Parents Helping Parents
Madison Turner, a high-school freshman who has Down syndrome, has always been friendly — she’d even hug strangers she met in line at the grocery store.
But the 14-year-old’s outgoing personality prompted her mother to worry: What if her daughter was unknowingly making herself a target for predators?
“Children with special needs are very vulnerable,” said Madison’s mother, 43-year-old Marcie Turner, of San Jose. “And that’s why I feel like I really need to, not necessarily scare her, but make her more aware.”
Over the summer, Turner signed her daughter up for a “Social Boundaries” class offered by San Jose-based nonprofit Parents Helping Parents, which teaches children with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, intellectual disabilities and other special needs how to safely and appropriately interact with the people in their lives. The classes, which have been running consistently for nine years, have taught dozens of children who struggle with social cues.
The goal is to protect some of society’s most vulnerable populations.
“A lot of our kids are taught at a young age to hug everybody,” said Trudy Grable, director of community and family services for Parents Helping Parents. “And especially individuals who are very happy, jolly and love people. They become big huggers, which puts them at risk.” Marcie Turner with her 14-year-old daughter Madison. Madison was born with Down syndrome and is a graduate of a workshop designed to increase the safety of children with intellectual disabilities. Donations will help Parents Helping Parents hold Social Boundaries workshops to help educate children with intellectual disabilities about sexual assault and exploitation.