Why Do Children and Adults With Disabilities Need To Learn Safety Skills? Compared to people without disabilities, individuals with disabilities are at increased risk of experiencing abuse, being taken advantage of or bullied, and being kidnapped. It is important for individuals with disabilities to be aware of potential dangers and to learn skills that protect… Read more Teaching Stranger Safety Skills to Children and Adults With Disabilities
Category: Child/Adolescent with Disability
Siblings of Individuals with Disabilities (for parents)
How will my children relate to one another? Sibling relationships are often the longest-lasting relationships that your children form. Like all brothers or sisters, they may or may not develop close emotional relationships depending on individual differences and circumstances. Regardless, a child’s reaction to a sibling with a disability will have a lasting effect on… Read more Siblings of Individuals with Disabilities (for parents)
Rett Syndrome
Rett syndrome is a progressive neurodevelopmental disorder that is defined by: apparently typical development in the first 6 months of life, a period of developmental regression followed by stabilization, loss of spoken language, problems with walking, loss of purposeful hand use, and distinctive repetitive, hand movements (hand stereotypies). Rett syndrome primarily affects girls and women… Read more Rett Syndrome
Disabilities: Federal and State Public Policy
What is disability? Disability is a physical or mental condition that can affect a person’s ability to think, learn, behave, communicate, feel, and/or relate. Disability is a natural part of the human experience and does not diminish a person’s right or desire to participate fully in all aspects of life. One in five individuals has… Read more Disabilities: Federal and State Public Policy
Promoting Communication Between School and Home
Set Up a Consistent Form of Communication Send out a poll to parents to get feedback about communication preferences (i.e., email, phone, text, Zoom, etc.) Utilize existing communication platforms such as Class DoJo or newsletters Use a web-based platform such as Remind.com that allows teachers to text parents without using personal phone numbers Use a… Read more Promoting Communication Between School and Home
Preparing for an Emergency
Why Do I Need to Prepare for an Emergency? You may think you are never going to be in an emergency, so you don’t need to prepare. However, almost all Americans live where they are at moderate or high risk of natural or human-made disasters. You need to plan before a disaster hits, and be… Read more Preparing for an Emergency
Prader-Willi Syndrome
What causes Prader-Willi syndrome? Most individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) have a deletion of several genes on chromosome 15. The deletion occurs in the chromosome 15 contributed by the father. If an individual does not have a deletion, he or she may have two chromosome 15s, both of which have been contributed by the mother.… Read more Prader-Willi Syndrome
Positive Parenting
Positive Parenting is a way to parent your child that focuses more on your child’s positive behaviors rather than on your child’s problem behaviors. Things to do: Praise your child and tell him exactly what you like about his behavior. “I like how you cleaned up your toys!” Ignore minor negative behaviors such as whining… Read more Positive Parenting
Peer-Based Intervention and Autism Spectrum Disorders (for teachers)
Peer-based interventions are evidence-based practices that teach strategies to typically developing peers for facilitating social interactions with children on the autism spectrum. Peer-based interventions can be used to target communication skills, interpersonal skills, and play skills. The effects of these types of interventions often are beneficial for both the student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)… Read more Peer-Based Intervention and Autism Spectrum Disorders (for teachers)
Parenting a Child With a Disability
The Day the World Changed When parents first learn that their child has a disability, they may experience feelings of grief. Parents often describe a sense of sadness and a feeling that the dreams they held for their child have been lost. Grief has many stages and may include a wide range of negative feelings.… Read more Parenting a Child With a Disability