Current Announcements & Offers Related to ADHD / Special Needs Issues
from Turn-About Ranch
* Real Ranch. Real Values. Real Change
At Turn-About Ranch, therapy, academics and hard work come together to impart lasting and powerful change in teens. Located on a working cattle ranch, this program has students take concepts like leadership, teamwork, accountability and responsibility and put them into practice in a real-world environment. This program has helped thousands of young people get their lives back on track over the course of 24 years in business.
* LD Summer Camp and ADD / ADHD Adventure Summer Camp
Students participating in SOAR's summer camps, weekend, winter break and semester courses take part in adventure experiences as diverse as camping, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, SCUBA diving, sea kayaking, and horseback riding. These activities provide the venue for developing problem-solving skills; effective communication strategies; increased self-awareness and general social skills. By achieving this success at SOAR, each student builds essential self-esteem and self-confidence that translates into all walks of life. SOAR moves past the labels and focuses on strategies for dealing with the challenges associated with LD and AD/HD. Likewise, SOAR focuses on the gifts and abilities of each youth - strengths that will launch them into a life filled with opportunity and success.
* The Dr. Temple Grandin School
New school for adolescents with autism -- developed by Temple Grandin: "A school serving grades 6-12 and specializing in students with Asperger's Syndrome and similar learning disorders will open next fall in Boulder County. The independent Temple Grandin School, named for the Colorado State University professor, animal scientist and autism advocate, will feature a student-teacher ratio of 6-to-1 and combine social and educational supports with challenging academics."
* ADHD School Directory
A brief listing of schools for children with ADHD or learning differences The listings provide each school's focus, location, and contact information.
* ADHD Camp Directory
A broad listing of summer camp options for children with ADHD and learning differences. The listings provide each camp's focus, location, and contact information.
* The Help Group’s schools for autism spectrum disorders
"The Help Group's specialized day schools offer pre-K through high school programs for more than 1,300 students and are certified by the California State Department of Education. The schools provide diagnostic prescriptive teaching, small classes, individualized curriculum, counseling, speech, language and occupational therapy and adaptive physical education for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities."
Address: 13130 Burbank Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
Phone: (877) 943-5747
URL: www.thehelpgroup.org
e-mail: nwebb@thehelpgroup.org
* Summit View School for Learning Disabilities at The Help Group
"Summit View School offers comprehensive elementary, middle and secondary school programs for students with learning differences. An innovative and integrated curriculum, coupled with small class size and high teacher to student ratio, enables students to experience academic success."
Address: 12101 W. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles , CA 90066
Phone: (310) 751-1100
URL: www.summitviewschool.org
e-mail: admissions@thehelpgroup.org
* 40 Winning Accommodations for Your ADD/LD Child
What to include in your ADHD child's IEP or 504 Plan to ensure she receives the proper school accommodations..
* Yale Cognitive Training Program now Readily Accessible to Educators
I cannot personally vouch for this program, but Dr. David Rabiner notes: "Dr. Bruce Wexler, professor emeritus at Yale, designed the program to level the playing field for the millions of students who struggle with these skills - and by making the program available without a fixed price, he hopes that more educators and schools will take advantage of the potential benefits it provides. C8Kids is designed to help educators assess and develop 8 core cognitive capacities in their students by combining sophisticated computer exercises with a physical exercise curriculum. The program provides highly detailed reports to teachers about their students' cognition, even as it works to help the child improve their thinking abilities. It has been called 'paradigm changing' by the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and Education Week has said that C8Kids 'may provide a path to evening the playing field and raising achievement across the board.'"
* Free E-Book: Back-to-School Kit for Parents of Students with Learning Disabilities
- Building a Good Relationship with Your Child’s Teacher
- Essential Skills for Becoming Your Child’s Advocate
- Advocating for your School-Aged Child
- Making the Most of Your Parent-Teacher Conference
- Creating Great Expectations for an Effective Meeting” worksheet
* ADHD e-Book
What to expect when you suspect ADHD free e-Book. Everything you need to know about ADHD from birth to adulthood.
* Free Parent Care Package
Feeling stressed? Silly question, I know. If you don't mind giving this organization your name and email address, you can get a free guide that addresses concerns such as:
- Life saving tips to mitigate the risks of an ADHD teens – especially as they are learning to drive or keeping their medication secure on campus
- Changes in your child’s legal status when she turns 18 and how it impacts parenting
- How ADHD coaching provides a non-medicated method proven to work with ADHD
- Steps can you take right now to help your child become a better advocate for himself
* Edge Foundation's College Success Guide
This free guide focuses specifically on finding ADHD-friendly colleges. You will be required to submit your name and email address in order to receive the guide.
* Transition Portfolios
This site provides links to free guides to assist in planning for the future after the years of IEPs! Resources include, among others:
- Where Am I Going? How Will I Get There? Planning Guide
- Transition to Employment Portfolios
- Financial, Legal and Medical Documentation Portfolio
* Download Your Free Learning Disabilities Checklist
Studies have suggested that only 1/3 of those diagnosed with ADHD have only that -- often the diagnosis is complicated by other concerns such as depression, learning disabilities, anxiety, and other issues. Related to this: we have an article from WebMD discusses the implications of this and what to be aware of when looking at your diagnosis, treatment options, etc.
* Free E-Book: Military Families and Students with Learning Disabilities
So helpful for families already dealing with so much -- this is a free download that covers:
- Military Families and Students with LD
- Special Education Laws and Rights for the Military Child
- Tips for Military Parents on Supporting Their Children in Special Education
* Navigating College – a Handbook for Students with Autism
This handbook covers concerns such as getting accommodations, getting places on time, dealing with sensory issues in a new environment, staying healthy at school, handling dating and relationships, and talking to friends and classmates about your disability. It is a free download!
Quote from site:Navigating College is an introduction to the college experience from those of us who’ve been there. The writers and contributors are Autistic adults, and we’re giving you the advice that we wish someone could have given us when we headed off to college.
* Mentoring Program for Children with Learning Differences
Through this program, younger students are matched with high school and college students who also have LD/ADHD and who act as mentors, tutors, and role models. There are chapters throughout the nation!
Quote from site:Project Eye-To-Eye's program model is designed to build life skills for independence and improve self-esteem through the power of role modeling. Beyond the important work of building self-esteem, Project Eye-To-Eye also gives children with LD/ADHD the concrete skills necessary for independent living and academic success. Project Eye-To-Eye's research based mentoring model is also designed to improve self-advocacy skills and meta-cognitive abilities, skills proven to be essential to the life success of LD/ADHD adults.
* Twice-Exceptional: Students with Both Gifts and Challenges or Disabilities
"Idaho Dept of Education provides a free, downloadable manual titled "Twice-Exceptional: Students with Both Gifts and Challenges or Disabilities" to provide information and resources for those who work with twice-exceptional students."
* Schools of Distinction -- Updated List
"Schools of Distinction exemplify how schools can build expertise in learning in order to develop individual intellects, talents, and creativity through innovative teaching; implement a wide range of creative learning concepts that take into consideration students' strengths, affinities, and challenges; and help solve problems through addressing student learning issues."
* The Asperger’s Difference: A film for and about young people with AS
The Center for Spectrum Services also provides diagnostic evaluations for Autism Spectrum Disorders for people of all ages, consultations and trainings to schools and agencies on best practices, and groups for children and teens focusing on social skills and self-advocacy.
* Evidence-Based Practice and Autism in the Schools Educator Manual
You can download a free pdf version of the Educator Manual or purchase a printed copy of the manual at the web site. The cost for each manual is $24.95 (includes shipping and handling).
* Calendar:
Check here for events, conferences, etc. of interest to both parents and teachers.
* What We Know Info Sheets
"What We Know sheets are developed by the National Resource Center on AD/HD to keep the general public and professionals up to date on new developments in research, treatments and successful strategies for children and adults with AD/HD."
* No More Back-to-School Blues
Parents can find a wealth of information and resources at Great Schools' site, including helpful articles for each stage of education from primary to college.
By the way, for my own personal tips, check out this site's feature article The Best of Times, The Worst of Times"
* IEP & Conference Preparation Kit
IEP & Conference Preparation Kit designed for parents of kids with learning and attention difficulties: information, practical strategies, and planning forms.
* All About Adolescent Literacy
"AdLit.org is an excellent source of adolescent literacy material for parents, practitioners, and anyone else with a commitment to helping students in grades 4 through 12 become better readers. They offer research-based articles, instructional material for classroom teachers, tips for parents, book recommendations, exclusive interviews with top authors, and much more!"
* When Your Child Struggles with Learning: A Step-by-Step Guide for Getting Help
"Our interactive guide will help you navigate this often complicated journey. We'll lead you through the process by providing tips, strategies, and essential resources to answer your questions at every step along the way."
* The China Doll:
A new children's book, The China Doll, utilizes a fresh approach to raise autism awareness among youngsters ages 4-8!
* Social Skill Autopsies:
A Strategy to Promote and Develop Social Competencies By: Rick Lavoie (2005) This article is so helpful...do take a look at it and the listed resources!
* Ed Extras
A free monthly e-newsletter that offers schools and PTAs articles about learning to include (may be used in parent newsletters).
* Caring for Children with ADHD - Resource Toolkit
Caring for Children with ADHD: A Resource Toolkit for Clinicians, published by the Academy of American Pediatrics, provides a number of rating scales and tools for physicians, parents and teachers that aid the diagnosis process.
The toolkit also provides support information for parents on how to deal with their child at home, help its treatment and monitor their child's development and long-term outcome. These tools tie in with a resource kit that physicians can supply to teachers to monitor classroom behaviour, gain a better insight in the disorder and help their pupil's treatment.
* ADHD Blog Network
ADDvantaged.com is a website about living and succeeding with ADHD- for parents and for people who have it. The community blog format includes authors, experts, and everyday people looking at life with ADHD. As a member, you get your own personal blog and a chance to participate in some of the interesting things that make the site special.
* THE LD ONLINE YELLOW PAGES
Visit the new LD OnLine Yellow Pages. Find professionals in your area. Looking for a school, tutor or camp? They are there too! Products, national consultants and more!
* Surviving Inclusion, Kay Johnson Lehmann
Kay Johnson Lehmann provides this timely and valuable resource for all teachers and includes information from this web site in her book! She is an independent educational consultant specializing in online education and the integration of technology into the K-12 curriulum. She won the Milken National Educator Award and the Washington Award for Excellence in Education for her abilities to reach every student in the classroom. Her innovative methods utilized hands-on constructivist teaching with technology integration to bring social studies, reading and other subjects alive for her middle school students. Garrison Middle School, Walla Walla, WA, with a free-reduced lunch rate of 50% and a large second-language learner population, provided plenty of opportunities to utilize the methods shared in this book.
* Free Professional Development Resources
These free teaching modules were developed by education faculty and professional developers. They can be used as extension units in your existing courses, or can be used independently in workshops and meetings.
Each module includes articles, video footage, PowerPoint® presentations, and class activities. They draw from the wealth of GLEF's archives of best practices and correlate with ISTE/NCATE NETS standards.
* GLEF's Free Edutopia Magazine
Edutopia is where education meets innovation. Six times a year, Edutopia magazine tells the stories of innovative teaching and learning, providing you with the knowledge you need to inspire and implement change in your school and district. With each issue, Edutopia reports on the best thinking in education. We will profile the heroes of this movement, showcase the innovations, and challenge the status quo. We will tell the stories of their success and how they got there, the mistakes they made, and the lessons they learned. We will give you the tools to make similar changes happen and also offer practical ideas and tips for educators to enrich their lives outside the classroom.
* Collaborative Teaching: Special Education for Inclusive Classrooms
This is an online, free textbook available for downloading! Chapters include:
- Chapter 1: The Change from Isolation to Collaboration
- Chapter 2: Legal Issues of Interest in Collaborative Teaching
- Chapter 3: Collaborative Teaching
- Chapter 4: Partnerships with Parents
- Chapter 5: Curricular and Instructional Patterns in Regular Classrooms
- Chapter 6: Accommodations Strategies
- Chapter 7: Elementary Programming
- Chapter 8: Secondary Programming
- Chapter 9: Management of Health Issues in Regular Classrooms
- Chapter 10: Management of Special Equipment and Adaptive Devices
* CAN-Alert!
This is an online newsletter/announcement list for members and others interested in getting online action alerts and other information on Cure Autism Now activities. Through funding and commitments of almost $8 million, CAN is the largest private funder of autism research and resources. For more information on Cure Autism Now, please visit CAN or go to Yahoo Groups.
* ADHD E-Book!
REVIEW: "Recently, I [came across a] truly enlightening, well written, concise, informative, humorous, and well researched ELECTRONIC BOOK on ADHD. IMPORTANT! YOU REALLY NEED TO READ THIS E-BOOK if you want to be quickly and thoroughly informed about Attention Deficit Disorder w/ and w/out hyperactivity. The book is for parents, teachers, children, teenagers, family units, and virtually anyone else who spends time with an ADD er. IT'S YOUR CHOICE. READ IT! ---BJ Madwell, editor of www.ADDchoices.com." This is a wonderful resource and it's easily accessible online or by downloading chapters!
* Special Needs Monthly
Monthly issues focus on such issues as IEPs. Archived issues include the following topics: * The IEP Cycle* The IEP Team Members* What to Include in an IEP * The General Educator's Role* Using General Education Standards with IEPs * Preparing for an IEP* Positive Descriptions of Student Behavior * Guidelines for Behavioral Observations* Effective Accommodations for IEPs.
* More Conference Information...
Recent and upcoming conferences where Childwatch International Key Institutions are involved.
* Learning Disabilities and More...
LEARNING DISABILITIES AND MORE Don't go it alone -- meet other parents and stay up-to-date with our tips, discussions, and resources. Updated frequently with articles, printable teaching helps, and other resources.
* ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE FOR KIDS LABELED ADD/ADHD
In his new book *ADD/ADHD Alternatives in the Classroom,* Thomas Armstrong deplores the labeling and overmedication of children with attentional and behavioral difficulties. Armstrong implores teachers to be creative in their approaches to these children. Armstrong advises teachers to focus on the positive. To purchase a copy of *ADD/ADHD Alternatives in the Classroom,* (Stock # 199273), or for more information on this and other ASCD publications, visit ASCD's online store at or call ASCD at 1-800-933-2723.
Also, educators may want to take a look at the following resources:
- Creating an Inclusive School, a guide edited by Richard Villa and Jacqueline Thousand, in which experts on inclusion share wisdom and daily practices, including classroom- and school-wide strategies.
- Inclusion: A Fresh Look, a how-to guide providing elementary teachers with practical strategies for accomodating the needs of all students in the classroom.
- "Inclusion" - a video showing profiles of students with special needs and teachers practicing the principles of inclusive education by modifying lessons, meeting with parents in developing IEPs, and creating a positive environment for all students.
Again, these resources are available through the Assoc. for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 800-933-2723, http://www.ascd.org
* For Parents...
Your Child's Evaluation - a new publication from NICHCY - describes the steps the school system will take to evaluate your child to determine if he or she has a disability and is eligible for special education. Check it out!
* For Teachers...
David J. Chard & Jean Osborn offer guidance for teachers on selecting programs to use with children experiencing reading difficulties in Phonics and Word Recognition Instruction in Early Reading Programs: Guidelines for Accessibility
* Interventions for Chronic Behavior Problems
This NICHCY Research Brief is meant to help schools answer the question, "What does the research tell us?" about promising interventions for students with a history of behavior problems. It's important to know that there is a tremendous body of research available on this subject, covering a wide variety of students, situations, and settings. This publication is a short overview that you can use and adapt to help your students and develop your own programs. NICHCY Research Brief
* Introduction to Functional Behavioral Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans
An IEP Team's Introduction to Functional Behavioral Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans. Introduced last year, but worth mentioning again -- this is a user-friendly guide for understanding the responsibilities of IEP Teams, plus an overview of functional assessment and behavior intervention plans. Intervention Plans
* New CHADD Help/Information
CHADD (Children & Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) has opened a new AD/HD National Call Center to provide information about AD/HD. Open weekdays from 8 AM to 5:30 PM EST, the center responds immediately and thoroughly to anyone who contacts via e-mail national@chadd.org or using the toll-free phone number (800/233-4050).
Also available from CHADD: A new guide to AD/HD and IDEA, giving vital information on the new definition of the "other health impairment." Request the IDEA Guide via the phone number or e-mail above.
Parent Training and Information Centers in each state provide training and information to parents of infants, toddlers, school-aged children, and young adults with disabilities and the professionals who work with their families. This assistance helps parents participate more effectively with professionals in meeting the educational needs of children and youth with disabilities.
* Teaching Students with Disabilities
LRP publications has introduced "Teaching Students with Disabilities," a new four-page newsletter designed to give teachers the direction they need to effectively and legally educate students with disabilities. A new issue will be published each semester. For more information call: 800-341-7874, ext. 347
* "Diet, ADHD, and Behavior"
The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a non-profit group that works on issues in the sphere of public health advocacy and nutrition. The executive director has just released a report on "Diet, ADHD, and Behavior" highlighting how dietary alterations might help a child or any individual with ADHD by affecting his or her behavior. Many studies have shown the interaction between diet and behavior, and CSPI's report puts forward the idea of using specific dietary changes as a treatment of ADHD, and as an alternative to Ritalin.
* ADD resources in Spanish
A fantastic resource for spanish-speaking families is now available at ADD About.com!. There are several pages of helpful information, including material on medications and diagnosis.
