In this issue you will find resources in the following areas:
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Early Intervention
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Families and Communities
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Evidence Based Practices
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Improving Outcomes for Students
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Mental Health
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Safe Schools
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Suicide Prevention
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Survey Participation Requests
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Technology
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Transition
Early Intervention
Training modules in early childhood.
Visit Project CONNECT, and you’ll find training modules in both English and Spanish specifically developed for early interventionists and early childhood educators.
https://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners
Staff training and development in early childhood.
Visit NICHCY’s page of resources on the subject, which will connect you with available online modules and other training materials that early childhood educators and programs can use in professional development. https://nichcy.org/earlyinterventionists/stafftraining
Part C eligibility considerations for infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Thanks to NECTAC for alerting us to this new document from the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) and the IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA). The document is intended to help those responsible for state Part C systems make evidence-based decisions as they develop or review eligibility criteria related to infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing. It also provides resource information to families of children who do not meet the eligibility criteria established by the state’s Part C program.
https://www.infanthearing.org/earlyintervention/part_c_eligibility.pdf
State profiles of Early Childhood Advisory Councils.https://www.infanthearing.org/earlyintervention/part_c_eligibility.pdf
The National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, has developed state profiles of all the state councils receiving federals funds to develop coordinated systems of early childhood education and care. Each profile provides an overview of the state council’s administering agency, history, membership, activities, priorities for ARRA funds, and communication strategies. https://tinyurl.com/lj4ls9
Brain Hero | 3-minute video.
This new video (only 3 minutes long!) comes from the Center for the Developing Child at Harvard University. It depicts how actions taken by parents, teachers, policymakers, and others can impact child development and affect life outcomes for both the child and the surrounding community.
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/multimedia/brain_hero/
Videos en español.
For all who are Spanish speakers, who serve Spanish-speaking families, or who have Spanish-speaking staff who work with young children: You’re gonna love this! The Center for the Developing Child offers fascinating videos about child development. Three are now available in Spanish!
- La Ciencia del Desarrollo Infantil Temprano | The Science of Early Childhood Development
- El Impacto de la Adversidad Temprana en el Desarrollo de los Niños | The Impact of Adversity on Children’s Development
- Los Pilares de la Salud Durante el Transcurso de la Vida | The Foundations of Lifelong Health
These videos in English:
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/resources/multimedia/inbrief_series/
These videos in Spanish:
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/library/multimedia/videos_en_espanol/
Families and Communities
The 411 on 504s.
Children with disabilities may be eligible for special education and related services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Schools and parents develop what is known as a Section 504 plan to guide the student’s special education. This resource page at About Parenting Special Needsconnects you with multiple articles and resources on Section 504.
https://specialchildren.about.com/od/specialeducation/u/schoolpath.htm#s2
Resources for the summer and the kids.
It’s almost time for summertime! Here are some tips and tools for passing those long summer days with energetic children.
Summer learning from Reading Rockets’ May 2011 newsletter.
https://www.readingrockets.org/newsletters/rrnews
Weekend rescue tips from About Parenting Special Needs.
https://specials.about.com/service/newsletters/specialchildren/1306504800.htm
Special-needs beach reads, also from About Parenting Special Needs.
https://specials.about.com/service/newsletters/specialchildren/1305295200.htm
Choosing the right treatment: What families need to know about evidence-based practice.https://specials.about.com/service/newsletters/specialchildren/1305295200.htm
This guide from NAMI is designed to inform families about evidence-based practices(EBPs) in children’s mental health and to share information on an array of treatment and support options.
https://tinyurl.com/3aw4zlm
Tapping into the power of families.
Tapping into the Power of Families: How Families of Youth with Disabilities Can Assist in Job Search and Retention explores the role that families and other caring adults play in helping young people with disabilities plan for careers, search for jobs, build work skills, and be successful in employment. From the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disabilities.
https://www.ncwd-youth.info/infobrief/tapping-into-the-power-of-families
Autism Now: New resource for you!
Check out the newly launched website of the National Autism Resource and Information Center. It offers resources and information for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities, their families, and other targeted key stakeholders.
https://autismnow.org/
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children: Federal Support for Developing Language and Literacy.https://autismnow.org/
This report comes from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report looks at the extent of hearing loss among children, the settings in which children with hearing loss are educated, the factors that help these children acquire language and literacy skills, and the challenges to providing appropriate interventions for them. https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-357
Evidence Based Practices
Evidence-based practices in secondary transition.
NSTTAC, the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center, has updated and reorganized its Practice Descriptions of evidence-based practices in secondary transition. There are now 64 evidence-based practices identified. https://www.nsttac.org/ebp/practicedescriptions/
Improving Outcomes for Students
Preparing general educators to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.
Today 57% of students with disabilities spend more than 80% of their day in general education classrooms, yet general education teachers consistently report that they do not have the skills they need to effectively instruct diverse learners, including students with disabilities. This 32-page report was prepared for American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and the National Center on Learning Disabilities (NCLD), because they believe that “improving the skills of general education teachers is a lynchpin to improving outcomes for students with disabilities.”
https://tinyurl.com/3mwu5cu
Mental Health
Children’s Mental Health: What Every Policymaker Should Know
Policy Brief Report
https://nccp.org/premium-publications/pub_929.html
The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) published “Children’s Mental Health: What Every Policymaker Should Know,” a policy brief presenting statistics about the extent of child and adolescent mental health challenges in the United States, the difficulties these children confront in school and in child welfare and juvenile justice systems, the barriers that can prevent access to services, and weaknesses in the service-delivery system. The brief recommends policy strategies to enhance mental health for children, adolescents, and families.
Safe Schools
Shouldn’t School Be Safe?
Guide
https://tinyurl.com/3lmh85z
The disability advocacy group TASH has issued “Shouldn’t School Be Safe?,” a guide for parents concerned that their child is experiencing restraint or seclusion at school, with practical advice for dealing with the issue. It identifies steps they can take to prevent the use of restraint and seclusion, information on how to identify if it is occurring and how to react, recommendations on the type of language that should and should not be included in a student’s individualized education program (IEP), and advice on spotting signs of restraint and seclusion even if a child is unable to talk about it.
Suicide Prevention
SAMHSA Releases School Toolkit for Suicide Prevention
Toolkit
https://www.sprc.org/library/AfteraSuicideToolkitforSchools.pdf
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Suicide Prevention Research Center has released, “After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools.” The toolkit describes common warning signs and causes of suicide, best practices on suicide prevention in schools, and how a school should respond when a suicide has occurred. Topics include crisis response, helping students cope, working with the community, social media, bringing in outside help. Available in pdf (401 KB, 49 pp).
Survey Participation Requests
Education Week Calendar Seeking Listings
https://www.edweek.org/info/about/calendar.html
Education Week will publish its 2011 Fall Calendar of Events as a special supplement to the August 24, 2011, issue. The Calendar provides educators with the information on relevant conferences and workshops. Listings are free. The print edition of the Calendar of Events will list conferences, seminars, institutes, workshops, and professional-development events scheduled between September 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012, that are of significant interest to K-12 educators and others concerned about schools. Only events sponsored by nonprofit organizations qualify for inclusion.
Equity Alliance Seeking Presentation Proposals for Listings for 2012 Leadership for Excellence and Equity Forum
https://www.equityallianceatasu.org/ea/conference/proposalpresentations
The Equity Alliance at ASU, a Region IX Equity Assistance Center, will hold its Leadership for Excellence and Equity Forum during the last week of February 2012, and seeks presentation proposals from teachers, principals, education specialists, district leaders, facilitators of professional learning, graduate students, college professors, dis/ability advocates, family involvement enthusiasts, and civil rights activists. They are especially interested in the voices of students and young adults. Sessions should be interactive and of interest to a wide range of educators, students and families, policy makers, and researchers.
Frederick Douglass Family Foundation Student Board of Advisors
https://www.fdff.org/student-advisory-application.html
The Frederick Douglass Family Foundation (FDFF) is forming a Student Board of Advisors for their 2011-12 service-learning programs and seeks students to take part. Service learning projects offer opportunities for student engagement in summer and out-of-school time opportunities. Students entering grades 7-12 in fall 2011 are eligible to apply for a seat on the Board. Fifty students from across the country interested in helping address the issue of human tracking (modern day slavery) will be selected. The FDFF exists to honor and preserve the legacy of Frederick Douglass and to create awareness about modern-day slavery to help eradicate it.
Internship Opportunities at the Smithsonian Institution
https://www.si.edu/ofg/intern.htm
Youth 16 and older with at least two years of high school are eligible to apply to be an intern at one of the Smithsonian’s 17 museums, research facilities or offices. Internships are from one month to one year. Applications are accepted year round and have summer, fall and spring deadlines. Other internships are available for undergraduate and graduate students. The Smithsonian’s Access to Opportunities program also has paid internship opportunities specifically for college students with disabilities.
Youth Voice Needed for a Survey to Inform Policy for Young People with Disabilities and Sexual and Reproductive Health
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Oregonyouthsurvey
Young people with disabilities have been under-represented, and sometimes left out, in developing policies and programs for sexual and reproductive health. In Oregon, a small work group, with support from the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, is developing program and policy recommendations to support young people with disabilities and wants to survey young people with disabilities to assess their opinions about these recommendations. The survey takes about 15 minutes to do. We’re specifically interested in the opinions of young people in the U.S. who have a disability. A $20 gift card from an on-line retail store is provided for the first 50 respondents.
Survey on the Types of Afterschool Tools Available for Cities and Providers
https://tinyurl.com/3qa3btw
The National League of Cities’ Institute for Youth, Education, and Families is partnering with The Wallace Foundation for a survey to identify the types of tools and resources that cities and afterschool providers would find most useful to expand their afterschool, summer, and expanded learning efforts. The survey will be helpful to communities as they continue to expand their afterschool, summer, and out-of-school time (OST) efforts.
United Way Announces Effort to Recruit Education Volunteers
https://liveunited.org/content/splash
To help schools and communities improve, United Way Worldwide has announced that it plans to recruit one million volunteer readers, tutors, and mentors. “Few issues are as important as the national debate on our education systems, yet the voices of everyday people haven’t been part of the conversation,” said Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide. “United Way has been listening to the concerns of Americans across the country, and what we’re hearing is that they care deeply about the success of the schools and young people in their communities, and they want to be involved.”
Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs Invites Submissions to Support Transition
www.findyouthinfo.gov/resourcesubmission.aspx
The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs invites submission from the public of resources to support successful transitions of transition-age youth. Entries that are approved for posting on the website (www.FindYouthInfo.gov) can include state or local strategic plans to support youth, research articles, youth-produced public service announcements (PSAs), etc. All materials and resources posted must be free of charge and hosted on either a government or non-profit website. In addition to information on supports for transition-age youth, submissions also are accepted for a range of other youth topics such as health and nutrition, positive youth development, substance use, and parenting.
National Center to Inform Policy and Practice in Special Education Professional Development’s Technical Assistance to Support Beginning Special Education Teachers
https://ncipp.education.ufl.edu/files_18/TechAssistApp.html
The National Center to Inform Policy and Practice in Special Education Professional Development (NCIPP) gives technical assistance to schools and districts working to provide differentiated instruction and mentoring supports for beginning special education teachers.
Technology
Rights of students with disabilities when educational institutions use technology.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued guidance to the field through Dear Colleague Letters to elementary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education. Also issued is a Frequently Asked Questions document on the legal obligation to provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits of technology. These guidances supplement a June 2010 letter that explained that technological devices must be accessible to students with disabilities, including students who are blind or have low vision, unless the benefits of the technology are provided equally through other means. Find all at: https://tinyurl.com/3cr4m64
Transition
Evidence-based practices in Secondary Transition
List of Practices
https://www.nsttac.org/ebp/practicedescriptions/
The National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center of has updated and reorganized its Practice Descriptions of evidence-based practices in secondary transition. There are now 64 evidence-based practices identified.
