Someone asked me for resources pertaining to the school-related and family issues of special needs kids. Here's a selected list of my recommendations, organized by topic, for parents and teachers. I've included some, but not all disorders in this listing. This list is probably more teacher-oriented than family-oriented, because a lot of our biggest problems as parents relates to how the schools handle our children. I am willing to compile more resources, if there's significant interest, but I got bleary-eyed from working on the list and stopped for the day.
Special Education Advocacy Resources for Parents:
Advocacy-Related Web Sites:
Make Wrightslaw your first stop. This web site of Pete and Pam Wright is loaded with helpful advocacy info for parents. See also special education attorney Reed Martin's site, and the companion site, Special Education Advocate. Be forewarned: Reed's site looks like it was designed by someone with untreated mania, but it's got a lot of useful info if you don't have a breakdown over all the colors and blocks.
Check out The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates. COPAA has a mail list and resources organized by disability. If you're a parent and have no local advocacy resources to help you, consider joining the organization so you can post a question and access help from other parents, parent advocates, and the special education attorneys via their mail list.
Need to find your state's education regulations or how to contact your state education department? Here's a Directory of State Education Departments. And don't forget about The Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center.
Books on Advocacy:
Wrightlsaw: From Emotions to Advocacy and Wrightslaw: IDEA 2004 are both available from Wrightslaw or via Amazon.com.
Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation and
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In are books that were written for business people, but the techniques are equally useful for parents who are trying to negotiate related services and IEP provisions with their child's school district.
Barbara Bateman's book, Better IEP Meetings may also help you handle meetings more effectively.
Special Educator's Complete Guide to 109 Diagnostic Tests is a good resource for parents if your child is going through a lot of testing and you want to understand what a specific test is used for. It can also help you figure out what specific tests you might want to request as part of the district's evaluation.
Tourette's Syndrome:
Books:
Understanding Tourette Syndrome: A Handbook for Families. You can order this from the TSFC on their web site, where you can also order their book, Understanding Tourette Syndrome: A Handbook for Educators.
Tourette's Syndrome: Finding Answers and Getting Help
Teaching the Tiger: A Handbook for Individuals Involved in the Education of Students with Attention Deficit Disorders, Tourette Syndrome or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a great resource for teachers, but ignore the outdated IDEA material section.
Taking Tourette Syndrome to School is good for young kids who need a peer education program in school.
Hi, I'm Adam is also good for a school or classroom library to increase awareness and understanding.
Web Sites:
Tourette Syndrome "Plus"
National Tourette Syndrome Association
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:
Books:
Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Powerful, Practical Program for Parents of Children and Adolescents
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Complete Guide to Getting Well and Staying Well
School-Related: Teaching the Tiger A Handbook for Individuals Involved in the Education of Students with Attention Deficit Disorders, Tourette Syndrome or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
School-Related: OCD in the Classroom, a multimedia program by the OC Foundation.
Web Sites:
The OC Foundation.
Dr. Fred Penzel provides some free articles of interest to families and patients.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:
Books:
Note: there are a ton of books, videos, and web sites on ADHD and I haven't seen them all. Here are just a few of the many that I have read that I would recommend to start with:
Teenagers with ADD: A Parents' Guide
Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents (Revised Edition). Note: you may not like the tone of the writing, but focus on the techniques.
School-Related: Teaching Teens With Add and Adhd: A Quick Reference Guide for Teachers and Parents
School-Related: How To Reach And Teach Children with ADD/ADHD : Practical Techniques, Strategies, and Interventions (Paperback)
School-Related: ADHD and Education: Foundations, Characteristics, Methods, and Collaboration (Paperback)
Web Sites:
ChADD
ADDA
Free ADHD e-book. Scroll down the page to find it.
Executive Dysfunction (the Terminally Disorganized Child):
Book for parents: Organizing from the inside out for teenagers: The foolproof system for organizing your toom, your time, and your life.
Book for parents and teachers: Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention
Web site for parents and teachers: Executive Dysfunction section of the Tourette Syndrome "Plus" web site.
Resources on Behavior, School-Related:
Book: Responding to Problem Behavior in Schools: The Behavior Education Program
Book: Inclusion: 450 Strategies for Success: A Practical Guide for All Educators Who Teach Students With Disabilities. It can also give parents some ideas as to what accommodations might be useful for their child.
Book: Why Johnny Doesn't Behave: Twenty Tips and Measurable BIPs is a good starting resource for parents and regular education teachers on addressing behavior issues in school. Books: Building Positive Behavior Support Systems in Schools: Functional Behavioral Assessment and Individualized Supports for Students with Problem Behaviors: Designing Positive Behavior Plans are written for educators, but parents may find them informative, too.
Book: Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Young Children: Effective Interventions in the Preschool and Kindergarten Years may also give parents and teachers some ideas for what works.
Book: The Explosive Child, for parents of kids who have "meltdowns."
Web Site: Center for Collaborative Problem Solving for parents and professionals of kids who have "meltdowns" or "rage attacks."
Web Site: Behavior section of the Tourette Syndrome "Plus" web site.
Free Article for Teachers from OSEP: Seven Successful Strategies for Preventing Challenging Behaviors in Young Children