Tulsa School Helps Students With Learning Differences During The Pandemic

Many teachers and parents say schooling has been challenging during the pandemic, but it's been even more challenging for children with special needs.

Director of Therapy Lauren Gebhard says the children at Little Light House run the spectrum serving more than 200 students with various physical and intellectual disabilities. She says the school has been through a lot shifting from in-person to virtual, to blended, and now back to "connected learning" online. Gebhard says they're offering Facebook groups, interactive online videos, and sending home activity packets with parents.

Each teacher and therapist are maintaining an active line of communication with the families and adapting their services to fit the needs of individual students.

Educating special needs children Gebhard says comes with its own set of unique challenges. Parent Ambassador Mindy Wiggins says having a son like Hudson who has fetal alcohol syndrome is a blessing but can also be a cause for concern.

"Of course about his health and safety, but also about things like socialization when he's not in school, continued progress with physical, occupational, speech, feeding therapy, assisted technology or for some children even vision therapy. And losing that momentum is of great concern to us," said Wiggins.

Wiggins says despite the challenges she can always count on Little Light House and says 'God always makes a way here.'