Disability organization

Behavior Problems

When children struggle with their behavior, it can have a negative impact on everyone in the family. Parents know they need to respond, but they often aren’t sure what’s the best strategy, especially if a child is frequently acting out and nothing seems to work.

This resource collection from the Child Mind Institute offers parents a comprehensive look at problem behavior. It covers many topics, including what may be triggering problem behavior, how to improve the parent-child relationship when it becomes strained, what to do if kids are struggling with behavior in school, and how to get professional help if you need it. The suite is also available in Spanish.

To take a closer look at the individual topics treated in the collection and to access it in English or Spanish, come here.

Parent and Caregiver Guide to Special Education Evaluations

(2021, July) | Useful to Parent Centers, schools, and families of children who have or are suspected of having a specific learning disability This guide (available in English and Spanish) comes from the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) and offers guidance to schools and families as to evaluating children for disability and especially for […]

Accelerating Learning for Students with Disabilities During COVID-19 and Beyond

COVID-19 shuttered school buildings and the impact on students will potentially be significant for years to come. While instructional loss will affect most students, it could have a disproportionate impact on students with disabilities and other historically marginalized populations, including students of color, students impacted by poverty, and English language learners. It’s critical that schools take immediate steps to address the issue of instructional loss and prevent students from falling further behind. This 26-page report from NCLD discusses promising practices for doing just that. It explores in some detail research-based approaches to accelerate learning; how to implement those approaches with success; and policy recommendations and actions at the state and federal levels. Read more about the report and download it here.

SABE Webinars

SABE stands for Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered. Their webinars cover quite a range of topics promoting self-advocacy. You’ll find webinars such as: disability awareness (“look through our eyes”) staying safe (“building a safety net for yourself”) many aspects of self-advocacy (“people taking responsibility for advocacy in their own lives” and “to boldly go where all have […]

Being an Effective Advocate for Your Child

Useful to: Parent Centers for sharing with families If you, as a parent, have discovered that your child has a psychiatric or learning problem, or you are beginning to suspect so, you might be wondering what you can do to make sure that she is getting the best support possible when he or she is […]

Modifying an IEP or 504 for Distance or Hybrid Learning

(2020) | Useful to Parent Centers for sharing with families and schools Also available in Spanish. As the year begins with distance or hybrid learning at most schools, many parents are worried that pre-pandemic IEP plans may leave students with disabilities without vital services. Luckily, IEP or 504 plans aren’t set in stone. If a […]

“I’m Determined” Website

A project of the VA Department of Education, the I’m Determined website offers resources for youth, families, and educators around self-determination. Self-determination is about youth with disabilities taking control of their lives. Resources include videos, modules, a transition guide, downloadable brochures, and more. Access the website at: http://www.imdetermined.org/ More Details About the Site and Its Resource […]

Parents Guide to Problem Behavior

Useful to: Parent Centers for sharing with families whose child or children exhibit challenging behavior. When children struggle with their behavior, it can have a negative impact on everyone in the family. Parents know they need to respond, but they often aren’t sure what’s the best strategy, especially if a child is frequently acting out […]

Financial Planning Guide for Parents of a Child with Special Needs

(2020, January) | Useful to: Parent Centers and families of children with special needs. This article from eParent.com discusses a topic of great importance of parents of a child with disabilities. As A Financial Planning Guide for Parents of a Child with Special Needs states, “Raising a child with special needs can be one of […]

Charting the LifeCourse

The National Community of Practice for Supporting Families of Individuals of I/DD has been working to develop systems of support for families throughout the lifespan of their family member with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Especially for individuals, families, and professionals are the Charting the LifeCourse materials, which include a LifeCourse toolkit in English and Spanish. The framework for Charting the LifeCourse was created BY FAMILIES to help individuals and families of all abilities and all ages develop a vision for a good life, think about what they need to know and do, identify how to find or develop supports, and discover what it takes to live the lives they want to live.

Read more about and access the LifeCourse Toolkit in English and Spanish here.