Josh Henry / beerleagueduster (he/him)

Josh joined Momma on August 3, 2020 for a live Q&A via Twitch and YouTube to talk about Working with Kids with Special Needs

About Josh

Josh Henry, also known as beerleagueduster, discovered his passion for supporting children with special needs at fourteen. While volunteering at a church event, he met a five-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who had lost the ability to speak after an early stroke. She held onto him throughout the event, creating a connection that left a lasting impact. That experience sparked Josh’s deep commitment to working with children, especially those with unique needs and challenges, and it continues to shape the way he shows up for the communities he serves.

Episode Summary

Whether you're a parent navigating IEPs, a teacher searching for better ways to reach struggling students or anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to support kids with special needs, this conversation will give you practical tools and a hefty dose of reality without the sugar coating.

Josh Henry didn't set out to work with special needs kids. At 14, he was just helping out at a church event when a five-year-old girl with cerebral palsy latched onto him and wouldn't let go. That moment changed everything.

Now Josh coaches adaptive sports through an organization called Magic while working full-time at Amazon. He spent five years in the school system as a special ed aide and he gets it in a way most people don't. He was a special ed kid himself.

Growing up with dyslexia and severe ADHD meant Josh knew what it felt like to watch classmates finish tests while he was still on question three. He knew the panic of thinking he looked dumb. He also knew what it felt like when a teacher finally said "You're not behind them. You just learn differently."

That's the mentality he brings to every kid he works with now whether they're in wheelchairs learning hockey or struggling through reading assignments two grade levels behind.

The challenges haven't changed much since Josh was in school but the resources have gotten better. Weighted lap bands. Yoga balls instead of chairs. Fidget tools. Speech-to-text software that turns a failing writer into an A student. The key is knowing your kids well enough to know what they need and when to push versus when to pull out a board game and just let them breathe.

Remote learning has made everything harder. Josh predicts we're going to see a surge in kids qualifying for IEPs simply because they fell so far behind during the pandemic chaos. When every teacher had a different system and parents were trying to work full-time jobs while monitoring Zoom calls, it was a perfect storm for kids who were already struggling.

His advice for parents is NOT to try to be Superman or Superwoman. Find resources. Ask for help. Google is your friend. Organizations like Educational Parents Unlimited exist in every state to help parents understand IEPs and advocate for their kids. 

The best part of working with special needs kids according to Josh is the attitude. A kid with Down syndrome giving you an unexpected hug and saying "I love you Mr. Henry" makes every frustrating tantrum worth it. Hearing a friend's autistic son making happy sounds in the background of a Fortnite session reminds him that life's really not that bad.

The worst part, though... Also the attitude. Some days kids come in ready to work. Other days they're throwing themselves on the ground because their dad didn't come home last night and no amount of patience is going to make them learn their multiplication tables.

What Josh hopes every kid takes away from working with him isn't math or reading skills. It's knowing how to use the tools available to them. Because not everyone's going to college and that's okay. But everyone needs to know how to ask for help and where to find it when they need it.