Help create a bright future for special needs children | Parents & kids

SALISBURY - A special fund raiser is set to take place on Friday night, and it's not the kind of thing you may be used to reading about.  So, for this story, I'm turning the keyboard over to my friend, Jill McCartney Wagoner.

Jill is a journalist of extraordinary ability, but her highest calling may be that of mom to an incredible young man named Cooper. 

Please read, enjoy, and take part if you like:

Raising a child in today's world can be a challenge. The pressure, the influences, the programs on TV, it's all very different than from when we were little.

But the changing of the times is also a great thing in some ways.  Technology has changed the way we communicate and the way children learn.

Raising a child with special needs is a whole different kind of challenge and blessing.  They learn differently, but make no mistake, they do learn, and sometimes much more quickly than you expect.  New technology like tablets are great resources for children with special needs.  They can be used as a communications device, a learning tool, and sometimes just for fun!

We got Cooper, who will be three years old in August, an iPad last fall and it's been amazing to see all the ways he uses it.  We use it both as a learning tool and as a communication device.  Because Cooper's verbal abilities are limited right now it has helped him communicate in other ways.  For many children, expressive language is far behind their receptive language.  They have no way to show us all they can learn and understand.  This technology has opened a whole new world for Cooper in this way.

Many families of children with special needs and therapists are not able to purchase this technology, but Partners In Learning in Salisbury is trying to do something about that.  A fundraiser on Friday night aims to raise money to help therapists purchase tablets for their work with special needs children.  Parents Night Out While Kids Camp Out will be held Friday night from 6:30 to 9:30 pm with dinner and special activities for children.

Proceeds go to Partners in Technology for Special needs campaign to help purchase electronic tablets for children.  The cost per child is $25 for the first child and $10 for each additional child, and donations are welcomed.

For more information, call 704-638-9020, or visit http://www.giveforward.com/partnersintechnologyforspecialneeds.