The discovery of a child’s disability is an extremely difficult time for a family.  Families must find the best course of care for their child to ensure they are able to reach their full potential. Quite often parents dream that if they follow all of their doctor’s recommendations, they will manage to heal or eliminate his or her disability. This dream has positive aspects and can helpadvance the child’s development.However it can also be dangerous and lead to a fixation on curing the disability, resulting in the loss of childhood for the children and put overwhelming pressure on the parents. They must accept that the disability will not pass and that it is now a permanent part of their lives.

The goal of the instruction kit is to encourage families to continue to lead a life fullof fun and curiosity, and not to live merely to “fix” the disability. They should participate in recreational activities, especially playful activities that have a key role in cognitive, emotional and social development, as well as in developing a positive self-image. Essentially, the kit encourages playing for the sake of playing.

Keshar organization, JDC Israel Ashalim, the Shalem Foundation and the National Insurance Institute of Israel collaborated in the production of the film “A Special Family Playing” directed by Eli Tal El. The movie was inspired by Debi Elnatan, a mother of a child with special needs.

To watch the movie with English subtitles press here

At this time the movie can be watched in a variety of languages, and in the future the kit will also be available in multiple languages on our web site.