In this issue you will Find Topics On:
Assistive Technology
Assistive technology for communication: TapToTalk.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive, customizable, socially acceptable way for your child to “talk,” TapToTalk may very well be it. So says Disaboom, at:
https://www.disaboom.com/children-with-disabilities/best-assistive-technology-for-communication-taptotalk
Autism
Parents of children on the autism spectrum: Research opportunity calling.
Do you have a child with ASD from age 3-21? Boston University is looking for 600 parents (legal guardians) to complete an online survey that asks questions about their child’s ability to perform everyday life tasks, as well as about his/her behaviors. The survey takes about 90 minutes. Parents will then receive a $25 Amazon gift certificate and have an opportunity to win an ipod and Flip Video. Want to know more? Visit here:
https://www.bu.edu/kidsincontext/pedi-asd-cat/participating-in-this-study/
Child Behavior
Understanding your child’s behavior: Reading his or her cues, birth to 2.
Children’s behavior has meaning-it’s just that adults don’t always understand what the meaning is. This resource will help you better understand your child’s behavior cues and help you respond in ways that support his or her healthy social and communication development.
https://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/documents/reading_cues.pdf
Behavior a problem?
Try FACTS, the Functional Assessment Checklist for Teachers and Staff. This is a two-page interview completed by people (teachers, family, clinicians) who know the child best. It’s used to either build behavior support plans or guide more complete functional assessment efforts.
https://www.pbis.org/pbis_resource_detail_page.aspx?Type=4&PBIS_ResourceID=246
Early Intervention
Video | What’s it like to be an early intervention specialist?
Watch what other EI specialists have to say about “a day in the life.”
https://www.personnelcenter.org/videos/EIS_Small.wmv
Video | Capitalizing on children’s interests.
Here’s a new CELL video entitled Child Interests – Interests Lead to Learning. It’s designed to help parents or practitioners identify a child’s personal and situational interests, and describes how those interests can be used for early literacy learning.
https://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/interests_lead_to_learn.php
Practice guides with adaptations.
CELL has new practice guides that make it easier for young children with disabilities to participate in early literacy learning activities.
https://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/pg_tier2.php
Online module: Communication for collaboration.
From Project CONNECT, here’s Module 3, which focuses on communication practices that can be used to promote collaboration with professionals and families in early care and education, and intervention settings.
https://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-3
Family-focused interventions.The 5th in TACSEI’s Roadmap to Effective Intervention Practices series, this 18-page synthesis talks about using family-focused interventions to promote the social-emotional well-being of infants and toddlers with disabilities. From the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children.
https://www.challengingbehavior.org/do/resources/roadmap.html
Pediatric developmental screening: Understanding and selecting screening instruments.
A manual from the Commonwealth Fund, which conducted a detailed review of the scientific research on available developmental screening instruments and developed this manual to inform practitioners’ selection and application of screening instruments in a range of practice settings.
https://tinyurl.com/245ch63
Health Issues
Working with your school nurse on behalf of students with health needs.
This IRIS module is designed for school personnel, especially general educators, who may be collaborating with the school nurse during IEP meetings or during other occasions involving the health problems of students with disabilities.
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/nur02_schoolnurse/chalcycle.htm
IEP
The IEP “test”: The unspoken rules of an IEP meeting.
From a parent’s perspective, including the wry and common-sense responses.
https://www.childrensdisabilities.info/advocacy/advocacy-test.html
Inclusion
Creating an inclusive school environment: A model for school leaders.
Another great module from the IRIS Center.
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/inc/chalcycle.htm
Instructional Materials
The National Center for Accessible Instructional Materials.
Find just about everything AIM at https://aim.cast.org/ —including:
- Clear explanations of accessible media
https://aim.cast.org/learn - Who’s eligible for AIM
https://aim.cast.org/learn/accessiblemedia/allaboutaim - Primary contacts in your state
https://aim.cast.org/learn/policy/state/nimas_nimac_contacts - Educator’s guide to accessible textbooks in the K-12 classroom
https://aim.cast.org/learn/aim4families/school/accessible_textbooks - Online decision making tools to help IEP teams match AIM with student needs
https://aim.cast.org/experience/training/navigator
Bookshare.
Bookshare is free for all U.S. students with qualifying disabilities, thanks to an award from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).
https://www.bookshare.org/
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.
RFB&D is a national nonprofit with more than 62,000 accessible audiobook titles.
https://www.rfbd.org/
Louis.
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) currently houses a database called the Louis Database of Accessible Materials for People who are Blind or Visually Impaired. Louis contains information about tens of thousands of titles of accessible materials, including braille, large print, sound recordings, and computer files from over 170 agencies throughout the United States.
https://www.aph.org
Math Instruction
Now for math: Effective fractions instruction for K-8.
This new IES practice guide presents five recommendations intended to help educators improve students’ understanding of fractions.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/premium-publications/practiceguides/
Parenting Issues
Should I…or shouldn’t I….give my child a cell phone?
That’s the question this article explores, looking at the pros and cons of cell phones for kids with special needs.
https://www.disaboom.com/children-with-disabilities/should-i-give-my-child-with-a-disability-a-cell-phone
Disability books to share with your kids.
These 2008 books cover a wide range of physical and cognitive disabilities in engaging ways. Great reading material for young children.
https://www.disaboom.com/children-with-disabilities/disability-awareness-disability-books-to-share-with-your-kids
What about disability books for teens?
https://www.disaboom.com/disability-books/reads-for-teens-fantasy-sci-fi-poetry
Art therapy for your child with disabilities.
Another from Disaboom, with this description: “Every time your special-needs child draws a picture at home, art therapy is taking place. Learn how you can help your child and build his or her self esteem by providing appropriate materials and commenting on their creations in the right way.”
https://www.disaboom.com/children-with-disabilities/using-art-therapy-with-your-special-needs-child
Reading
Improving reading comprehension in K-3.
This IES guide, developed by a panel of experts, presents evidence-based practices that educators can use to successfully teach reading comprehension to young readers.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/premium-publications/practiceguides/
RTI
What is RTI and what are the essential components that must be present for it to be implemented with fidelity?
Find out in this 5+ minute video from the National Center on RTI.
https://www.rti4success.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1590
Survey Participation Requests
The Arc FINDS Survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TheArcFinds2010
The Arc FINDS (Family and Individual Needs for Disability Supports) survey is now online and available to families, individuals, and self-advocates. They invite individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, families, and caregivers across the nation to share their opinions on a variety of issues relating to disability. There is no cost to taking the survey. (Additional information on Arc is on their general website, https://www.thearc.org.)
New Videos Encourages Special Ed Students to Participate in State Outcome Survey
https://www.psocenter.org/data_collection.html
To help educators improve services for students with disabilities who are still in school, every state is conducting a survey to find out what students who received special education services are doing one year after leaving high school. To help increase response rates, the National Post-School Outcomes Center has announced the launch of “Be a Superstar – Take the Survey.” These YouTube videos were designed to encourage students and families to complete post-school outcomes surveys.
Prepared in collaboration with PACER Center, versions are available for youth and parents in both English and Spanish. (The survey can also be accessed from https://www.youtube.com/pacercenter.)
PACER Survey Parent Survey
https://www.fastfamilysupport.org
Parents or primary caregivers of young people with disabilities 12-22 years old are invited to take part in a national research study by completing the National Family Support Survey, conducted by the FAST Project. Answers to the questions on the National Family Support Survey are confidential and will help the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, parent centers, and researchers understand the information and supports families need to prepare for moving into adulthood. This information may help to inform program development for youth with disabilities in the future. The survey is available in Spanish also.
Technology
Using technology in science instruction to help struggling students.
Use the TechMatrix to explore how technology can support struggling students to participate fully and excel in science.
https://techmatrix.org/Infopage?page=Science_for_Struggling_Students
