Peer Support for Children & Their Parents

All of us, young and old, want to be liked by our peers. For a child with limb loss or limb difference, the regular challenges of growing up can seem even more difficult, which is why peer support can be especially helpful to these young people. Peer support is most successful when it happens on its own. The best thing you can do is create an opportunity without making peer support the focal point, and then step back and let it happen. So what are your options?

Peer Visitation — Peers can help new amputees adjust to a new life by sharing information, by offering emotional and practical support, and by serving as models of success. Although peer support is ideally conducted through personal visitation, it can also take place in the form of a phone conversation or through regular mail. (Contact the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) for specific information regarding our nationwide peer support network or visit www.amputee-coalition.org/npn_about.html)

Special Events — Some organizations, such as ACA, host summer camps and special events that bring young people and their families together to interact, relax, have fun, and learn from one another. (Contact ACA for specific information regarding our annual youth summer camp or visit www.amputee-coalition.org/youth_camp.html)

Online Support — If your child doesn’t yet feel ready to face someone in a one-on-one situation, or if transportation or accessibility is an issue, you can find some of the same benefits of peer support through the Internet without leaving the comfort of your home.

Online Resources for Children and Parents
ACA’s Youth Activities Program www.amputee-coalition.org/youth_camp.html  Brave Kids http://www.bravekids.org/ children with DIABETES www.childrenwithdiabetes.com	KidsHealth www.kidshealth.org Ability Online www.abilityonline.org I-CAN Network www.child-amputee.net	Winners on Wheels www.wowusa.com FirstGov for Kids www.kids.gov/ Helping Hands Foundation www.helpinghandsgroup.org

 

** The contents of these sites are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the ACA/NLLIC. The use of trade names is for identification only and does not constitute endorsement by the ACA/NLLIC.