Services for Children with Special Needs

Our goal is to help special needs children and families reach their highest potential socially, emotionally, behaviorally and intellectually. To fulfill this goal our approach is to involve and support family, friends and community resources.

JFS has been providing a continuum of services for children, adults and their families for more than 60 years. Our team of experience professionals include diagnosticians, intervention specialists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, play therapists, school mental-health counselors and psychiatrists.

Our Special Needs Services include:

• Intervention Specialist Services: Early Childhood and Student Specialists
• Play Therapy
• Animal-Assisted Therapy
• Comprehensive Assessment
• Speech-Language Assessments and Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Social Skills Groups
• School Mental-Health Services
• Psychiatry Services

Our Special Needs Resource Team brings additional expertise if more complex developmental challenges become apparent and sometimes act as the liaison in schools for teachers, leadership and parents.

For more information about our Special Needs Resources or if you’re not sure of what kind of help your child might need, call 972.437.9950.

Special Needs Partnership

The Special Needs Partnership was founded more than a decade ago by a group of local families to advocate on behalf of their children with special needs. The Partnership continues today as a grass-roots initiative that furthers awareness and inclusion by providing support, resources, and education for individuals and families through our programs and services.

You’ve heard the proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child.”  This is never more true than when raising a child with special needs. In fact, building this “village” is vital to the health and happiness of the entire family.  To address this need, our SNP community was created to foster social relationships, encourage an inclusive environment, and to help all families with the joys and challenges of raising a child with special needs.

Our team of professional experts works to ensure individuals with special needs can reach their fullest potential at home, at school and in their community.

To learn more about the Special Needs Partnership and it’s programs, please contact Lorraine Friedman at lfriedman@jfsdallas.org or 972.437.9950 or click here.

Our Partners

We work with many partners to help provide an inclusive community for families with special needs. Collaborating organizations include Aaron Family Jewish Community Center, Adat Chaverim, Center for Jewish Education, Community Homes for Adults, Inc. (CHAI), Congregation Anshai Torah, Congregation Beth Torah, Congregation Shaare Tefilla, Congregation Shearith Israel, Congregation Tiferet Israel, Temple Emanu-El, Temple Shalom, Friendship Circle, Ann and Nate Levine Academy, Torah Day School of Dallas, Mesorah High School, Yachad and Akiba-Yavneh Academy of Dallas.

Major funding partners are Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.

True to the mission of Jewish Family Service, we are always interested in building new relationships with the Greater Dallas community. Please call (972) 437-9950 if you would like to connect.

Community of Families

Every family has heard the proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child.” This is never more true than when raising a child with special needs. In fact, building this “village” is vital to the health and happiness of the entire special-needs family. To address this need, the Community of Families was created to foster social relationships, encourage an inclusive environment, and to help all families cope with the ups and downs, joys and challenges of raising a child with special needs. For more information about joining our Community of Families, please contact 972.437.9950.

Upcoming Special Needs Community Events

Add Your Event

Have a community event to add to the Special Needs calendar? Submit your event here.*

*All events must be approved by an admin

Check out the current programs at Highland Park United Methodist Church Belong Ministry by clicking the logo.