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| Parents of Children with Special Needs |
Parents of children with special needs are often advocates for their children’s education and medical care. The following Federal agencies, national organizations, publications, and Web sites provide a sample of information for parents of children with special needs. These resources focus on issues such as inclusion, parent support, parent advocacy, and medical conditions.
The ADA Home Page contains Federal resources and ADA publications on how to comply with the ADA. ADA specialists are available to answer questions through a toll-free hotline; Spanish language services are also available. This Web site contains information about ADA requirements; enforcement procedures and how to file complaints; available technical assistance; legal information; the ADA Mediation Program; new or proposed regulations; and other technical assistance resources. The Web site includes the Child Care Centers and the Americans with Disabilities Act Information Sheet available on the Web at www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/chcaflyr.htm, and Commonly Asked Questions About Child Care Centers and the Americans with Disabilities Act, available on the Web at www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/childq%26a.htm.
Learn the Signs: Act Early has information about milestones children should reach in how they play, learn, speak, and act. This information is designed to help parents recognize potential delays in any of these areas so they can help their children reach their full potential.
OSEP is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist States and local school districts. IDEA authorizes formula grants to States, and discretionary grants to institutions of higher education and other nonprofit organizations to support research, demonstrations, technical assistance and dissemination, technology and personnel development, and parent-training and information centers.
NCBDDD works to improve the health of children and adults by preventing birth defects and developmental disabilities, promoting optimal child development, and promoting health and wellness among children and adults living with disabilities. This mission incorporates the mission of the former Division of Birth Defects, Child Development, and Disability and Health which was in the National Center for Environmental Health.
CCLC is a national nonprofit organization that focuses exclusively on the complex legal issues surrounding the establishment and provision of child care. CCLC provides information on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for child care programs and publications on legal rights under the ADA for families. A list of CCLC publications is available on CCLC’s Web site. Some of the materials are available in Chinese and in Spanish. Information specific to children with disabilities is available on the Web at http://www.childcarelaw.org/pubs-issue.shtml#disabilities.
The Circle of Inclusion Web page is for early childhood professionals and families of young children with special needs. The Web site offers demonstrations of and information about the effective practices of inclusive educational programs for children birth through age 8. It has forms and articles developed by the project and online demonstration programs.
FAPE aims to inform and educate families and advocates about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (IDEA). The Web site contains a Weekly Newsline and IDEA Regulations in Spanish.
Medem was founded by leading medical societies, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology; the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the American Medical Association; the American Psychiatric Association; and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Their medical library represents the full range of patient education information from partner medical societies and other trusted sources.
The Dissemination Center provides information and referral services on children and youth with special needs to families, caregivers, professionals, and others for the purpose of improving the educational outcomes of all children and youth. The organization has links to resources in each State, as well as a national hotline and a Web site used for information exchange. NICHCY has published on topics such as basics for parents; information on specific disabilities; and parenting guides that include information on accessing parent groups as well as accessing programs for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities.
The Technical Assistance ALLIANCE for Parent Centers supports a unified technical assistance system in order to assist and coordinate Parent Training and Information Projects and Community Parent Resource Centers under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and consists of one national center and six regional centers. The project strengthens connections to the larger technical assistance network and fortifies partnerships between parent centers and State education systems at regional and national levels.
Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) in each State provide training and information to parents of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and to professionals who work with children. This assistance helps parents participate with professionals in meeting the educational needs of children and youth with disabilities more effectively. The Parent Centers work to improve educational outcomes for children and youth with all disabilities (emotional, learning, mental, and physical). Additional information on publications and links to a variety of resources (such as national disability agencies and organizations) are available on their Web site.
The Arc has materials on mental retardation and other disabilities, as well as information on where to find help and other resources that may be of interest to parents. The Arc’s Web site contains many full-text documents on children with special needs.
Updated April 2007
| The document is for informational purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, program, or individual by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Children and Families, the Child Care Bureau, or the National Child Care Information Center is intended or is to be inferred. For additional information on this or related topics, please contact the National Child Care Information Center at (800) 616-2242 or info@nccic.org. |
