Native American Parents of Children with Disabilities

What Is Motivational Interviewing?

Finding the motivation to make positive lifestyle changes can be hard for anyone. For teenagers, it can be especially difficult when parents are the ones telling them to do it. But if they’ve fallen into unhealthy habits like vaping or alcohol abuse, change can be beneficial. Motivational interviewing is a form of therapy that creates a safe, non-judgmental environment for teens to establish their own goals and values and see how changing unhealthy behaviors can benefit them in the long run.

This series of articles comes from the Child Mind Institute, with most available in English and Spanish. Why might teens be resistant to therapy and how can parents and others to help them get the treatment they need? The articles explain how motivational interviewing can help teens gain the self-confidence to make important behavioral changes. To read more about motivational interviewing, and to connect with the articles in both English and Spanish, please visit CPIR’s abstract.

Guía para Padres: Cómo Prepararse para Cuando su Hijo Adolescente Alcance la Mayoría de Edad

Suggestions for Involving Students in Selecting and Implementing Accommodations

(2023, January) | Useful to: Parents and IEP teams making decisions about what accommodations a student with disabilities needs   Many students with disabilities use accessibility features and accommodations during instruction and when taking assessments. It is important to consider student perceptions about what works and their preferences when making accessibility and accommodations decisions. Students are […]

Overview of Deafblindness

(2023) | Useful to Parent Centers and other family-facing organizations in sharing with families with a child or youth with deafblindness   Looking for a quick way to understand or explain what deaf-blindness is, how many children are affected, and how children who are deaf-blind learn and communicate? See the National Center on Deaf-Blindness’s (NCDB) An […]

Reducing Suicide Risk With Safety Plans

September is Suicide Awareness Month. When children in distress express suicidal thoughts or feelings, therapists often work with them —and their parents— to create what is called a safety plan. A safety plan is a document that spells out a series of things the child agrees to do, if they feel overwhelmed, to keep from harming themselves. Parents agree to things they will do to make their child’s environment safer.

This collection of articles from the Child Mind Institute explains how safety planning can help deter teen suicides, which are often impulsive, by steering kids away from harming themselves until the urge passes. With teenage depression and anxiety on the rise, it’s important for all of us to be proactive when children are in distress.

To see the individual articles in the collection and connect with them in English or Spanish, come here.

How to Talk to Kids About Sex and Consent

(Available in English and Spanish) | Useful to Parent Centers, other community groups, and families of adolescent children with and without disabilities   When it comes to sex and our children (and ourselves), it’s important to have boundaries and hold to them. This article from the Child Mind Institute will help parents and other involved […]

Adverse Childhood Experiences in Indian Country

Useful to: Alaska Native and American Indian communities, organizations working with and on behalf of Native communities, Native families and tribes themselves Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are common. Many Tribal individuals, families, and communities have been impacted by childhood experiences causing physical and mental health adversities throughout the lifespan. However, with understanding and effort, individuals […]

Your Child’s Brain | Podcast

(Monthly podcasts) | Useful to parents, Parent Centers, family members, educators, and medical practititioners working with children with different types of brain issues and challenges.   Your Child’s Brain is a monthly podcast of the Kennedy Krieger Institute with assistance from WYPR (National Public Radio, WYPR 88.1 FM). The podcast is released the first Monday […]

Basic Steps of the Early Intervention Process

This 5-page handout from CPIR shows the 8 basic steps of early intervention, with brief summaries of each step. You can use this handout when introducing families, professionals, and community members to the state’s early intervention system for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or suspected disabilities. Steps 1 and 2, for example, are when the child is referred to the early intervention system, which then evaluates the child to see if he or she does have a delay or disability and is eligible for services. Moving through the steps thereafter, the process ends with Step 8, when the child exits early intervention upon reaching the 3rd birthday.

This handout was created as part of CPIR’s training curriculum on early intervention, Building the Legacy for Our Youngest Children with Disabilities. CPIR is pleased to update it to 2022 and provide it anew, as an accessible PDF and in Word. Read more about the handout and download it here.

Videos to Teach Students 5 Foundational Mental Health Skills

The California Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids project has produced an evidence-based video series with accompanying study guides. There are introductory videos for caregivers and educators, and videos to teach young people five clinically proven mental health skills. Our youth has never needed these foundational mental health skills more than they do right now.

Five topics are treated, each with multiple videos and supporting materials. Those topics are: Understanding Feelings, Understanding Thoughts, Relaxation Skills, Managing Intense Emotions, and Mindfulness. All videos and supporting materials are available in English and Spanish.

Want to know more, and how to access each of the video sets in either language? Come here and read all about it!