Finding local support groups?

[*Devon*]

Hi!

I am a postpartum doula in NJ and I am looking for resources to share with my clients. Are any of you in a support group? How did you find it? When I search online I either find nothing or WAY too much info... especially info for infants with special needs would be super helpful.

Please share any resources at all that helped when your child was first born/diagnosed! I really want to be able to help people as much as I can. Thank you so much!

[The artist]

I'm still looking Devon. I've looked on the internet and not turned up anything close to home. I finally found one other mom to share experiences with through a neighbor's church, and that's really lucky. I know some of these kiddos have stuff that's so rare the only groups you will find are online unless you live in a major city. When we get our final diagnosis I may just start my own. Statistically, there should be two to five other kids in town similar to my son.

[melissa17s]

I would check at local hospitals and birthing centers.  We have a couple of local nonprofits that provide groups for new parents here in my area.  I am pretty sure that the hospital gave us information about them, but it could have been through the local welcoming committee that brought us a gift basic when ds was born.  I would also check the local paper because usually papers have a section one day a week for support groups.  It will announce all groups- mostly adult,  but it might have groups for infants and children.  

[heatherdeg]

It would help to know exactly what issues you mean.  Do you mean in general?  Because I never found one of those.  But I'm from Central NJ and there were issue-specific groups around.  Some I found from NJ Dept. of Developmental Disabilities, some from doctors/specialists, some from the Early Intervention caseworker, once from DYFS (I was a foster parent), some from Google searches, some from online message boards like this, etc.  It really depended on what I was looking for.

[AnalogWife]

Child Development Services frequently sends me flyers about support groups, things I never see online, like projects at local colleges etc. GL!