Mothers create network for parents of special needs children

Conejo Valley families of what Calabasas resident Pam Felton calls "perfectly different" children had a desire for one-stop resource of information, thought Felton and friend Pam Saul of Agoura.

So the mothers of special-needs children created The Perfectly Different Network and have spent the past year working on an e-newsletter due to launch in mid-January. It will share the knowledge they say was unavailable to them as they were raising their children.

Felton's 14-year-old son, Jonah, is on the autism spectrum.

"He is perfectly different — exactly the way I want him," Felton said. "People ask, 'If you could give him a pill to make it go away, would you?' and I always say, 'That's what makes him so fun and unique and joyful.' "

Felton, who describes herself as a "connector," has plenty of information to impart.

"Parents have asked me if I know a camp where their child with cerebral palsy can go, and I ask: 'Are you looking for a camp for kids just with CP? Or are you looking for a camp where they are fully included?' I know both," she said.

She also spoke of the balancing act of caring for her other children — Sam, 17, and Daniel, 12.

"Agoura Pony Baseball has a special-needs division which is called the Champions League and American Youth Soccer Organization has a VIP soccer league (for special needs) on Saturday mornings that run at the exact time as the typical leagues so I can go to the park and watch all of my children play," Felton said.

Every newsletter will include new discoveries, such as the monthly Woodland Hills AMC 16 Movie Theatre sensory movie screening for special-needs children and Westlake's B.J.'s Restaurant's gluten-free kitchen.

"Not just a gluten-free menu, but they understand you can't mix gluten anywhere," Felton said. "There are medical studies done that a lot of kids on the autism spectrum are allergic to glutens."

There also will be contributing articles from professionals.

Sarita Freedman, a Calabasas private practice psychologist who specializes in autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities, is one of their resources.

"There is nothing like this on how to connect parents to resources and services," Freedman said. "And what is so wonderful is it isn't just for families of autism. This addresses families of all disabilities. There is a real value for parents to connect with other parents. Having a child with a disability can be very isolating sometimes."

Saul is a behavior therapist who works one-on-one in homes of children with special needs. She has a 19-year-old daughter with autism, Samantha; and a 16-year-old son, Tanner.

She said their goal is twofold.

"One is having a resource community to be able to look online if you need a doctor immediately who can understand your kid within a five-mile radius," Saul said. "There are things that people with typical kids don't think about, like cutting your child's nails or getting their hair cut if they have sensory issues. Being able to find things in your neighborhood where a parent has been there and recommends it is so important, because I didn't have it while my daughter was growing up.

"The other part is we are the very beginning, and everybody in every city across the country should say: 'Hey, this is a great model. Why aren't we doing it?' That, to me, is the ultimate goal," Saul said.

For more information, visit www.perfectly or Facebook.