When a baby is born with Down syndrome, his or her parents should know that there's a lot of help available--and immediately. Shortly after the diagnosis of Down syndrome is confirmed, parents will want to get in touch with the early intervention system in their community. Early intervention is a system of services designed to help infants and…

Parents of children with disabilities usually receive little or no training in communication and partnership skills. These skills are very helpful in Individualized Education Program (IEP) planning. This guidebook offers parents of children with disabilities a variety of practical ideas to improve effective interaction between parents and school…

This handbook for parents describes the transition planning process for youth with disabilities. The handbook is divided into four sections: an overview of the who, what, where, when, why, and how of transition; consideration and evaluation of future options for the young person; home, school, and community activities that can be immediately…

Cerebral palsy--also known as CP--is a condition caused by injury to the parts of the brain that control the body's ability to use muscles effectively. Often the injury happens before birth, sometimes during delivery or soon after birth. The symptoms will differ from person to person and change as children and their nervous systems mature. This…

A new book in the Knowledge Essential series, "School Success for Children with Special Needs" offers parents a guide for understanding and navigating the often-confusing special education system to ensure that their children get the best education possible. It tells them: (1) How to know if a child has physical, learning, or emotional…

This document consists of three separately published fact sheets (for parents and teachers of children who are deaf-blind) combined here because of the close relationship of their subject matter: (1) "Communication Interactions: It Takes Two," by Kathleen Stremel; (2) "Expressive Communication: How Children Send Their Messages to You," by Kathleen…

This guide was developed to introduce families of young children with disabilities to the early intervention system. It describes early intervention services and defines the roles and responsibilities of parents and practitioners. The guide uses a question and answer format to present information on the following topics: (1) what is early…

The Special Education Parents Alliance created an employment project seeking jobs in the business community for special education graduates and other persons with disabilities. The project serves learning disabled, educable mentally handicapped, trainable mentally handicapped, and physically disabled persons in DuPage County and portions of west…

This monograph describes the basic physical/neurological examination of children with special needs and how such an exam fits into the multidisciplinary evaluation and development of individualized programming for such children. The first section addresses the importance of the medical history. Next, the basic exam is described, followed by…

As any parent of a child with autism knows, your life changes and you take on new roles after your child receives a diagnosis of autism. Ready or not, you are now expected to be an expert on interventions, support professionals, and special education. Suddenly, your concerns and worries are different from the parents around you. While they may be…

Alternative education programs (also called alternative schools) first appeared on the American landscape in the 1960s. Despite the proliferation of these programs, a generic description of what constitutes an alternative education program, historically, has been elusive. Most alternative education programs have the general criteria of serving…

This document consists of three separately published fact sheets combined here because of the close relationship of their subject matter. The first fact sheet, "Communication Interactions: It Takes Two" (Kathleen Stremel), defines communication; suggests ways to find opportunities for interactive communication; offers specific suggestions for…

This document consists of three separately published fact sheets combined here because of the close relationship of their subject matter. The first fact sheet, "Communication Interactions: It Takes Two" (Kathleen Stremel), defines communication; suggests ways to find opportunities for interactive communication; offers specific suggestions for…

Moving from middle school to high school can be challenging and exciting, but students with special needs may need to begin preparing for the move earlier than other students. As with other major changes in a child's life, the move to high school will go more smoothly if parents gather information and do some planning. A good time to begin…

This manual is intended to facilitate the integration of children with mental handicaps into child care centers in Canada and elsewhere. The first chapter looks at the background of integration in early childhood child care programs in Canada and identifies concerns of parents. The second chapter explores the practice of labelling children with…