Parents Resources- Special Needs
Parenting Special Needs Children
Special-Needs Room Decor - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
I got an e-mail from a reader today asking if there are better colors to paint the walls of a bedroom for child with Asperger syndrome. I'm probably not the one to ask about that -- though my daughter and I love watching HGTV shows together, all our walls are blah white. I know there are some theories of creating sensory rooms that stimulate with bright colors or soothe with lighter ones, but I'm not sure how that would apply to a bedroom.
So I turn the question over to you readers: Have you painted your child's room a particular color for sensory or special-needs purposes? How'd that go? Are there any colors you'd advise against? Help a parent out.
Photo by Terri Mauro
What Would It Take to Get You to Show Up at School Events? - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
I've always been a big believer in being active in my kids' school, but I didn't know there was any money in it. According to a Washington Post opinion piece, schools in Delaware and Houston have "plans to start paying parents to attend school events such as parent-teacher conferences." Free cookies on back-to-school night were always enough of a draw for me, but I'm easy.
Now, it's for sure that parents are becoming less and less engaged with their schools. Volunteer participation is down, conferences go unattended, teachers can't get moms and dads on the phone to discuss grades or projects or the time of day. My kids' high school has a student body of 3,000, and when they get a dozen parents at the PTA meeting it's a big night. On the one hand, I can see how administrators, out of desperation, might feel the need to buy some involvement. On the other hand, there have definitely been school events about which the thought has crossed my mind, "You couldn't pay me to go to that."
Still, if the schools want to try bribes, I think they could be a little more creative than handing out taxpayer dollars. I bet you'd get some parents if you handed out coupons good for letting your kid skip homework one night. Tardy passes for your child on those mornings you just can't get it going would be of some value. Instead of giving parents the money, you could buy them out of a year's worth of fundraisers; who wouldn't be happy to show up for that? You'd still never get the parents who really don't give a darn about their kids' schooling, but you might motivate the ones who put the dates of the meetings on the calendar but are too exhausted or overworked or aggravated by school politics to actually get themselves there.
What would it take to get you out of the house and into a classroom on a school night? Share your thoughts in the comments; and for some other reasons to get involved, read my articles on the advantages of working in the school library, seven ways to volunteer even if your availability is limited, and ten good reasons to go to back-to-school night.
Photo by Terri Mauro
Mom Shares Strategies for Preparing the School for a Child With Autism - Wed, 01 Sep 2010
I asked you to share your tips on preparing the school for your child with autism, and reader Momonamission had some great suggestions that start the year strong and continue in the months that follow:
"Now that there is universal autism awareness, some teacher awareness has increased as well. Each year, during the first 2 weeks of school (not before because a week or so gives you a chance to get an idea of how each teacher operates) we set up a meeting with all the teachers, aides, and support personnel to review how each one plans to implement the items in my son's IEP by subject, since he has subjects that need more attention than others. All during the year, I collect adapted assignments and examples of how special accommodations were made, what was successful and not, and then give the new teachers a copy of these. This has proven to be very successful because we are all aware of expectaions/outcomes. We exchange emails and phone numbers and I USE them!! By the time parent conference rolls around, the rapport is there to plan for future events instead of trouble shoot present problems. Your preparedness and persistance are key to advocate for your child's needs in school."
Do you have some good strategies for preparing the school for a child with autism or other special needs? Share them on the Readers Respond pages.
Wordless Wednesday: September Is Starting - Wed, 01 Sep 2010
Time to download your monthly calendar.
(Image and text by Terri Mauro)
More Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday on About.com
When Do Kids Graduate From the Pediatrician? - Tue, 31 Aug 2010
A post on the blog Disability Scoop a few weeks back touched on something I've been wondering about lately: When should young people with special needs stop seeing the pediatrician and move up to a "regular" doctor? My two kids are seventeen and twenty now; the seventeen-year-old says he wants a doctor for grown-ups, while the twenty-year-old is comfortable with the familiar pediatric routine. According to Disability Scoop, she's not alone -- many patients with developmental disabilities are sticking with their pediatrician throughout their lifetime. Some doctors are actually specializing in that sort of ongoing relationship, while others are struggling to accommodate older patients with, say, waiting rooms with normal-size chairs and no toys.
I'm generally happy with our pediatrician, and since she specializes in teen issues, I haven't felt in a big hurry to move on. More and more though, as the kids in the waiting room get younger and younger and our visits are punctuated by the sounds of screaming babies in the next room, I'm thinking that moving on up to the doctor my husband and I see might be a nice rite of passage for these young adults of mine. Maybe next year.
If your child has made the transition up from pediatrician, when did that happen? Share in the comments. And if you love your pediatrician or feel totally the opposite, share your pediatrician stories on the Readers Respond page.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
If You Value Those Special-Education Services, Ask for Them - Tue, 31 Aug 2010
A friend recently found herself in that position all parents of special-education students who take the bus dread: The pick-up schedule didn't come when it was supposed to, she finally got someone on the phone, and there was no record of her child needing the service. Without comment or discussion, it had somehow slipped out the IEP, and nobody noticed until now.
It's easy to forget bus service when you're planning an IEP, especially when you're worried about educational issues and debating placement and accommodations and modifications. The bus arriving every morning is something we expect to just happen, like water coming out of the faucets or the lights turning on. But considering that the person most inconvenienced by the lack of bus service is you, the parent, it's a good idea to make remembering to get it into the IEP your job as a member of the team. In fact, it's good practice to go through your child's IEP before a meeting, highlight every easily forgotten but vitally important service, and make it a point to bring each one up in the meeting. Then confirm before you sign the IEP that each one is in fact in print.
If you need a reminder to keep track of those things that carry over year to year, print out my quick tip on the subject and clip it to the page of the calendar when your IEP meeting usually occurs. Tie a ribbon around your finger if you have to. As we learn with our children, stopping a problem before it starts is infinitely preferable to dealing with it once it's rolling.
Photo by Brendan Smialowsky/Getty Images
Special Needs Children- Whats Hot Now
Alphabet Soup Quiz: Special Education Edition
Test your special-education acronym acumen.: education edition alphabet soup special ed cheat sheet special education
Seizures at School
School can be a difficult place for children who have seizures -- academically, behaviorally and socially. Let the school know what your child needs to be safe and successful with these tips and printouts.
What Is DSI?
A definition of DSI, with links to more information.
Notes for the Teacher
The best way to make sure that teachers have all the information and resources they need to work with your child is to provide those things yourself. Here are suggestions, tips and fact sheets on a variety of special needs you can copy, rewrite, print out, and send in to give your child and his or her teacher the best chance at success.
DS at School
School can be a difficult place for children with Down syndrome -- academically, behaviorally and socially. Let the school know what your child needs to be safe and successful with these tips and printouts.
Head Lice and School
No Nits policies aim to keep lice infestations under control, but can keep kids out of school, and parents out of work, for extended periods. This is a particular concern for kids in special education, who may miss out on needed services and therapies, suffer for lack of routine, and have a hard time tolerating head lice treatments. Is No Nits necessary, or no good?
Special-Needs Apps
Many of the apps offered for iPhones and iPads aren't just for fun or everyday organization -- they're designed specifically to make life easier for people with special needs, by making communication or behavior management or health management easier. Check out these special-needs apps, and tell us about the ones you've tried.
Autism at School
School can be a difficult place for children with autism -- academically, behaviorally and socially. Let the school know what your child needs to be safe and successful with these tips and printouts.
Have a Good Teacher Conference
A conference is a great opportunity to learn about how your child is doing in class and ways you can improve that. Here's how to make the most of that time with the teacher.
Special-Needs Swim Gear
Children with special needs may face special challenges when it comes to water play -- from keeping ear tubes dry to finding extra-large swim diapers. Here's the gear they'll need to stay cool in the pool.
Monitor Your Child's E-Mail
If you'd like your child to have an e-mail account, but worry about inappropriate correspondence or cyberbullying, set up a Google gmail account and set it to forward copies to your account. Here's how.
ADHD at School
School can be a difficult place for children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder -- socially, academically and behaviorally. Let the school know what your child needs to be successful with these tips and printouts.
Video: Down Syndrome 365
Photos of children taken for a Down syndrome calendar prove that "not all children with Down syndrome look the same!"
ODD at School
School can be a difficult place for children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder -- and difficult for those who try to work with them. Let the school know what your child needs to be successful with these tips and printouts.
Special-Education Transitions
Children in special education go through a variety of important transitions, each one needing parents to be informed and pro-active. Learn more about the second transition your child will make, at age three, from pre-kindergarten to kindergarten.
Preparing for the IEP Meeting
The night and morning before an IEP meeting can be a time of tense anticipation for parents. Use that nervous energy to prepare yourself for the meeting and make sure you put your best case forward.
Back-to-School Night
If Back-to-School Night, that evening early in the school year when you're invited to walk through your child's schedule and meet the teachers, doesn't draw you in, you're not alone -- fewer and fewer parents are making attending a priority. But that's just one of the reasons why you should make sure to be there. Read about that and nine more.
What Is FBA?
Learn more about Functional Behavioral Assessments and how they can help improve your child's behavior in the classroom.
First Five: ODD
A handful of easy, quick suggestions to help you get a fast start on helping your child diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder.
First Five: Tourette's
A handful of easy, quick suggestions to help you get a fast start on helping your child diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome.
What Is ARND?
Defines the acronym ARND, describing fetal alcohol impairment.
IEP Meeting Location
Help in planning for your child's IEP meeting.
Celiac Disease at School
School can be a difficult place for children with celiac disease -- physically, socially and emotionally. Let the school know what your child needs to be safe with these tips and printouts.
Differentiated Instruction
An excerpt from "The Teacher's Guide to Inclusive Education" illustrates a method for tailoring classroom instruction to the needs of special-education, regular-education, and gifted students.
Ten Reading Goals to Set
You want to motivate your child to read more, but with so many competing activities, it can be hard for books to get some attention. Raise the stakes by setting a reading goal for your child, with a sufficiently motivating reward at the end.
What Is APE?
An explanation of the term "Adapted Physical Education," with a link to more information.
Speech Therapy Games
Chances are the word games you're playing with your child are already ones that help strengthen speech and language skills. Here's how to tweak them for some impromptu speech therapy.
Asperger's at School
School can be a difficult place for children with Asperger syndrome -- academically, socially and behaviorally. Let the school know what your child needs to be successful with these tips and printouts.
Emotional Disturbance
A fact sheet from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) offers the IDEA definition, incidence, characteristics, and educational implications for the classification of emotional disturbance.
Special Needs Children - What's Popular
Book Cover Step-by-Step
An early homework assignment in a lot of schools is to cover textbooks. Here's how to turn a brown paper bag into a textbook protector -- just cut and fold.
Make a Textbook Cover
An early homework assignment in a lot of schools is to cover textbooks. Here's how to turn a brown paper bag into a textbook protector -- just cut, fold and (if things look a little messy) tape.
What is a 504 plan?
Information on accommodations for disabled students under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
School Behavior Plans
Blank forms and sample behavior management plans can help parents be active participants in the process of devising a plan for their student -- or proposing a plan themselves.
Sample 504 Plans
504 plans spell out accommodations and modifications necessary to keep students with certain disabilities safe and available for learning. Review these sample plans from around the Web before helping plan your child's.
Notes for the Teacher
The best way to make sure that teachers have all the information and resources they need to work with your child is to provide those things yourself. Here are suggestions, tips and fact sheets on a variety of special needs you can copy, rewrite, print out, and send in to give your child and his or her teacher the best chance at success.
Fun Things to Do
Running out of inspiration? Here's a handful of things to do -- with your kids, or for your own procrastinating self -- to keep you informed, amused and occupied.
iTunes No Credit or Gift Card
It's now possible to start an iTunes account with no money or information down. Follow this step-by-step to set it up.
504 plan vs. IEP
Learn about the difference between accommodations offered under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and services offered through an IEP under IDEA. Both help your child with special needs survive in school, but only one will be appropriate.
What Are "Special Needs"?
An explanation of the term "special needs," and a look at different children's diseases, disorders and disabilities that fall under that umbrella.
Emergency Time-Wasters
No matter how organized the parent, there will always be times when kids need distraction and there are no books or playthings at hand. Here are 101 informal time-wasters to amuse your child when you've nothing more than your wits about you.
Make a Teacher Info Packet
You've looked at our "Preparing the School for Your Child with Special Needs" pages. Now what? Here's how to put them together with a personalized note in a package that will get the teacher's attention.
Make Behavior Charts Work
Awarding points or checkmarks for jobs well done can be effective motivational tools for kids, but behavior charts are often too abstract for children with special needs. Here are some ways to make them work.
Tea Tree Oil for Head Lice
The dangers of pesticide shampoos have left parents looking for natural solutions to the problem of head lice. Tea tree oil shampoo can chase the bugs away and keep them away.
How do I get a 504 plan?
Learn how to get the accommodations offered by a 504 plan for your child with special needs.
Write a Good Paragraph
Organizing thoughts into a coherent piece of writing can be hard for children with learning disabilities. Here's how to help your child write a strong five-sentence paragraph, whether for an elementary assignment or a open-ended exam.
What Is a Paraprofessional?
Learn more about the aides who help children and teachers in special education classrooms.
What Is BIP?
Learn more about Behavior Intervention Plans and how they can help improve your child's behavior in the classroom.
Printable Reward Coupons
Whether you need an easy gift add-on, a motivational tool for behavior charts, or a quick token to mark a job well done, these printable coupons give kids those little things they really want -- or lets them make you do those little things you don't usually want to do.
Relieve School Anxiety
School can be a stressful and fearsome place for children, especially those with special needs. If your child is upset about school, here are some good ways to start a dialog and lessen the load.
Smother Head Lice
One non-toxic way to deal with head lice is to put a substance on the head that kills lice by smothering them and also makes the nits easier to comb out. Learn how to put this plan into action.
School Behavior Chart
Communication is essential in keeping your special-education student safe and happy at school, but busy teachers often don't have time to write notes. Send in a simple chart to track progress on three goals, and reward your child for success achieved.
Pick a Student Planner
It's simple: If your child doesn't bring home information on the assignment, he or she can't do the homework. Planners are important, but what kind will work best for your student? Here are six options to consider.
Recognizing Emotions
Identifying emotions -- in other people, and in themselves -- can be hard for children with special needs. Here are five fun ways to help your child learn what facial expressions mean, how to recognize emotions in others, and what those same emotions feel like to them.
Stop School Misbehavior
School behavior problems may start small, but they're a sign that something is not working for your child. Here are five ways to fix them before they get out of control.
What Is an IEP?
Introduction to Individualized Education Plans.
22 Ways to Tell Your Child "I Love You"
Inspirational ways to show your child how much you care.
Do Vaccines Cause Autism?
Medical authorities have answered that question firmly in the negative. Mothers and fathers who believe their children were damaged by vaccines have refused to take no for an answer. The continuing debate over the subject is often framed as a struggle between science and parents. But parents also battle among themselves on the issue, even parents of children with autism.
Sample Teacher Letter
Giving teachers the information they need to help your child is an imporant part of school advocacy. Here's how to translate our "preparing the school" resources to your child's specific situation.
504 FAQ
If your child doesn't qualify for an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) but still requires some accommodations and modifications to fully participate in the classroom, a 504 plan may be called for. Learn more about this tool for enforcing your child's right to a Free and Appropriate Public Education.
iTunes Without a Credit Card
iTunes gift certificates and allowances can be great rewards and motivators for kids with special needs. If you want to set up an account for your child but don't want to provide unlimited access to your credit card, you can use a gift card or certificate to get the account started. Here's how.
Homemade Therapy Toys
Can't afford the fancy therapy items in sensory integration and speech therapy catalogs? Make or find your own using these 20 easy suggestions.
Sensory Integration Tools
A listing of sites that offer products to help children with sensory integration problems.
Get an IEP for Your Child
Whether you've requested an Individualized Educational Plan for your child or have been asked to consider one by school or state personnel, these are the steps you'll go through, from initial referral through provision of services and triennial reevaluation.
Autism at School
School can be a difficult place for children with autism -- academically, behaviorally and socially. Let the school know what your child needs to be safe and successful with these tips and printouts.
What Is FBA?
Learn more about Functional Behavioral Assessments and how they can help improve your child's behavior in the classroom.
Pick a 3-Ring Binder
Your child's school binder may be a wonder of organizational technology or a wreck held together by duct tape and cardboard fibers, but whatever's getting stuffed in that backpack each morning, make sure it suits your child's special needs.
Gluten-Free Candy
Where to find lists of candies that are safe for children on a gluten-free diet
Gluten-Free Brownies
Brownies are a delicious treat, but for kids with wheat allergies, they may be off limits. These recipes from around the Web take the wheat flour out but leave all that chocolatey goodness in.
Is a 504 plan necessary?
Why you may want to pursue a legal document specifying the accommodations that will be given to your special-needs child rather than making agreements informally with the school.
foster care – Google News- Children wait for foster homes - Stuttgart Daily Leader
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- Back-to-school event a slam dunk - Detroit Free Press
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- Fewer children in foster care statewide and nationwide - Examiner.com
- Rise expected in number of Texas children in foster care this year - Dallas Morning News
- Headlines: Fewer kids ending up in foster care system - Detroit Free Press
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