Haller was forced to adapt the event into an online format. The first online installment called Virtual Sibshops was scheduled to take place Thursday at 11:00 a.m.
Unfortunately, though, Haller said she had no one sign up to participate as of Wednesday.
“This is our first one that we were trying to do online,” Haller said. “Of course, there’s definitely been challenges trying to turn something to an online version, but I mean, we were still going to do some of the same stuff.”
According to Haller, Sibshops is a safe place for kids between the ages of 6 and 13 to come and not only have a fun time around other kids, but feel comfortable discussing some of the challenges they may face having a sibling with special needs.
She said it’s nice to give those children an event where the focus is on them.
“A lot of times, when you have a child with a disability, a lot of things kind of go into, you know, therapies and things for that kid,” Haller said. “It’s really just a safe place for them to be able to talk and feel safe with other people, other kids, who face some of the same challenges.”
The virtual event would’ve been hosted through Zoom, where the kids would be able to all participate in a craft together. Haller says kids who signed up would’ve had the materials delivered before the event.
She acknowledged the difficulty, though, of adapting an event that provides a sense of comfort to children outside of their homes to a format that requires them to actually stay home.
“It might be a little more challenging because you’re going to be at home and talking in front of your siblings,” Haller said. “That might feel a little harder.”
Dawn Hannum says her daughter Ari has been participating in Sibshops since last Summer. Ari’s brother is autistic and Hannum believes the events help the children discuss how they all feel about their respective situations.
She says her daughter also really enjoys the crafts and other activities.
“They’ve done picnics and swimming parties, they’ve done a ceramics party down at Black Dog Pottery, so she’s enjoyed the crafts and she’s enjoyed talking to the kids,” Hannum said. “They sort of touch lightly on the whole concept of what it’s like to have a child in your family who’s actually sort of getting all the attention.”
As it pertains to the online version of Sibshops, Hannum says she was aware of the event and Ari would’ve participated if her family wasn’t going out of town.
She says not being able to participate in Sibshops events in person, though, has impacted Ari socially.
“She is a very social kid,” Hannum said. “She doesn’t feel that same level of socialization going online, so she’s really felt that lack of community, involvement and a lot of interaction. It’s been very difficult for her.”
Haller acknowledges the turnout might’ve been a result of the event’s timing and says she will continue to make efforts to reach the kids as long as they’re not able to meet in person. She says Parent to Parent will “probably” try to host another Virtual Sibshop.
“I do plan to reschedule this one and hope that we’ll get a little more interest the next go around,” Haller said.
In addition to Sibshops, Haller says Parent to Parent also hosts events for parents, such as a Coffee and Conversation on the third Tuesday of each month that has now been adapted virtually and even a craft night for parents from their homes.
To Hannum, the continuing effort from Parent to Parent to continue reaching both kids and families has been impressive.
“They have made a huge effort to still keep their parent groups going and their sibling groups going,” Hannum said. “For our family, it’s been a huge level of support. Even though it’s online and you can’t actually meet in person, it’s definitely helped us make it through the three months.
Haller added that many of the kids attending Sibshops in person were the same from a week-to-week basis and the group hopes they can continue to add new faces in the future.
She stressed the importance for children with siblings who have special needs, as well as the parents, to have an outlet with people who understand the situation. That’s magnified in the era of social distancing.
“These are really challenging times for those families,” Haller said. “I think we see, a lot of times, extra behavior at this time and so, it could be a hard time in those homes for the families with a sibling with a disability. I think in general, it’s good for any of us to have other people who understand what we’re going through.”
