Children's Services - Sibshops
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Anne Moran, Jr. Facilitator, age 15
“Sibshops is an amazing environment and a great way to interact with other peers who have siblings with special needs. The Via Staff are extremely compassionate people who work with participants to inspire bonds between the kids, allowing them to open up, express their feelings, and know that they have friends who can empathize with them.”

“Sibshops allow these children to recognize they are not alone.  It gives them time and friends with which to share and explore their thoughts. This program is exceptionally well put together and has an amazing purpose which I love and support wholeheartedly.”

Alane Lynch, Parent
“I learned about Sibshops almost five years ago when a fellow parent lent me the book Views From Our Shoes (edited by Sibshops founder Don Meyer) when she heard me lamenting a very negative book I had read about siblings of special needs children.  I quickly purchased the book for my daughter and set about finding a Sibshop for her to attend.  The closest I could find was being held at Philadelphia’s Children’s Hospital.”

“The Sibshop she attended at Chop were very beneficial but inconvenient - the biggest drawback being friendships were difficult to foster because of geography.  I approached many organizations that I came in contact with during the care of my special needs daughter and all agreed Sibshops would fill a great void in the Valley.  But not one of the agencies pursued making Sibshops in the Valley a reality.”

“Then at a local pediatric trade show in ’07 I had the good fortune to meet Via’s Children’s Services director.  She politely listened to my pitch about Sibshops and promised to contact me after doing some investigating of her own, as did several of the other organizations I approached that day.  The difference being, Via was the only one who did get back to me, and she did so with an enthusiasm about Sibshops to match my own.

“In October 2008, Via launched the first Sibshop in our area by bringing Don Meyer here, not only to train Via staff, but others who would like to run their own Sibshops.  Because of Via and its many financial partners, siblings of special needs children in the Valley will be having many needs addressed that have long been overlooked.  I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Kamrin & Leah
Prior to her birth in March, Kamrin was diagnosed with Down syndrome and with duodenal atresia, a full blockage of the small intestine that prevented passage of food from the stomach through the digestive track. After many trips to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and surgery to fix the blockage and put in a feeding tube, we brought our little girl home just two weeks after she was born.

When Kamrin was about six weeks old, we started working with Kathy, our occupational therapist from Via’s Early Intervention program. Kathy was very supportive of my decision to nurse Kamrin. With her guidance and input from our pediatrician, we were able to wean Kamrin completely off of the feeding tube in less than five months. Some days, I felt like we were taking two steps back for every step forward, but eventually, we were no longer using the tube for any feedings.

Today, Kamrin loves to eat and eats a wide variety of table foods. There are very few things she will not eat. When Kathy would arrive for an OT session, Kamrin loved to search through Kathy’s duffel bag for food, often ignoring the toys. When she began talking, she would often greet Kathy with “eat”. Kathy would laugh and say, “My name is not eat, it’s Kathy”. Kamrin’s first words and signs were mostly related to eating.

Kamrin’s older sister, Leah, 5 ½ years old when Kamrin was born. Leah loves having a sister. When I was pregnant with Kamrin, Leah would tell us that she didn’t care if the baby was a boy or girl; but she was still going to call it a girl. She loved to sit in on the therapy sessions and watch, learn, and help. The therapists were always impressed with how great Leah is with her sister. Even though she is great with Kamrin, I know there are times when she may feel left out or that a disproportionate amount of our attention and time is focused on Kamrin.

After Kamrin was born, I read a book that was a collection of essays written by kids who have a sibling with a disability. It gave me a lot of insight into what it is like for the siblings. In that book, a program called Sibshops was mentioned. Sibshops is a program for kids who have a sibling with a disability. It gives them an opportunity to meet and interact with other kids in a similar situation.

I thought it sounded like a great program and one that Leah would like and could benefit from. I started asking Kamrin’s therapists if there was anything similar around here. A little over a year ago, Kathy mentioned that VIA was starting a Sibshop program. Leah attended the first six-month session (they meet once a month) and loved it. Her favorite part is “Dear Aunt Blabby;” a letter from a “sibling” is read and the kids talk about and offer suggestions or solutions to their problem.

For more information, contact:
Marisa Nimtien, Director of Children's Services
m.nimtien@vianet.org | 484-893-5379