Chicago Special Needs Photographer

If you have a special needs child or have a friend with one, were you aware that we are THE premier Chicago special needs photographer?  I would even go so far as to say we are one of the premier in the entire country for this specialty.  Every April, in honor of Autism Awareness Month, we offer special needs mini sessions.  We waive the session fee and the minimum order requirement to celebrate these amazing families.  We do these special mini sessions on two days in the month.  These are images from the first day.

All families with any special needs child are welcome.  While the session is for the special needs child, we welcome including the whole family or siblings, as we know how difficult it can be to get great family pictures with a special needs child.  Usually, either mom or dad is behind the camera because a stranger just can’t get the interaction they can.  It is truly my honor and delight to work with these families – not only to give them great pictures, but to give them a wonderful experience that is stress-free and positive.

I haven’t seen these twins in a couple years, and man have they grown!  The best part about having special needs clients return year after year is seeing the growth in their abilities.  Both girls have autism, but their speech has really taken off since last time!

 

This older brother also has autism.  I love this silly picture of him and his little sister.

 

How beautiful is this trio?  Another sweet kid on the spectrum being loved by his sisters.

 

I loved seeing this smiley face again.  How could I ever forget such a big smile??  When people think of autism, there is a incorrect stereotype that they are serious and don’t have a sense of humor.  While their humor may be different, my experience is many people on the spectrum are full of joy.

 

This next lovely lady has RETTS syndrome, cerebral palsy, and is non-verbal.  Her mom just wanted a nice picture of her, as she had never had professional pictures before.  We were all thrilled with her level of engagement with the camera.  It was a wonderful experience for all of us!

 

I first photographed this little boy when he was still in his mommy’s tummy!  He was recently diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech and Sensory Processing Disorder.  Really, he was just a silly toddler.  🙂

 

I’ve loved seeing these brothers again!  Big brother has Partial Trisomy 13 and Autism.  And he has the MOST amazing lashes ever!

 

I’ve photographed this young man for a few years now, and suddenly he is no longer a “boy”.  He’s turned into a teen/tween before my eyes!  Autism doesn’t slow him down any. And he remains an amazing big brother.

 

This little boy is so awesome. I saw him first when he was only 3 months old.  He has grown so much!  Having Down Syndrome, he is smaller than most boys his age, but his heart is surely bigger!

 

 

And I remember the last time I photographed this guy – it was a family session.  This time around, he has been diagnosed with Autism.  They told me his school pictures were horrible.  But I can’t see how with this huge smile of his!

 

I’ve done some work with this mom before, and this time she got to bring in the whole family, which was awesome.  Her son has Autism and was a sweetheart.  I love interacting and letting people on the spectrum tell me all about their interests.

 

If you are interested in our special needs mini sessions, they are usually announced in February for our April dates.  Keep your eyes peeled!