Resources

We are not responsible  for the content on other web pages and inclusion here does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of all or any of their content.   Accommodation recommendations  needed to level the playing field or to ensure a child receives a free appropriate public education are scattered throughout this page under disability specific headings.  Use your search or  “Find”  function if  that  is the  specific  area  of  interest.

NASP List of State School Psychology Associations

State School Psychology Associations

The State School Psychology Credentialing Requirements list provides information on:

• Credentialing requirements needed to practice in schools
• Continuing education requirements to maintain credentials
• Whether the state accepts the NCSP as an alternative route to credentialing school psychologists
• Scope of practice as it applies to the state education agency (SEA) credential
• Contact information for state departments of education

State School Psychology Credentialing Requirements

NASP Approved Graduate School Programs

Since 1988, NASP has been pleased to provide a national review and approval service for graduate programs in school psychology. NASP program approval/national recognition is an important indicator of quality graduate education in school psychology, comprehensive content, and extensive and properly supervised field experiences and internships, as judged by trained national reviewers. In addition, programs obtaining NASP approval allows for a streamlined process for program graduates to obtain the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential. Thus, NASP approval/national recognition confers multiple advantages to programs, program graduates, the profession of school psychology, and, most importantly, to the children, families, and schools that we serve.

NASP Approved Programs Listed by State

NASP RESOURCES, POSITION PAPERS, FACT SHEETS

NASP maintains a comprehensive listing of Fact Sheets and Position Papers on most of the topics listed below.  Ordinarily, we would have included links to many/most/all of them, but NASP periodically revamps its website, making all such bookmarked links absolutely useless.  The only ways to find the current links are (1) to go to the NASP Website (click on preceding) and use their Search engine; or (2) use Google with NASP and othcaner key words as your search terms.

Anxiety Disorders

Also see: Selective Mutism and Mood Disorders

International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation
“The mission of the International OCD Foundation is to help individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) to live full and productive lives. Our aim is to increase access to effective treatment, end the stigma associated with mental health issues, and foster a community for those affected by OCD and the professionals who treat them.”

Anxiety and Depression Association of America
“r mission is to promote the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders through education, practice, and research.”

NIMH:  Anxiety Disorders
“Anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time.?

NAMI: Anxiety Disorders

“Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in the United States. An estimated 40 million adults in the U.S., or 18%, have an anxiety disorder.”

PTSD in Children and Adolescents

U.S. Dept of Veterans’ Affairs.  “This fact sheet provides information regarding what events cause PTSD in children, how many children develop PTSD, risk factors associated with PTSD, what PTSD looks like in children, other effects of trauma on children, and treatments for PTSD.”

PTSD in Children Six and Under
“Posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is diagnosed after a person experiences symptoms for at least one month following a traumatic event.”

Not all of the apps listed in the links below are free, and none have been reviewed by the editors.  Potential users are therefore cautioned to consider whether the computer generated recommendations meet federal evidence-based standards before use in the classroom.

7 apps for Working with Special Needs Students (Ipod)
“Apps can help you customize your curriculum to the needs of your students without making the process time-consuming and overwhelming. Here, I highlight 7 apps that can help with personalizing learning for special needs students.” (8/5/2018)

Best Special Education Apps for Android
“The Android apps listed here can help kids with a range of special needs and learning difficulties; there’s everything from games and graphic novels to meditation guides and text-to-speech apps. Whether they’re developing fine motor control, building empathy and emotional awareness, or learning how to visualize and manage time, kids and teachers can target essential skills for success both in and out of school.”  (8/5/2018)

Free Android Apps for Children with Special Needs 
Includes links to over 100 different programs.

With the following list of Free Android Apps for children with Special Needs you can:

• support communication based on images,
• describe emotions or showing typical facial expressions,
• show correct social skills,
• practice the pronunciation of spoken language and much more  (8/5/2018)

Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
“A Handy Chart Featuring Over 30 Ipad Apps for Students with Special Needs”  (8/5/2018)

Autism Speaks Autism Apps
A mixed platform list of nearly a 100 apps designed for use with children with ASD.  Unique in that selection is made easier because each app is rated with respect to its research base, ratings ranging from “no evidence” to “research” based.

Assessment

Note: for additional information, visit our Test Info and Test Tools pages

Regression Toward Mediocrity in Heredity Statutre   (September 27, 2016)
1886 paper by Francis Galton.  Downloaded  for younger readers who were not around when it was published.  (Regression is not just a statistical phenomenon; it is also a natural phenomenon.)

Regression toward Mediocrity — John Willis Slideshow Presentation
Regression towards tx1x1he mean
Some slides based on Francis Galton’s work in 1886  (Added February 19, 2017)

Information from Joel Schneider  (Updated 4/16/2016)https://www.myschoolpsychology.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Regression-toward-Mediocrity-John-Willis-Slideshow-Presentation.html
Joel Schneider’s information, scoring programs & tests  includes free software for analyzing and interpreting common psychological tests.    Other resources from Dr. Schneider include

• Communicate with percentile ranks…but think and reason with standard scores Thinking in percentiles is like counting on your figures. With explanatory graph.
• James Thompson on “Alternate Intelligences” Thompson’s critique of Keith Stanovich’s critique of IQ tests.
• Short list of bad things associated with high IQ This was my most-viewed post ever. There is a market for bad news about IQ!
• Fun quote from Raymond Cattell on the importance of taxonomies Cattell’s influence was magnified by his ability to communicate with wit and charm.
• What if we took our models seriously? Slides from my NASP 2014 talk The full text of the talk is in the “Notes” section.
• I love the animation package in R! Trying to make statistics a little less boring…one animated graphic at a time.
• Advice for psychological evaluation reports: Render abstruse jargon in the vernacular Dispelling the two-way illusion that someone knows what is going on.
• Allowing yourself to be wrong allows you to be right…eventually Our dangerous capacity to make sense of nonsense.
• Cronbach: Factor analysis is more like photography than chemistry. Before reading this old textbook I thought that it was just Meehl who was the wordsmith.
• Advice for psycholgical evaluation reports: Make every sentence worth reading Removing clutter gets you half the way there!

Disability Documentation Guidelines for the College Boards   (Added 4/14/2016)
Without documentation, it is extremely difficult to get accommodations on the College Boards.   These guidelines provide a brief summary of the seven (7) basic requirements, along with links to specific requirements for a variety of specific disabilities

Gesell Developmental Assessment: Better Than You Have Heard?
In a dramatic change from its position in the 1990’s, Gesell’s director now says “Another criticism, I would like to address, is that Gesell Institute advocates the “wait a year” or “gift of time” philosophy for “younger” children or those with late birthdays. Gesell Institute does not want to be characterized for advocating this position. Today, we know that is simply not a choice to wait a year for many low income families. A qualified teacher should be able to meet the needs of any child of legal age that walks through the door.”  Additional information on the test may also be found at this website.

Marley Watkins Articles
Marley Watkins: articles, software, for the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents and the Mountain Shadows Phonemic Awareness Scale as well as statistical software for both MacIntosh and Windows,

Human Intelligence
Biographical Profiles of People who have influenced  the study of Human Intelligence – resources from Jonathan Plucker

Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography of over sixty books on IQ and Intelligence

Code of Fair Testing Practices

The American Psychological Association’s Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education

Bartleby.com
Strunk’s Elements of Style on line.  “Asserting that one must first know the rules to break them, this classic reference book is a must-have for any student and conscientious writer”  (Paperback copy available from Amazon.)

DSM 5 Corrections Home Page
DSM 5 Implementation, Corrections  (Official)

Jack Naglieri Home PageListing of all Jack Naglieri’s tests with brief descriptions (which could, incidentally, be copied and pasted as test information in psychological reports).    Also  provides access to PDFs of research, past presentations, and handouts on many of those tests

OCR on High Stakes Testing (Archived)
Archived OCR Guide for High-Stakes Testing (2000) “This resource guide has been developed by OCR in an effort to assemble the best information regarding test measurement standards, legal principles, and resources to help educators and policy-makers ensure that uses of tests as a part of decision-making that has high-stakes consequences for students are educationally sound and legally appropriate.”

The Florida Center for Reading Research
“The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) is a multidisciplinary research center at Florida State University. FCRR explores all aspects of reading research—basic research into literacy-related skills for typically developing readers and those who struggle, studies of effective prevention and intervention, and psychometric work on formative assessment.”

Interventioncentral.org
Jim Wright’s Intervention Central includes extensive resources and tools to assist in the implementation of RTI and Common Core.  Highly recommended.

Lighthouse.org
Extensive information for assisting people with visual impairments

Pearson Assessments
Many publications.  “We offer a full range of proven standardized tests to help educators understand how students learn, what they know, and where they need help. “

Pearson Resources
Webinars, etc.

Chronological Age Caculator for Ipad or Iphone
Free download from Apple App Store

Pygmalion and Hawthorne Effect
By Steve Draper: includes reviews of Hawthorne, Pygmalion, placebo effect

SSA Bluebook
Social Security Administration’s Disability Evaluation criteria  for SSI

SEDL Reading Data Base
SEDL (formerly the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory) Reading Assessment Data Base. “This database describes in detail all available early reading assessment tools that are published and distributed in the SEDL region. It is intended to provide valuable information about all of the options available to teachers and administrators who are seeking reliable reading assessment tools for children in grades Pre-K to 3.”

Extensive List of Articles on Assessment (Canivez)
Gary Canivez: Click on Publications/Reports for his articles on the WISC 5, the WPPSI IV, Stanford Binet and other testing topics.  The link above leads to his Home Page; which includes links to Publications/Reprints,  Unpublished Papers, Presentations and Workshops.

Extensive information for professionals working with children with word finding difficulties, including recommendations for assessment, intervention, and  additional resources .

Assessment:  Why in standardized testing is the total score often more extreme than the sum of its parts?

Why  are WJ IV Cluster Scores more extreme than the sum of  their parts?  (Joel Schneider) (Added 4/13/2016)
Assessment Service Bulletin No. 7 on the WJ IV from Houghton Mifflin.  “Composite scores are more extreme than the average of the test scores used to compute them. Because few other kinds of measurement behave this way, it is a frequent source of confusion to assessment professionals. Several analogies and technical explanations are offered to help readers understand this phenomenon.”

Why Composite Scores are More Extreme than the Sum of their Parts   (Joel Schneider)(Added 4/13/2016)
Same principles are explained but for a more general application to any high stakes test.

WJIII Odd Scores Explained (Ron Dumont and John Willis)  (Added 4/13/2016)
The phenomenon wherein total or composite scores are lower or higher than the average of the subtest scores is neither new nor novel; this link refers to an earlier effort to explain the reasons behind it with respect to the WJ-III.

Composite Extremity Effects by John Willis
“This question of composite scores differing from the average of the component test scores comes up from time to time whenever someone stumbles across the phenomenon with a new test or whenever the total score winds up on the other side of an arbitrary classification demarcation from the (sub)tests (“How can Low subtests give us a Very Low composite?”).”

Assessment Ethics

Note:  for general resources on ethics, see Ethics on this page.  Also, virtually every state department of education has written guidelines on Testing Ethics, the violation of which can and has cost school employees their jobs — which makes them less of a guideline and more of a rule.  Googling “My state” and “Testing Ethics” is recommended for definitive guidance.

Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education (APA)
“The Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education (Code) is a guide for professionals in fulfilling their obligation to provide and use tests that are fair to all test takers regardless of age, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, linguistic background, or other personal characteristics. Fairness is a primary consideration in all aspects of testing.”

APA Ethical Code
“The American Psychological Association’s (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (hereinafter referred to as the Ethics Code) consists of an Introduction, a Preamble, five General Principles and specific Ethical Standards.”  (Amended 2010)

APA Code of Fair Testing
Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education.  “The Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education (Code) is a guide for professionals in fulfilling their obligation to provide and use tests that are fair to all test takers regardless of age, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, linguistic background, or other personal characteristics.”

NASP Ethical Standards 2010
NASP ethics & professional standards 2010.

OCR: Using Tests for High Stakes Testing
The Office for Civil Rights’ 2000 summary of assessment principles (Chapter 1) and legal prinicples (Chapter 2) to be considered in administered and applied when making high stakes decisions.

Assessment:  Third Party Observers

Presence of Third Party Observers During Neuropsychological Testing
Official Statement of the National Academy of Neuropsychology

Secretive Recording of Neuropsychological Testing
Official Statement of the National Academcy of Neuropsychology

Thirdpartyobservers.com
“Neuropsychologists have asserted there are research findings indicating taping, recording, observing all impact on test findings, with some tests showing interference effects and some facillitation effects.”

Third Party Observation and Recording
American Board of Professional Neuropsychology

Statement on Third Party Observers“This Statement does not constitute an official policy of the American Psychological Association (APA), does not purport to dispense legal advice, and is not intended to establish standards or guidelines for conduct by practitioners.“

Assistants – One to One

Note:  the following links discuss the pros, cons, and offer suggestions as to when a one to one assistant or aide might be appropriate.

NY SED Guidelines for Determining a Student with a Disability’s Need for a One-to-One Aide
“The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance to assist Committees on Preschool Special Education (CPSEs) and Committees on Special Education (CSEs) in determining a student with a disability’s need for a one-to-one aide. “ 

Addressing the Paraprofessional Dilemma in an Inclusive School
Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities:  “This article offers an in-depth description of one elementary school over a 3-year period. It chronicles the school’s use of an action planning tool to pursue alternatives to overreliance on paraprofessionals as well as service delivery and financial changes that occurred as a result of the school’s actions.”

Is Conventional Wisdom Wrong?
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities:  “Assigning one-to-one paraprofessionals has become an increasingly common response to support students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities in general education classrooms. This article challenges the conventional wisdom that such an approach to service provision is necessarily a desirable and supportive action.” 

Critical Issues Brief: Concerns about the Proliferation of one-to-one Paraprofessionals
Council of Exceptional Children, Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD)  “Though offered with benevolent intentions, inappropriate reliance on one-to-one paraprofessionals has been identified a practice fraught with limitations.”

Assistive Technology

Section 300.105  Assistive Technology (2006 IDEA Regulations)
(a) Each public agency must ensure that assistive technology devices or assistive technology services, or both, as those terms are defined in Sec. Sec. 300.5 and 300.6, respectively, are made available to a child with a disability if required as a part of the child’s–
(1) Special education under Sec. 300.36;
(2) Related services under Sec. 300.34; or
(3) Supplementary aids and services under Sec. Sec. 300.38 and 300.114(a)(2)(ii).
(b) On a case-by-case basis, the use of school-purchased assistive technology devices in a child’s home or in other settings is required if the child’s IEP Team determines that the child needs access to those devices in order to receive FAPE.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(1), 1412(a)(12)(B)(i) )

Wrightslaw: Assistive Technology
“Assistive technology helps children use their strengths to compensate or “work around” weaknesses caused by the disability. Assistive technology includes “devices” and “services.”

LD Online: Assistive Techology
“Here we explore new developments in technology that can accommodate people with learning disabilities.”

Assistive Technology Links Library
“Check out our extensive collection ofassistive technology links and access some of the largest product catalogs, databases, and vendor directories available on the Internet.”  (Over 50 links, unannotated.)

Minnesota: AT Guidelines for Assessment and Services
“As we move to the 21st Century, teachers and students need to develop skills in the new technologies, use them in innovative ways, and apply them in the teaching and learning process efficiently and effectively.”  33 pages

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Inattentive ADHD Videos
Four videos from the Inattentive ADHD Coalition on how Inattentive ADHD affects children, their parents, schoolwork, and adults.  (Added January 11, 2023)

Also see our pages on Disabilities/Other Health Impaired  and   Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Scales

Comparing ADHD Medications  (July 11, 2021)
Over the past ten or fifteen years, the list of medications doctors prescribe for children with ADHD has exploded.  “What’s the difference between Adderall and Concerta? Ritalin and Vyvanse? Strattera and Intuniv? All of these ADHD medications can be used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adults, but they vary widely in dosage, method of delivery, and duration of effects. Use this straightforward chart to learn the facts about stimulants and non-stimulants used to treat ADD”

How to ADHD  (Added July 5, 2021)
A video channel with short videos explaining ADHD.   Includes ads.   (See our standard demurrer above.) 

This is what it is really like to have ADHD (Added July 5, 2021)
Short videos that may be used with older students to help explain ADHD.  (Inclusion here does not necessarily mean endorsement)

Links to Dr.  Cecil Reynolds Podcasts on ADHD (Added July 4, 2021.)

Russell Barkley’s ADHD Fact Sheets  (10/13/2019)
Russell  Barkley is a renown authority on ADHD.  His website includes page publicizing his many publications, many of which are available to purchase on Amazon.  These fact sheets, however, are handy dandy references that can be printed out and given to parents.

ADHD:  What You Need to Know.  An Introoductory Guide to ADHD.  (1/29/2019)
“This article will examine the basics of ADHD including symptoms, some look alike conditions, possible treatments & side effects, and prognosis. Finally, it will discuss why the diagnosis remains controversial..”

ADHD and med effects on risky behavior  Added September 5, 2016
In the U.S., 8% of children are diagnosed with ADHD and 70% of those are taking medications, yet little evidence exists on the effects of ADHD treatment on children’s outcomes. We use a panel of South Carolina Medicaid claims data to investigate the effects of ADHD drugs on the probability of risky sexual behavior outcomes (STDs and pregnancy), substance abuse disorders, and injuries. To overcome potential endogeneity,we instrument for treatment using physicians’preferences to prescribe medication. Our findings suggest that pharmacological treatment has substantial benefits. It reduces the probability of contracting an STD by 3.6 percentage points (5.8percentage points if we include STD screening),reduces the probabilityof having a substance abuse disorder by 7.3 percentage points, reduces the probability of injuries by 2.3 percentage points per year, and associated with them Medicaid costs decrease by $88.4, or 0.054 of a  standard deviation.

ADHD DSM 5 CriteriaHandout with DSM 5 criteria
Although many states require a medical evaluation for an OHI classification (and some require a medical diagnosis), nothing in the federal 2006 FRnor in the Section 504 Regulations (both available for viewing or download from links on this website) prohibit an appropriately trained school psychologist from making an ADHD diagnosis nor do they require a medical diagnosis for ADHD.    School psychologists may wish to recommend a medical evaluation to rule out one or more of the 50 plus conditions that can mimic ADHD (see link below), but their diagnosis alone could establish eligibility under Section 504 for services even in states requiring a medical Dx under the IDEA.

Reference: 1999 Federal Regulations.  “In accordance with these procedures, if a determination is made that a medical evaluation is required in order to determine whether a child with ADD/ADHD is eligible for services under Part B, such an evaluation must be conducted at no cost to the parents. In all instances, as is true for all children who may be eligible for services under Part B, each child with ADD/ADHD who is suspected of having a disability must be assessed in all areas related to the suspected disability, including, if appropriate, health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status, and motor abilities. (Sec. 300.532(g)).      There is no requirement under these regulations that a medical evaluation be conducted to accomplish these assessments.” (Emphasis added.)

.

Identifying and Treating ADHD: A Resource for School and Home
An OSEP Publication.  “The results of a medical doctor’s, psychologist’s, or other qualified professional’s assessment indicating a diagnosis of ADHD may be an important evaluation result, but the diagnosis does not automatically mean that a child is eligible for special education and related services.”

Ritalin Side Effect
Ritalin Side Effects  —  Scroll down for patient information.

Contraindications for Stimulant Medication
RxList list of common contraindications for specific ADHD stimulant drugs.

NIH consensus report on ADHD
1998 NIH consensus report on the treatment and diagnosis of ADHD  (Archived Report)

50 Conditions that Mimic ADHD (Handout)50 conditions that mimic ADHD

CHADD
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) Home Page.  Some free materials are available under the “understanding ADHD” and “Advocacy” tabs.  Registering is free,  but membership cost $53.00 a year   in 2014.   More CHADD links follow:

CHADD’s National Resource Center on ADHD
“Information about ADHD online and over the phone. If you have a question about ADHD, our information specialists can help.”

APA information and resources regarding ADHD
ADHD (American Psychological Association).    Issues in treating ADHD, Getting Help, articles on ADHD

ADDA Resources
Attention Deficit Disorder Association:  Helping Adults with ADHD

Mayo Clinic resources on ADHD
Mayo Clinic:  ADHD in Children.   Definition and links to additional topics.

LD Online resources on ADHD
ADHD Basics from  LDonline

NAMI resources on ADHD
What is ADHD?  National Alliance on Mental Illness

Russell Barkley resources on ADHD
Russel Barkley’s Official WebsIte.  “Welcome to the official website of Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D., an internationally recognized authority on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD) in children and adults who has dedicated his career to widely disseminating science-based information about ADHD.”

Acetaminophen during pregnancy is associated with ADHD
“A large study recently published in the journal Pediatrics finds further evidence of a link between prenatal acetaminophen usage and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder”

Strattera Information
Pharmaceutical Co. Fact Sheet on Strattera

Cautionary Note:  See Disclaimer above with respect to the following links regarding alternative treatments.

Excersizing the Mind to Treat ADHD (NY Times 2014 Article)
An alternative approach to treating ADHD

ADHD Drugs Hurt Your Memory (TIME, 2014)
An unintended side effect?

Nutrient Supplement Approaches in the Treatment of ADHD (PubMed)
PubMed research article  on treating mineral deficiencies for ADHD

NCBI Alternative Treatments for ADHD (2003)
Summary of research on alternative treatments for ADHD (dated, but the research on alternative treatments is still sketchy))

WedMD: Alternative Treatments for ADHD
A cautionary review of alternative treatments

Mayo Clinic:  Alternative Treatments for ADHD  (A critical review)

ADHD Traditional vs. Alternative Treatment
HealthCentral review of alternative treatments

Beating ADHD NaturallyOne physician’s suggestions in the Huffington Post for non pharmaceutical interventions

FDA Q and A on Dietary Supplements (General Info)
U.S.  Food and Drug Administration Information on Dietary Supplements (General Information)

Harvard Medical School: FDA Needs Stronger Rules
Harvard Health Publications:  “FDA needs stronger rules to ensure the safety of dietary supplements”  (General Information)

Assessing Supplement Safety: the FDA’s Controversial Proposal
The New England Journal of Medicine:  General Information

CDC – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder 9/10/2020

“Protecting the Health of Children with ADHD.  Learn about health risks associated with ADHD and about healthy habits that can help protect children from long-term health risks.”

Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and PDD 

Note:  Most state departments of education have state specific resources on autism, which may include regional consultants, free webinars, technical assistance, coaching and other services.  Many states also have their own lists of recommended resources similar to the list below.  To see the resources available in your state, go to our Spedlaw page, click on State Regulations Part B, click on your state in the Table of Contents, click on the link to your special education department, and do a search on autism.

Note 2:  A number of the resources listed below contain “commonsense” tips to help parents in addressing common home problems.  They are not necessarily “evidence based” as defined by the ESSA.   Parents are therefore cautioned that individual children may respond differently than expected.  No parent likes to think of him or herself as “experimenting” with their child, but parenting always involves some trial and error whether the child has been diagnosed with a disability or not.   Additionally, as children age, some strategies that were initially helpful may no longer be helpful.  Children with ASD typically have difficulty adapting to new situations.  Successful parents of children with ASD will find that they are always adapting to new challenges as they arise.

The following resource on sleep was added on May 19, 2021

ATN/AIR-P Strategies to Improve Sleep in Children with Autism
“Many children with autism have difficulty with sleep. This can be stressful for children and their families. This informational booklet is designed to provide parents with strategies to improve sleep in their child affected by autism. The suggestions in this tool kit are based on both research and clinical experience of sleep experts.”

The following resources on sleep were added November 9, 2020

Helping Your Child with Autism Get a Good Night’s Sleep.
“A lack of a good night’s sleep can affect not only the child but everyone in his or her family. If you’re bleary-eyed from night after night of waking up with your child, there are a number of lifestyle interventions and sleep aids that can help.”

Autism Research on Sleep
“Researchers with the Autism Speaks ATN have extensively researched sleep and its influence on health, behavior and other areas of life. Many kids and teenagers with autism have problems sleeping which can be hard on the child and caregivers. Some have trouble falling and staying asleep, or wake up too early and have a hard time getting back to sleep.”

How to Get Children with Autism to Sleep
“At least half of children with autism struggle to fall or stay asleep, and parent surveys suggest the figure may exceed 80 percent. For typical children, the figures range from 1 to 16 percent, depending in part on how insomnia is defined. The precise nature of the problem varies from child to child, but the consequences are fairly universal. For parents and caregivers, sleep issues deepen the stresses they may already feel managing the needs of a child on the spectrum on top of life’s other demands.”

Sleep Problems in Autism Explained
“A 2019 study, one of the largest to investigate the prevalence of sleep problems in autism, suggested that nearly 80 percent of autistic preschoolers have disrupted sleep. Sleep problems are twice as common among children with autism as they are among typical children or those with other developmental conditions.”

The resources below on ASD were added on September 25, 2019 and were contributed by a parent,  Don Wise.  The experience based suggestions below may not be evidence based.  

5 Pieces of Advice on Getting a Job with Aspergers or Autism
Five Tips compiled by a psychologist.

How to Travel Stress-Free When Your Child Has Autism
“When traveling with an autistic child, sensory supports for a road trip are essential. Be sure to pack a portable sensory toolbox of tricks that will provide the necessary sensory inputs to help your child regulate and combat motion sickness and sensory overload.”

How to Create the Ultimate Playroom for a Child with Autism
“Whether you are moving to a new home or simply looking to renovate your home, there are plenty of simple, inexpensive ways to ensure their play area is a welcoming environment where they can learn, grow and play without worry or fear. Here are a few tips to get you started.”

How to Choose a Summer Camp for Your Child with Autism
“Summer camp can be a positive and enriching experience for children on the autism spectrum, providing an alternative to the rigorous school year routine and opportunities for peer interactions. However, finding the right fit for your child can be intimidating and does require research and planning – here are some steps to help get you started.”  (from a parent blog)

Supporting Students with Autism: 10 Ideas for Inclusive Classrooms
“Students with autism may have unique needs with learning, social skills, and communication. These ten simple ideas will help teachers address some of these needs and provide guidance for bringing out the best in learners with autism.”

Enhancing Well-Being and Happiness for People with ASD Through Fine Arts
“The fine arts are a wonderful outlet for self-exploration, creativity and self-expression. They are another channel for communication, showing us a window into a person’s world.  Experiences in the arts play a valuable role in helping a person to participate fully in the community and in society as a whole. They provide enrichment in life and can be an excellent teaching tool.”

The resources below were added on February 15, 2019 and were contributed by a parent, Jenny Wise.

How to Help Your Child with Autism Overcome Picky Eating
“Picky Eaters can eat a lot. What they constrict mainly are the types of food they’ll eat, or the conditions under which they will eat. The most common type is the kid that prefers the “all brown” diet, as one father put it, and that consists of fried, starchy, sweet and salty foods that have great appeal for children.”

How to Help Your Child with Autism Cope During and After a Move
“There’s a reason moving is considered one of the top five most stressful situations in life, right up there with divorce, job loss, major illness, and the death of a loved one. It’s no secret why. In addition to being a major hassle, it disrupts your life in ways that push even the most organized, experienced adults to their mental and physical limits.”

The four resources following were added on April 23, 2018 and contributed by Jasmine Dyoco

15 Behavior Strategies for Children on the Autism Spectrum
“In this article you will find 15 supportive behavior strategies for children on the autism spectrum (some strategies can be used with adults as well). Many of the strategies can also be used to help children without autism who have challenging behaviors.”

How to Create a Backyard Sanctuary for Children with Disabilities
“Children of all abilities and needs should have room to play and explore their world. In fact, play is so important for a child’s development that the United Nations declared play is a human right for children. Making your home a place where a child with special needs can be active takes more than a look around. You’ll want to brainstorm ways the outside can be an inclusive sanctuary for children of all abilities, too”

Helping Aspergers Teen Survive and Thrive: 15 Key Steps
Helping children with Aspergers cope with the teen years

Strategies for Working with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
“Structure and routine to a child with ASD is like glasses for a child who has a visual impairment or a hearing aid for a child with a hearing
impairment. It’s that important. The more organized and structured the environment and consistent the teaching style, the better.

Just Great Lawyers: Estate Planning for Parents of Children with Autism
“As people grow older, especially parents, they begin to think about the future, and how their children will be provided for after they’re gone. For parents of children without developmental disabilities, this is easier, as those children can typically provide for themselves.”  (July 15, 2016)

Sesame Street and Autism
Sesame Street and Autism:    (July 15, 2016)

Reduce the Noise
Help loved ones with sensory overload enjoy shopping

Institute for the Neurologically Typical
Semi-humorous dissenting opinion.  “Neurotypical syndrome is a neurobiological disorder characterized by preoccupation with social concerns, delusions of superiority, and obsession with conformity.”

FSU Center for Autism
Florida State University Center for Autism & Related Disorders.  “FSU CARD is dedicated to providing individuals with Autism or related disabilities, their families, and professionals who work with them, free consultation, resources, and educational support to build knowledge, confidence, infrastructure, and sustainability within the community.”

Dietary Intervention for Autism
Autism Network for Dietary Intervention.  “Providing Information for Families Using a Gluten & Casein Free Diet in the Treatment of Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities.”  Note:  Dietary interventions should ONLY be implemented in coordination with your child’s physician. Editor

National Autism Resource Center for Autism
National Autism Resource & Information Center.  “The Arc is the largest national community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.”

Autism Society of American resources on autism
Autism Society of America.  “The Autism Society, the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. We do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.”

Autism Speaks resources on autism
Autism Speaks.  “Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright, grandparents of a child with autism. Their longtime friend Bernie Marcus donated $25 million to help financially launch the organization. Since then, Autism Speaks has grown into the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization.”

NY clinical practice guidelines for autism
Clinical practice guidelines NY Dept. of Health.  “More information about autism is available from the New York State Department of Health Bureau of Early Intervention’s publication Clinical Practice Guideline on Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Assessment and Intervention for Young children (Age 0-3 years). This publication provides recommendations based on the best scientific evidence available about “best practices” for assessment and intervention for young children to parents, clinicians, and others interested in autism.

Lovaas Home Page
Lovaas Institute for Early Intervention.  “We are committed to providing the highest quality treatment available to children diagnosed with autism or a related disorder. We approach this one child at a time by individualizing each child’s program to best meet his or her needs.’

US Autism and Aspergers Association 
Special Abilities, emphasis on autism, many links.  “US Autism & Asperger Association is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization which boasts a proud network of world-renowned professionals with expertise in Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and other related disorders. US Autism & Asperger Association hosts a compendious world conference in the United States each year, establishes standards for Autism and Asperger Syndrome training, and aligns with local community resources to offer support for the entire Autism and Asperger communities.”

TEACCH Home Page
TEACCH program University of North Carolina  “Carolina is the No. 1 public institution in the world for autism research, according to a 2012 report from the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, a federal advisory committee. Ranked No. 2 overall, Carolina is just behind Harvard University.”

Tony Attwood resources on Aspergers
Tony Attwood on Asperger’s Syndrome (Australia)

Organization of Autism Research
Need more resources?  Research autism updates their links regularly.   “This is not intended to be a complete listing of organizations and resources available to parents, researchers, and other consumers in the autism community.  Inclusion on this list indicates that OAR is familiar with the organization or has reviewed the resource listed and that the organization, service, or resource meets OAR’s Link Listing/Link Exchange policy below.  Inclusion does not constitute OAR’s endorsement.”

Aspergers Association of New England
“The Asperger’s Association of New England (AANE) works with individuals, families, and professionals to help people with Asperger Syndrome and similar autism spectrum profiles build meaningful, connected lives. We do this by providing information, education,  community, support, and advocacy, all in an atmosphere of validation and respect.”

Autism Alternative Interventions — Floortime and Son-Rise

Inclusion here is for information only.    Floortime appears to be primarily directed to SLP service providers.   Floortime supporters claim it is evidence based.   Son-Rise program supporters appear to rely primarily upon anecdotal reports.  

Floortime vs. Son-Rise (A Comparison)
“Recently, approaches to Autism have shown an appreciation of the effectiveness of the child-centered approach. Stanley Greenspan developed the Floor Time approach which describes itself as child-centered and comes from the school of thought that social understanding can be taught and is the most powerful route for learning. It is similar to The Son-Rise Program in that the focus is on interacting with the child through that child’s own interests. Greenspan also recognizes the importance of the child-family relationship over child-professional relationships and encourages parents to play with their children “on the floor.”  Warning:  This comparison was written by The Autism Treatment Center, the primary promoters of the Son-Rise program.

  Autism Speaks:   Floor Time 
“As its name suggests, Floortime encourages parents to engage children literally at their level – by getting on the floor to play. Families can combine it with other behavioral therapies or use it as an alternative approach.”

Certification and Training for Floortime
The on-line training program costs  $345 and provides access to the course and the manual for 180 days.  SLPs can earn c.e.u.s  ccording to the information provided, however, “There is no certification.”  However see the following link for additional training opportunities.

Floortime Research by Dianne Cullinane”
DIRFloortime is derived from over 50 years of study and research about child development from the fields of psychology, medicine, and education, and includes the areas of language, attention, mental health, infant development, sensory processing, and motor development.

Son-Rise Research
Although Son-Rise also has a research page claiming its program is evidence based, a comparison with the amount of information provided by Floortime is suggested.

Autism — The Floortime Model  A YouTube Presentation  (5:24 minutes)

Critical  Comments on “Treatments” for Autism

Note:  Except where noted, neither Floor Time nor Son-Rise are explicitly mentioned in any of the following articles.  They are appended here simply as a reminder that the ESSA and IDEA require service providers in public schools to use evidence based interventions  wherever possible.  Editor

Autism Watch –  Your Scientific Guide to Autism  (Added 4/22/2016)
Floor Time is described as an unsettled or investigational treatment; Son-rise isn’t mentioned at all.

Psychology Today — How the Quack Industry Harms Autistic Children  (Added 5/22/2016)
“Not only are many of the so-called ‘cures’ for autism that they promote worse than useless – causing discomfort and distress to the children, and even, in very rare cases, death – but the continual drive to ‘defeat autism’ prevents parents from coming to terms with their children’s condition, and can cause them to have a rather negative view of their own children.

FDA:  Beware of False or Misleading Claims for Treating Autism
(Added 4/22/2016) According to Gary Coody, R.Ph., FDA’s national health fraud coordinator, the agency has warned a number of companies that they are facing possible legal action if they continue to make false or misleading claims about products and therapies claiming to treat or cure autism. Some of these so-called therapies carry significant health risks.”

Autism Inc: The Discredited Science, Shady Treatments, and Rising Profits Behind Alternative Autism Treatments
(Added 4/22/2016)  An article from the Texas Observer.  “The road parents must navigate is made more perilous by medical professionals willing to prescribe all sorts of treatments, from hyperbaric oxygen chambers and chelation therapy (which removes heavy metals with chemicals) to shelves full of dietary supplements and other alternative remedies they say can treat, even cure, autism. At best these treatments remain unapproved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; at worst they are downright dangerous.”

FDA:  Beware of False or Misleading Claims for Treating Autism  (Added 4/22/2016)
A 2014 two page handout from FDA Consumer Health Information.

Autoimmune Diseases

NIH (Medline Plus).  “An autoimmune disorder occurs when thebody’s immune system attacks and destroys healthy body tissue by mistake. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune disorders.”
NIH  re autoimmune disorders

Autoimmune Diseases Fact Sheet  (U.S. Department of Health).   Handouts, link, and free email updates to subscribers
Women’s Health Fact Sheet on autoimmune disorders

Autoimmune Disease in Women.  “Named a major women’s health issue by the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), autoimmunity is the underlying cause of more than 100 serious, chronic illnesses.””  A Spanish version is available.
Auto-immune disease in Women

Osteoarthritis and the Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan
Medicare Advantage and Osteoarthritis

National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
National Institute of Arthritis

Arthritis and the Benefits of Swimming
Swimming and Arthritis (Benefits)

Water Walking
Healthline:  “This low-impact exercise not only has the potential to give you a great cardio workout, it can also help you burn calories, while building strength in many muscle groups.”
Resources For Ensuring A Long Happy And Healthy Life
Kanetix Home Page
Thanks to Kelly Campbell

Blindness and Visual Impairment/Deaf Blind

Also see our Disabilities/Blind and Visually Impaired page.

Physical Therapy for the Blind: Resources
” Many resources exist online to provide support, tips, and further information about blindness for those who are blind or visually impaired.”  (Thanks to Suzie Loomis)

National Consortium on Deaf Blindness Home Page
National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness.  “As a national technical assistance center funded by the federal Department of Education, NCDB works to improve the quality of life for children who are deaf-blind and their families”

AAO Home Page
American Academy of Ophthalmology is a professional association for opthalmologists, but this website is also a resource for patients and the public about eye diseases

ACB Home Page
American Council of the Blind.   “The American Council of the Blind strives to increase the independence, security, equality of opportunity and quality f life for all blind and visually impaired people.”

AFB Home Page
American Foundation for the Blind.  “he American Foundation for the Blind removes barriers, creates solutions, and expands possibilities so people with vision loss can achieve their full potential.”

APH for the Blind Home Page
American Printing House for the Blind.  “The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is the world’s largest nonprofit organization creating educational, workplace, and independent living productsand services for people who are visually impaired.”

Lighthouse International Home Page
Lighthouse International dedicated to fighting vision loss

History of Reading Codes
History of Reading Codes for the Blind

NFB Home Page
National Federation of the Blind

School Health Home Page
Near vision screening cards: register, then click on vision & hearing screening, then visual acuity charts,

Information from Lea on Vision Tests
On Lea near vision symbol card

Vision Card Instructions
Instructions for Lea near vision cards

Charge Syndrome
Website for parents of children with Charge Syndrome.  “CHARGE syndrome is a recognizable (genetic) pattern of birth defects which occurs in about one in every 9-10,000 births worldwide. It is an extremely complex syndrome, involving extensive medical and physical difficulties that differ from child to child. “

Accessible Travel
Travel tips for people with visual impairments (and other disabilities) by Patti Jackson (Wakanow.com travel agency)

WIKI List of On-line Resources for the Blind
A  wIKI compilation of links on blindness

Degenerative Disorders resulting in Blindness and Death

Children with the following disorders may require more frequent (at least annual) reevaluations and adjustments to their IEPs.

Krabbe Disease
“The symptoms of Krabbe disease usually begin before the age of 1 year (the infantile form). Initial signs and symptoms typically include irritability, muscle weakness, feeding difficulties, episodes of fever without any sign of infection, stiff posture, and slowed mental and physical development. As the disease progresses, muscles continue to weaken, affecting the infant’s ability to move, chew, swallow, and breathe. Affected infants also experience vision loss and seizures.  Less commonly, onset of Krabbe disease can occur in childhood, adolescence,”

Canadian Links

Differences between US and Canadian Norms
Pearson’s rebuttal to an article purporting to show Canadian norms resulted in Canadians scoring lower than Americans on the WAIS IV.   (8/7/2016)

Support for the Use of Canadian Norms for the WAIS IV   (8/7/2016)
“The purpose of the current study is threefold: First, to summarize the consistent finding of Canada–U.S. differences on measures of ability and present new empirical analyses to demonstrate these results are not due to a smaller sample size for Canadian norms. Second, and most importantly, matched sample comparisons demonstrate that the proportion of low scoring individuals (FSIQ < 85) in mixed clinical samples is consistent with the rates published by recent studies, and not greater than expected. Third, we offer evidence-based advice to clinicians practicing in Canada on the appropriate use of Canadian norms for Canadian clients during an individual assessment of intellectual functioning.”

Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards
“Serving member juridictions by promoting excellence in regulation and advancing public protection in psychology.”

The Great Canadian Psychology Website
“The Great Canadian Psychology Website introduces students to great Canadian researchers, their research methods, and their contributions to Psychology. Text biographies and video biographies for Canadian researchers are featured on this website.”

How to find a Psychologist in Canada
“Welcome to findapsychologist.ca, the searchable Directory of all Registrants of the Canadian Register of Health Service Psychologists (CRHSP). This Directory is updated every month and ensures that you have access to the most up-to-date list of qualified health psychologists”

Psychology Laws & Licensing Boards In Canada & the United States
“Where possible, links are provided for the licensing board’s home page and for various documents such as legislation relevant to the practice of psychology in that province or state, application information for a psychology license or registration, and continuing education requirements.”

Famous Psychologists of Canada
“List of notable or famous psychologists from Canada, with bios and photos, including the top psychologists born in Canada and even some popular psychologists who immigrated to Canada. If you’re trying to find out the names of famous Canadian psychologists then this list is the perfect resource for you. These psychologists are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known psychologist from Canada is included when available.’

Canadian Test Centre
Canadian Test Centre.  “CTC/Canadian Test Centre Inc. is a wholly Canadian-owned and operated educational assessment service and publisher. Since 1980, CTC has acquired broad experiences in publishing, project management and large-scale data management and reporting.”

Canadian Psychological Association Home Page
Canadian Psychological Association.  “The Canadian Psychological Association, or the CPA, is the national professional association of psychologists and counts students, researchers and health care providers among its membership of almost 7,000.”

Ontario Ministry/Special Education
Ontario Ministry of Education: Special Ed

Hincks Delicrest Centre
Free mental health resources.  “The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre is a children’s mental health centre located in Toronto, Canada, that provides prevention, early intervention, and treatment services to infants, children, and youth who live in local communities. For over thirty years, these services have included mental health consultation services to teachers and other school personnel”

LDAO Home Page
Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario.  “The Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario is a registered charity dedicated to improving the lives of children, youth and adults with learning disabilities. Our mission is to provide leadership in learning disabilities advocacy, research, education and services and to advance the full participation of children, youth and adults with learning disabilities in today’s society.”

Implications for Classification using Canadian WAIS Norms
“The ramifications of utilizing the different norms were examined with regard to psychoeducational assessments and educational placement decisions particularly with respect to the diagnoses of Learning Disability and Intellectual Disability.  ”

Cattell-Horn-Carroll Theory and Applications

Cattell Horn Carrol Theory is the basis of an assessment process known as cross battery assessment (usually abbreviated as XBA).  There are a number of books on the subject, but what follows are some online links to materials available for free.  (Added October 5, 2017)

The CHC Cross Battery Approach by Flanagan, Ortiz and Alfonso
” The Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Cross-Battery assessment approach (also referred to as the XBA approach) is a time-efficient assessment method grounded solidly in contemporary psychometric theory and research. The XBA approach systematically integrates data across cognitive and achievement batteries, enabling mental health professionals to expand their traditional assessments to more comprehensively address referral concerns.”

CHC Theory, Cross Battery Assessment, SLD
A YouTube presentation on the topic by Dr. Vincent Alfonso

Also see: Dumont-Willis CHC

The Mind Hub
Mindhub replaces Kevin’s IQ Corner and IAP home page.  ” MindHub™ is an internet portal that organizes cutting edge information and resources focused on measuring and improving the performance of the human mind and other domains of personal competence. 

The Cattell-Horn-Caroll Theory (Wiley On-line Library)
“The Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities is the most comprehensive and empirically supported psychometric theory of the structure of cognitive abilities to date. ”

Psychology of CHC — SlideShare Presentation
23 Slides

Conduct and Oppositional Defiant Disorders

WedMD: Mental Health and Conduct Disorder
“Conduct disorder is a serious behavioral and emotional disorder that can occur in children and teens. A child with this disorder may display a pattern of disruptive and violent behavior and have problems following rules.”

Mental Health: Conduct Disorder
“Conduct disorder is a severe condition characterized by hostile and sometimes physically violent behavior and a disregard for others. Children with CD exhibit cruelty, from early pushing, hitting and biting to, later, more than normal teasing and bullying, hurting animals, picking fights, theft, vandalism, and arson. Since childhood and adolescent conduct disorder often develops into the adult antisocial personality disorder, it should be addressed with treatment as early as possible; the earlier treatment starts, the better the outlook.”

Medline Plus: Conduct Disorder
“Conduct disorder is a set of ongoing emotional and behavioral problems that occurs in children and teens. Problems may involve defiant or impulsive behavior, drug use, or criminal activity.”

Kids Mental Health: Conduct Disorder Oppostional Defiant Disorder
Conduct  disorder/ODD is an exhausting disorder affecting children, or the entire family, when a child with the disorder behaves in a manner resembling the terrible two’s magnified by 50.”

Conduct Disorder vs. Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Teens with Problems (Differences based on the DSM IV)

NIH article on Predictors of Social Maladjustment in Boys
Symptoms of Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and Callous-Unemotional Traits as Unique Predictors of Psychosocial Maladjustment in Boys: Advancing an Evidence Base for DSM-5.Confidentiality

Also see our page on FERPA

Home Page for FPCO
Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO), United States Department of Education office responsible for enforcing FERPA and the PPRA.  Includes links to regulations, model parent notifications, and relevant court cases

Joint Guidance on FERPA and HIPAA
Joint FERPA & HIPAA Guidance from the United States Department of  Health and Department of Education; where FERPA rules, HIPAA does not.  Explains when HIPAA does apply in a public school setting

Additional federal guidance on HIPAA
Department of Health and Human Services guidance on the  medical privacy law

Wrightslaw on FERPA
An alternative source of FAQs. articles, caselaw, and other resources on FERPA

IDEA and FERPA Confidentiality ProvisionsA side by side comparison by the United States Department of Education of the legal requirements imposed by Part B, Part C, and FERPA Regulations

OSEP Letter to Charlcie Flinn May 8, 2013
Provides requested clarification of how FERPA and HIPAA relate to Part C programs

Curriculum-Based Assessment (CBA), Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM), Response to Intervention (RTI), Problem-Solving Model (PSM)

Also see Multi-Tiered System of Supports below

Mark Shinn’s Resources and Downloads Page
One of the most comprehensive collections of downloadable materials on RTI on the Internet.

DIBELS Home Page
The official DIBELS homepage.  “The UO DIBELS Data System was developed and is maintained by education experts at the University of Oregon’s Center on Teaching and Learning.”

AIMSweb probes and research on CBM

RIPM (Research on Progress Monitoring)
Research Institute on Progress Monitoring

Heartland AEA 11
Heartland Area Agency, Johnston, Iowa  Special Education Page   Heartland AEA 11 was the pioneer in problem solving models and response to intervention cited by OSERS in the 2006 Final Regulations for the IDEA.

FCRR DIBELS
Florida Center for Reading Research  DIBELS

Intervention Central
Jim Wright’s Intervention Central

National Association of State Directors of Special Education
RTI Policies & Procedures book order form.  (Note:  state plans take precedence over NASDSE recommendations.)

Also see our web page
State Links
for state specific links to regional resources on RTI

Deafness and Hearing Loss

Resources and Materials Supporting Services for Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing/Wisconsin. 12/12/2018
This website provides helpful information for schools in considering the needs of children who are deaf, particularly with respect to the factors IEP teams should be considering in making decisions regarding both the location and types of services these children receive.

Resources/DeafTEC
A few additional links on teaching students and hiring qualified employees.  12/12/2018

Accessible Travel  Travel Tips for people with hearing impairments (and other disabilities) by Patti Jackson (Wakanow.com travel agency)

ASDC Home Page
The American Society for Deaf Children provides resources for families, educators, and providers, including information for parents about the IDEA.

BEGINNINGS for Parents.
“BEGINNINGS for Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing is a  non-profit that helps parents and families understand hearing loss, and the diverse needs of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.” (5/18)

Closed Captioning and Other Assistive Technologies
Video Caption Corporation (OSEP approved vendor)  “At Video Caption Corporation, we provide high quality closed captioning, subtitling, audio description and video translation services. With offices in New York and California, our friendly and knowledgeable staff will make sure that your project is done on time and within budget”  Obviously, these services are NOT free!

Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
“The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. promotes excellence in the delivery of interpreting services among diverse users of signed and spoken languages through professional development, networking, advocacy, and standards.”

DEAF Websites
A comprehensive list of websites for the deaf and hearing impaired  Annotated listing.  (5/18)

English to ASL Converter
ASL software.  Provides a visual and written description of the ASL equivalent of any word in their dictionary.   Quicktime is needed to see the pictures.

Hearing Loss Association Home Page
“HLAA provides assistance and resources for people with hearing loss and their families to learn how to adjust to living with hearing loss. HLAA is working to eradicate the stigma associated with hearing loss and raise public awareness about the need for prevention, treatment, and regular hearing screenings throughout life.”

Hearmore.com
Products for the deaf and hard of hearing from a commercial vendor

Listening and Spoken Language Center
Alexander Graham Bell Association – “On this page you will find a full listing of information and resources to help you learn about your child’s hearing loss, and things you can do to ensure they have access to language as early as possible. “

NAD Home Paage
National Association of the Deaf describes itself as the premier civil rights organization for people who are deaf in the United States

National Consortium on Deaf Blindness
National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness provide resources and a transition toolkit for enhancing self determination for young adults who are deaf and blind.

OCR: Serving Deaf Students
“The Department provides additional guidance about part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (section 504) as they relate to the provision of appropriate education service to students who are deaf.”

Unilateral Hearing Loss (UHL)

ASHA on Unilateral Hearing Loss
“Children with UHL may have difficulties in school. Being aware of these difficulties may help you and/or your child’s teacher to catch any problems early. Help is always available for your child.”

Resources for Children with Hearing Loss
“Many people think that if you hear fine in one ear that the other ear will make up for the ear with the hearing loss. This is not true. Having typical hearing in only one ear can result in learning problems that parents need to know about.”

Resources for Children One Page Handout
A handy dandy handout for teachers and parents from Resources for Children above.

National Workshop on Mild and Unilateral Hearing Loss (2005)
CDC Workshop Proceedings on UNL in 2005.  74 pages.

CDC Workshop Publication
Intended for professionals, this is a 74 page publication of the proceedings from a 2005 Workshop on Mild and Unilateral Hearing Loss

Discipline

King Sends Letter to States  Calling for an End to Corporal Punishment in the Schools.  “U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. sent a letter today [November 25, 2016] urging state leaders to end the use of corporal punishment in schools, a practice repeatedly linked to harmful short-term and long-term outcomes for students.”  Added January 5, 2017.

NEA:  Why are 19 States Still Allowing Corporal Punishment.  “Between 1974 and 1994, 25 states would ban the practice, recognizing that it was an ineffective and inappropriate school discipline measure..”

Recorded Books

Blackstone Audio
Unabridged rentals and sales

Learning Ally
Learning Ally (was Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic)

Recorded Books
Unabridged rentals and sales

Retention

For Sped Resources on retention, redshirting,  and Light’s Retention Scale, click here on Social Promotion and Retention in Grade

Safety — School Resources

Trump Administration Issues New School Safety Guidelines (9/25/2019)

Secret Service Enhancing School Safety (2018) (Added July 14, 2018)
“The guide provides schools and communities with a framework  to identify students of concern, assess their risk for engaging in violence, and identify intervention strategies to mitigate the risk,”  Compare to their 2002 recommendations and the 2001 FBI recommendations listed below.

Secret Service Threat Assessment in Schools (2002) (Added July 14, 2018)
“This document, Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Managing Threatening
Situations and to Creating Safe School Climates, takes these findings one step further
by setting forth a process for identifying, assessing, and managing students who may
pose a threat of targeted violence in schools.”  Compare this document to the document prepared by the FBI in 2001 (FBI -The School Shooter) below.

CDC Safe Youth, Safe Schools.
“Keep children safe. While our nation’s schools are expected to be, and usually are, safe havens for learning, unintentional injuries and even violence can occur, disrupting the educational process and negatively affecting the school and surrounding community.” (6/2018)

FBI – The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective  (6/`18)
This 2001 document document was prepared at the request of Janet Reno by the FBI at Quantico.  Its main focus was on identifying various levels of threat and its recommendations on how schools and law enforcement should interact.  However, it also included some recommendations for improving school climate, some it endorsed, some it just passed on.  It is still relevant today, although in the 17 years since additional resources have become available to the schools and schools administrators on Bullying,  school safety resources and implementing evidence based PBIS interventions. (5/31/2018)

(Added 4/2/2018)  The following lins reflect a series of research (Part !, !! and !!!) by Dr. Howie Knoff.

Part I What we Already Know About School Shootings and What to Do
“There have been 19 shootings so far this year—on or around school premises—including the one at Stoneman Douglas High School that claimed 17 souls last week.”

Part II  School Shootings, Comprehensive Prevention, Mandatory (Mental Health) Reporting, and Standardized Threat Assessments 
“I emphasized that, while we need to remember the fallen and mourn our losses, the ultimate school violence goal is to prevent the next act of violence, the next (God forbid) school shooting.    To help attain this goal, I re-reviewed the June 2004 U.S. Secret Service and Department of Education document, The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States.”

Part IIIListening to Students—When They Make Sense; and Not Listening to Students—When They’re Ready to Kill
“  I honestly was not planning a Part III to this Series—a Series that was prompted by the tragedy, five weeks ago, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where 17 souls lost their lives and at least 20 additional students and staff were injured.   But this Part III has become necessary. . . at least, for three reasons. “

School Psychologists are Critical to School Safety and Violence (NASP)
“The need for more school psychologists and other school employed mental health professionals has been at the forefront of the national conversation, as has the need for more effective gun safety laws.”

School Safety Resources (NAESP)
“A principal’s first job is to keep student safe. School safety starts with strong leadership: taking precautions to prevent crises in your building, developing a plan for disasters, and acting decisively if the unthinkable does occur”

School Safety (Parent Teacher Association)
Includes links to additional resources as well as specific advice on what parents can tell their children

Resources for State Leaders Seeking to Improve School Safety
This PDF includes links to over thirty resources addressing a variety of school safety issues

School Shootings:  History Keeps Repeating Itself (Part I). . . . What We Already Know, and What Schools, Staff, and Students Need to Do (A psychologist’s blog)
” Twenty years of school shootings. . . where students, staff, and others have lost their lives. . . others have suffered life-long injuries. . . and still others have been traumatized because of the tragic events.”

Safety at Home

Suggestions on improving school safety frequently focus on keeping children safe from violence and bullying – or on making physical modifications, not so much to improve safety but ti ensure access.  While the following links include some that include suggestions for improving accessibility in a home, most include ideas that could be helpful to the parents of all children, not just parents of children with disabilities.  Specific resources for children with a specific disability, however, may be found under the appropriate headings.  

A separate section on gun safety follows the following suggestions on improving home safety.  Schools typically provide their children with extensive training on what to do in a fire, but gun safety is all but ignored.  Teaching ire safety rules is certainly important as about 500 children die as a result of fires each year.   However, currently, about 1300 children below the age of 18 die by guns  in our country each year.  It’s the second leading cause of child death following motor vehicle accidents. And while the child death toll by gunfire  remained relatively flat for most of this century, in recent years it has been spiking.

Protect the Ones You Love – Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2/18/2019)
This website links to eleven discrete web pages covering eleven common areas wherein prevention can prevent injury or death. “Injuries are the leading cause of death in children ages 19 and younger. But most child injuries can be prevented.”

Keeping Safe from Injury for Children with Special Needs (2/18/2019). 
This downloadable 32 page PDF document is one of the more comprehensive resources addressing ways parents can help prevent injuries to their child.  The authors do not assume they have covered every possible scenario but include a list of other resources concerned parents can consult.

Video Series for Parents of Children with Disabilities — SafeKids.org (2/18/2019)
A series of videos on safety measures that may be helpful for parents with a variety of needs.    These videos actually explore the varying needs of children and how to meet them in ways that, in this reviewer’s opinion, a brochure or handout cannot.  Guy’s grandfather boiled down good pedagogy to a simple rubric — “Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you’ve told them.”  This series meets those criteria.

Gun Safety at Home  (2/25/2019)

Since the Parkland killings in February, 2018, in which 17 students died, it has been reported in the past year that more than 1200 children have died by gunfire. 

Death from firearms is the second leading cause of death in children.  While we have addressed gun safety in schools in a separate section, children are not only at risk at school.  It is undisputed that it is far more likely that when there is a gun in the home, it is more likely that a family member or guest will be an innocent victim  than a home invader.  Obviously, not having a gun in the home at all would be the best safety measure, but  in a country where it has been reported that the average gun owning household has an average of 8.1 guns, that “solution”  is a fantasy at best.

Hence the addition of these resources.  Federal and state laws may also apply.  Information in the preceding embedded links may or may not be current, so check your local states. 

Guns in the Home – HealthyChildren.org
“Did you know that roughly a third of U.S. homes with children have guns? In fact, nearly 2 million children live with unlocked, loaded guns. Parents may not realize what a serious injury risk a gun in the home is, especially for children.”

NRA Family — Six Ways to Safely Store Your Firearms
“The right safe storage solution for everyone is different. Whichever method you choose, it must provide an adequate level of protection to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing the firearms. The determination of what is “adequate protection” is a matter of judgment on the part of the individual gun owner.”  Note:  Check your federal and state gun laws.  The determination of what is “adequate protection” may be a matter of law in your jurisdiction.  Again, the embedded links in the preceding sentence and above  may or may not reflect current legislation in your jurisdiction.  .

Gun Safety with Kids in the House (WebMD)
“How do you make sure a gun is locked securely? Most new guns come with robust security that makes shooting impossible, says Mark Warner with Blue Ridge Arsenal, an indoor shooting range and gun shop in Chantilly, VA. One type is like a vise that covers the trigger. The other is a thick cable that fits into the barrel.”

Firearms Safety — 10 Rules of Safe Gun Handling (National Shooting Sports Foundation)
“While you’re at the shooting range or anywhere you handle a firearm safety ALWAYS comes first there are 10 Rules of Firearms Safety and the first four are the big ones.”

How to Store Guns Safely at Home (Fox News)
“The safest way to store a gun is within a well concealed lock box or gun safe. This will prevent unauthorized access to the weapon.”

Guide to Basic Gun Safety (Alarms.org)
“Gun safety is the responsibility of the owner, and no one else. It’s also not something that should be taken lightly, since the destructive potential of firearms is huge.”

Sample Parent Letters (for parents)

Although all states offer parents access to a mediation process, each state may offer some additional dispute resolution mechanisms, including informal dispute resolution meetings and facilitated IEPs.   Covering the scope of each state’s offering is beyond the limitations of this website, but links to all state websites are provided on our Spedlaw/State Regulations web page where readers may conduct their own independent searches..

Student Advocacy Center (Michigan)
These sample letters are intended for use by an advocate.   Each sample letter has example information in each necessary field. This is to be used as a guide. Parents should always keep a copy of any letter for your own records

Adams and Associates (CA): Special Education Letters for Parents
“These are samples correspondence with instructions that parents of special needs children can use to draft letters to their child’s school district or other location educational agency (county office of education, etc.). IDEA 2004 and California Education Code citations as well as any relevant case law are also included.”  CA Code citations not relevant in any other state  of course.

Parent Center Hub: Communicating with your Child’s School Through Letter Writing  An archived publication from the National  Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (a.k.a., NICHCY) with general hints and suggestions on effective letter writing along with sample letters illustrating those suggestions.

Wrightslaw Advice on Letter Writing

Peter Wright, as you might imagine, has some letters as well.  General advice on letter writing can be found at   with an incredible wealth of information.  (My favorite, though, is his sample “thank you” letter.   Not everything parents send us has to be about their rights and/or our failures.)  There is a real danger when parents write letters while they are still angry that the effect may be counter to what they intend”

Letter to a Stranger

Peter’s page on a “Letter to a Stranger” illustrates both the right way and not-so-right way to go about doing that.

Search Engines, References, and Tool

Google Scholar

Google search engine for scholarly articles

Google Translate/
Translations into other languages

Acronym Finder
Look up acronyms and abbreviations

Wayback Machine
WayBack Machine to find old, lost Web pages

BabelFish
Translations into other languages

Bartleby.com
Many useful on-line research tools

Amazon Advanced Search for Books
Books, including out of print

Bookfinder Search 
Books, including out of print

Encyclopaedia Brittanica
Encyclopedia Britannica

Education Resources Information Center.
ERIC

Google
Search engine

Google Specialized Search Engine
Google specialized search engines

Hyperdictionary
Hyperdictionary

Infoplease Encyclopedia
General information

Pics4Learning Home Page
Copyright-friendly, free images for multimedia

Stuffit for Mac (Apple)
Free Aladdin Expander

Language Line Solutions
Telephone. Translators and Interpreters 800-811-7881

The Free Dictionary
The Free Dictionary by Farlex

The Urban Dictionary
Slang dictionary updated by members

Selective Mutism

Selective Mutism Support Group   (Added 4/12/2016)
Another Listserv sponsored by Yahoo.com.  Information on joining can be obtained at the link above.  This Listserv has about 1300 members.   It is active, but not overly so, with only 7 messages in the week preceding the addition of this resource.  The home page above contains a number of resources that have NOT been reviewed by this Editor.  The Listserv is not moderated and caution is advised before acting upon advice provided by other members. The Group Description readings in part,  “Welcome to this group for parents, teachers and friends of children with Selective Mutism.   Children with SM usually do not speak in public although they often will speak to other children. SM is caused by extreme anxiety, the child appears to be very shy, but it is much more than this.
For information about SM, please see our Links and Files under the More section above. You may leave your contact information through the Database feature, and find others that live in your area.”

K12  Academics  (Added 4/12/2016)
“Selective mutism is a social anxiety condition, in which a person who is quite capable of speech is unable to speak in given situations..”  Their web page on Treatment provides links to succinct summaries regarding major treatment options including desenisitization, drug treatments, and stimulus fading.Common Myths

Selective Mutism Foundation.  ” I have found that misconceptions are widespread about what selective mutism is and how children develop this problem.”   A widely cited and recommended website that provides a  general introduction from a national organization, limited resources.  Some potentially useful materials, but pricey, e.g., a sample 504 Plan for $20.

ASHA: Selective Mutism.
Selective Mutism (ASHA).  An excellent summary of treatment alternatives.  Probably the most authoritative source of free information.

PsychCentral: Symptoms of Selective Mutism
Symptoms of Selective Mutism (American Psychiatric Assn)   A brief two minute read; introduction to selective mutism only.

Medline Plus: Selective Mutism
Selective Mutism (Medline)   A very brief description of selective mutism; possibly handy as a handout

Huffington Post: Selective Mutism
Huffington Post article.   Mostly human interest stories about people who suffered from this malady.

Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Issues

National School Mental Health Implementation Guidance Modules and Related Projects | Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network (mhttcnetwork.org)(Added July 3, 2021)
“The modules focus on the following core components of comprehensive school mental health:

• Educators and Student Instructional Support Personnel
• Collaboration and Teaming
• Multi-Tiered System of Supports
• Evidence-Informed Services and Supports
• Cultural Responsiveness and Equity
• Data-Driven Decision Making”

American Psychological Association.  What Parents Should Know About Treatment of Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Preschool Children.
For Parents of Preschool Children. “The number of children diagnosed with and treated for disruptive disorders including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has markedly increased over the last decade. Concurrent with this trend is a growing debate about the best way to treat such problems in children.” (5/2018)

Center for Parent Information and Resources.
Parent friendly.  “The mental health of our children is a natural and important concern for us all. The fact is, many mental disorders have their beginnings in childhood or adolescence, yet may go undiagnosed and untreated for years.”  (5/2018)

Children’s Mental Health and Emotional or Behavioral Issues Project.
Parent friendly. “Among all the dilemmas facing a parent of a child with emotional or behavioral problems, the first question — whether the child’s behavior is sufficiently different to require a comprehensive evaluation by professionals — may be the most troublesome of all.  (5/18)

Do2Learn.
Teaching strategies.  “It is important to implement strategies that address the needs of the individual.  We recommend that you apply these strategies across home, school, and community contexts.” (5/18)

New Study Links Kindergarten Social-Emotional Skills to Long-Term Success  (April 10, 2017)
“The study examined the relationship between kindergarteners’ social-emotional readiness and key educational outcomes in more than 9,000 elementary school students enrolled in Baltimore City Public Schools.”

Zirkel – Use of Seclusion and Timeout    (Added September 4, 2016)
“The use of seclusion and restraints with students with disabilities has been a major legal issue in recent years. Congress has repeatedly considered bills to prohibit the use of seclusion and restrict the use of restraints in K–12 schools to emergency situations, but the chief proponent of federal legislation, Senator Tom Harkin, recently retired (C-SPAN, 2014), and the movement against such aversive procedures appears to have shifted to the state legislative level, with several states adding or strengthening laws restricting restraints in the wake of proposed federal legislation (Butler, 2015).”

Restraint and Seclusion: Resource Guide (U.S. Dept. Ed.) 2012

Although ED explicitly disclaims any endorsement of the views in this document, nevertheless according to LRP it has been referenced by the Office for Civil Rights as the standard it applies in responding to complaints that schools have violated a child’s civil right in at least seven districts

Multi-Modal Functional Assessment
Jeffrey Miller Multimodal Functional Behavioral Ass’t

Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation
Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation

CASEL: Success in School, Skills for Life
Collaborative for Academic, Social & Emotional Learning

American Counseling Association
American Counseling Association

DSM 5 Corrections
DSM 5 Implementation, Support, Corrections

NIH: Bipolar Disorder
NIMH page for Bipolar Disorder

International OCD Foundation
Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation

OSEP PBIS Technical Assistqance
Positive behavioral intervention

Center for Advancement of Social and Emotional Learning
Center for Advancement of Social & Emotional Learning

BACB Home Page
Behavior Analysis Certification Board.  “The Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, Inc. (BACB®) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation established in 1998 to meet professional credentialing needs identified by behavior analysts, governments, and consumers of behavior analysis services”

Social Promotion and Retention in Grade

Note:  While there have been several studies posted on the Internet positing positive effects from retention, these have typically only followed students’ progress over shorter terms of time.   However, where substantial benefits were reported, there was also evidence of a substantial investment in instructional supports, such as individual tutoring; when retention is used as an intervention, successful outcomes for the students come at a cost significantly in excess that the repeated year alone costs the state.   See the Rand Study and the Public Policy Institute of California’s Research for outliers suggesting outcomes counter to virtually all of the research below.

Fair Test: Grade Retention – Still a Failed Policy
“Important new research by Guanglei Hong and Stephen Raudenbush reinforces years of findings that retaining students in grade harms rather than hurts the retained students without providing benefits to non-retained/promoted students. They looked at young children, whom retention proponents often view as the “safest” children to hold back, and concluded that “the kindergarten retention treatment leaves most retainees even further behind, and, therefore, impedes these children’s cognitive development over the repetition year.” While students who are retained do better the second year in the same grade, they actually would have learned substantially more if they had been promoted.”  (Added  4/2016)

Fair Test:  Test-Based Retention Program Fails in Chicago
“The first independent study of Chicago’s expensive grade retention program shows that about 70% of the 10,000 students who were required to repeat a grade in 1997 failed to meet minimum test scores for promotion set by the school system, even after test- prep summer school and a year of retention — at an annual cost exceeding $100 million. Retained students gained no more than similar low-achieving Chicago students who had simply been promoted before the new policy was put in place.”  (Added 4/2016)

Kindergarten Retention Fails to Help Academic Achievement
An older, 2005, study.  “For nearly 100 years, educators have debated the benefits of grade retention versus social promotion. A new examination of research on this perennially-controversial issue indicates that retention does not improve achievement among kindergartners in reading or mathematics, nor does it facilitate instruction by making classrooms more homogeneous academically. The report, based on the dissertation of Guanglei Hong, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, appears in the fall issue of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (EEPA), a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal published by the American Educational Research Association.”  (Added 4/2016)
NAESP:  Retention has no Place in America’s Schools
National Association of Elementary School  Principals:  “Why do I detest grade retention? Because the majority of research findings conclude that students who repeat a grade are harmed academically and socioemotionally and seldom persist to graduation.”

Retention, Delays, and Social Promotion.
Wrightslaw.   Over 20 links to various and sundry discussions.

Education Week:  Social Promotion
A discussion.   “Research suggests that neither social promotion nor retention is effective for improving student achievement.”

Five Strategies to Help Students Succeed.
Reading Rockets.  “This article takes the approach that if we avoid school failure in the first place, there might be less of a reason to consider retention.”

CDL Position Statement on Student Grade Retention and Social Promotion.
The Center for Development and Learning’s Position Statement.  “Despite a century of research that fails to support the efficacy of grade retention, the use of grade retention has increased over the past 25 years.”

IDRA:  Retention Fails but Continues to be Promoted.
Intercultural Development Research Assocation.  “The intuitive appeal of holding students back who have not mastered grade-level knowledge and skills is so strong and its history is so long that its efficacy is rarely questioned, even though research overwhelmingly shows that retention has negative personal and academic effects.”

NASP White Paper on Retention and Social Promotion.
NASP:  “The majority of studies conducted over the past four decades on the effectiveness of grade retention fail to support its efficacy in remediating academic deficits.”

Grade Retention and Promotion:  Information for Parents.
Another NASP publication.  “Whether used to address low performance and/or behavior problems, research generally has not found favorable achievement or adjustment outcomes for students who are retained.”

New Research Suggests Repeating Elementary Grades — Even Kindergarten — Is Harmful.
The Hechinger Report, Education by the Numbers.

Taking Responsibility for Ending Social Promotion (archived)
ED “Taking Responsibility for Ending Social Promotion (1999)

Fair Test: Testing and Grade Retention
“Along with the call to end social promotion has been a growing emphasis on using standardized tests as the way to measure whether students are ready to be promoted. In many districts, students must now obtain a certain score on a standardized exam to be promoted at various grade levels in elementary, middle and high school. Proponents of this use of tests argue that setting a passing requirement will cause students to try harder to pass. But testing experts, researchers and many education practitioners agree that standardized tests should not be used as a stick to persuade students nor be the sole measurement of achievement. ”

Redshirting

The Pros and Cons of “Holding Out”
Wisconsin Center for Education Research.  ” Until we know more, Graue says, redshirting and early retention should not be widely promoted or endorsed.”

Can Your Kid Hack it in Kindergarten?
Slate:  “n 2006, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Southern California analyzed national data collected over many years from 15,000 26-year-olds. They compared what became of kids who had been redshirted to what became of kids who had been young for their class but not redshirted. They  found that the redshirted kids performed worse on 10^th-grade tests, were twice as likely to drop out of school, and were less likely to graduate from college.”

Who Gets the Gift of  Time and What are the Outcomes?
American Education Research Journal.  “The achievement of redshirts is comparable to their normally entered peers; whereas retainees perform at lower levels.”

Beyond the Pros and Cons of Redshirting
“But it’s far from clear whether relative age has much to bear on a child’s future success. And absent a consensus, it may be best to hold off on redshirting, if only in the interest of playing it safe.”

Light’s Retention Scale

Light’s Retention Scale has historically been used by many school systems in an effort to gauge whether or not a decision to retain a child will be more likely to help than hurt.  (It’s continued popularity can be inferred from the fact that it is now in the Fifth Edition.)  We have not posted a link to this rating scale in large part due to research articles like those below which have failed to substantiate the validity of the scale in practice.

Reliability and Concurrent Validity of Light’s Retention Scale
Abstract “Light’s retention scale does not meet standards for a psychometric device for schools.”

Light’s Retention Scale:  Does it Have Content Validity?
Abstract: ” It is concluded that Light’s retention scale should not be used for any purposes directly related to predictions or decisions about student performance and retention.”

Light’s Retention Scale does not Predict Success in First Grade Retainees
Abstract:  “This result, added to earlier studies, suggests that Light’s Retention Scale is neither reliable nor valid as a psychometric device.”

Special Education Organizations and Resources

Resources available to general education that may also be relevant to special educators may be accessed by clicking here on General Education.

AAIDD
Amer. Assoc. Intellectual & Develop. Disabilities

Autism Society of America

Autism Speaks Home Page
Autism Speaks

Brain Injury Association of America
Brain Injury Association of America

Council for Exceptional Children
“The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is a professional association of educators dedicated to advancing the success of children with exceptionalities. We accomplish our mission through advocacy, standards, and professional development.

The organization has a long history as a leader in advocating on behalf of children and young adults with exceptionalities for the human and fiscal resources necessary to enable each individual to attain their highest level of education, employment, and life success.

CEC’s influence in shaping the policies that support publicly funded education, special education, and early intervention is well recognized and valued by legislators and other policy makers as well as other professional organization.”

International Association of Special Education
“The vision of the International Association of Special Education (IASE) is to improve the quality of life and service delivery for all individuals with special needs. ”

IDA
International Dyslexia Association

LDA
Learning Disabilities Association of America

National Association of Special Education Teachers
“The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) is the only national membership organization dedicated solely to meeting the needs of special education teachers and those preparing for the field of special education teaching.”

See Learning Disabilitieson this page for additional links.

See Disability Info/Specific Learning Disabilitiesfor historic documents.

See  Disability Info/Specific Learning Disabilities/Dyslexia for federal memos, organizations,and other reasources.

Speech/Language Impairments

An Exploration of Instructional Practices that Foster Language Development and Comprehension: Evidence from Prekindergarten through Grade 3 in Title I Schools  (August 2017)

Published by the Institute of Educational Sciences, the purpose of this study was “To examine the relationships between instructional practices and student growth in language and comprehension, we observed instructional practices in a sample of classrooms within Title I schools and administered assessments to students in those classrooms. The following sections provide an overview of the study sample (Section A), how we measured instructional practices (Section B), how we measured students’ language development and comprehension (Section C), the approaches we used to analyze the data (Section D), and the study’s key limitations (Section E).”

Specific links documenting the relationship between language deficits and problems in reading, writing, and math  (added February 4, 2017)

The Relationship Between Math and Language
Conclusion Mathematical difficulties of children who are ELLs appear to be related to the language demands of mathematics tasks. In contrast, children with SLI appear to have difficulty with mathematics tasks because of linguistic as well as nonlinguistic processing constraints.

The SLP’s Role (ASHA)
Math word problems include complex vocabulary and sentence structure and, therefore, are clearly within the scope of practice for an SLP to address. • A child’s ability to complete mathematical calculations may be masked by his or her inability to comprehend the complex language used in word problems. . Lack of success in math may well be language-related.

Supporting Students in the Language and Vocabulary of Math
. While it may appear easy to separate math from language arts and reading, the subjects and skills needed for each are increasingly intermingled. Because math is language-based, students with communication disorders may need support in the language and vocabulary of math. With federal mandates requiring specialists to teach to academic standards, addressing the language of math is within the scope of practice of speech-language pathologists.

ASHA’s Literacy Gateway.
“SLPs are often the first professionals to identify the root cause of reading and writing problems through a child’s difficulty with language. SLPs help children to build the skills they need to succeed in school and in life.”

General Information

Facilitated Communication
Free download of research on this debunked fad intervention

ASHA Home Page
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

ASHA Child Speech and Language
American Speech Language Hearing Association.  The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 173,070 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, speech, language, and hearing scientists, audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel, and students.”

NIH: Specific Language Impairment
“The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducts and supports research in the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language..”)

NASET: Speech and Language Topics
“The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) is a national membership organization dedicated to rendering all possible support and assistance to those preparing for or teaching in the field of special education. NASET was founded to promote the profession of special education teachers and to provide a national forum for their ideas.”

Headstart Speech and Language Impairments
“The Office of Head Start (OHS) promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through local programs.”

Kidshealth: Delayed Speech or Language
“Kidshealth is the number 1 most visited site for children’s health and development.”

do2learn: Speech and Language Impairments
Strategies for teaching language and speech.  “It is important to implement strategies that address the needs of the individual.  We recommend that you apply these strategies across home, school, and community contexts.”

Reading Rockets: Helping Children with Communication Disorders
Helping Children with Communication Disorders (Reading Rockets) by ASHA

Speech-language resources.com
“Effective classroom strategies really grew from a combination of sources. The tips outlined are a compilation of ideas from experienced teachers, text-books and from my own background and understanding. “

Stuttering  (Added 1/30/2018)

Stuttering – ASHA
“For young children, it is important to predict whether the stuttering is likely to continue. An evaluation consists of a series of tests, observations, and interviews designed to estimate the child’s risk for continuing to stutter.”

The Stuttering Foundation
“Stuttering is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions (li-li-like this), prolongations (lllllike this), or abnormal stoppages (no sound) of sounds and syllables.”

Science Direct Research Abstract
“Effect of an 8 week practice of externally triggered speech on basal ganglia activity of stuttering and fluent speakers:

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
“For very young children, early treatment may prevent developmental stuttering from becoming a lifelong problem. Certain strategies can help children learn to improve their speech fluency while developing positive attitudes toward communication. Health professionals generally recommend that a child be evaluated if he or she has stuttered for 3 to 6 months, exhibits struggle behaviors associated with stuttering, or has a family history of stuttering or related communication disorders. ”

KidsHealth-Stuttering
 “There’s no cure for stuttering, but effective treatments are available and you can help your child overcome it.”

National Stuttering Association
“Many individuals benefit from various forms of speech therapy and from support groups like the National Stuttering Association.”

Mayo Clinic – Stuttering
“Speech difficulties that appear after an emotional trauma (psychogenic stuttering) are uncommon and not the same as developmental stuttering.”

Statistics

Assessing Psyche
W. Joel Schneider: superb tutorials

Statistical Programs (Free Downloads for Mac and Windows)
Marley Watkins: many free statistics programs

Video by Joel Scheider on Measurement Scales
“An introduction to measurement scales: Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, Ratio”

Links to Free Statistical Software
“This page contains links to free software packages that you can download and install on your computer for stand-alone (offline, non-Internet) computing.”  (None tested by the editors.)

Top Free Statistical Software
More links to “free” statistical software; none reviewed by the Editors.

Suicide Prevention

Note:  Many state departments of educations offer advice and support on suicide prevention. Googling your own Education  Department may turn up additional valuable (and more local) resources.

A Model School Policy for Suicide  Prevention  American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  10/29/2018

Suicide  National Institute of Mental Health  (10/2018)
Also see the NIH link near the bottom of this list that addresses Suicide Prevention.  This link provides a definition and prevalence data showing it to be a leading cause of death in the United States

Suicide Mental Health America (10/28/2018)
Describes in detail the warning signs and offers suggestions on what to do if you suspect someone is suicidal

Suicide Rates in the US  Verywellmind  (10.29/2018)
Provides an easy to read breakdown of suicide incidence rates by age group.

Suicide and Prevention  Anxiety and Depression Association of America )10/29/2018)
Also discussed the warning signs, but perhaps more important provides a national hotline to call

APA: Suicidal Behavior in Children and Adolescents

A thirty page easy to read guide to helping prevent suicide

Teen Suicide is Preventable
“Teen suicide is a growing health concern. It is the third-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24, surpassed only by homicide and accidents, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Ten Things Parents Can Do To Prevent Suicide
“Maybe your child is merely having a bad day, but maybe it’s something more. Nine in ten adolescents who take their own lives were previously diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder—more than half of them with a mood disorder such as depression. Depressed people often retreat into themselves, when secretly they’re crying out to be rescued.”

KidsHealth: About Teen Suicide
“The tragedy of a young person dying because of overwhelming hopelessness or frustration is devastating to family, friends, and community.”

AAP Some Things You Should Know About Preventing Teen Suicide
“Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for all persons regardless of age, sex or race; the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 24; and the fourth leading cause of death for persons between the ages of 10 and 14.“

NIMH Suicide Prevention
“In order to be able to detect those at risk and prevent suicide, it is crucial that we understand the role of both long-term factors—such as experiences in childhood—and more immediate factors like mental health and recent life events.”

WHO: Preventing Suicide
World Health Organization:  “In WHO’s first suicide report “Preventing suicide: a global imperative” information is included on what is known about suicide across the world, groups at particular risk of suicide, and what can be done at both societal and individual level to reduce the number of deaths from suicide.”

Technology

Discover Technology
Links for disabilities and technology

Net Lingo
Tech and Internet acronyms, abbreviations, and terms

Trace Center University of Wisconsin
Trace Center University of Wisconsin

Hearmore.com
Products for the deaf and hard of hearing

Lyx The Document Processor
Math-friendly document processor

Mathtalk.com
Metroplex: voice-activated, on-screen math computing

Pearson CA Calculator
Downloadable CA calculator

Section 504 Regulations and Guidance
Section 508 technology accessibility rules

texthelp Home Page
Sells screen readers, etc.

Testing and Journal Data Bases

Pearson Resources for WISC V (Added 2/7/2023)

Current Issues in Education
Arizona State University:  Current Issues in Education  (Free)

APA Monitor (Free)
American Psychological Association Monitor

Education News
Daily general education news and links

Education World
Education World

Education Week
Education Week

ERIC.
ERIC

Journal Watch (Medical Articles)
Journal Watch Online: comments by MDs

New York Times
New York Times  (Limited free access; subscription required)

The ‘Free Library by Farlex
Free access to some journals

Scientific American
Scientific American  (Unlimited access requires subscription)

Social Psychology Network
Social Psychology

Buros Mental Measurements
Buros Mental Measurements Yearbooks  (Reviews for a fee)

Tourette Syndrome

What is Tourette’s Syndrome?
Tourette Association of America.   Discussion of criteria based on DSM 5 and a downloadable handout for parents.

Teen Health: Tourette Syndrome
“Many people have tics that go away in less than a year or mild tics that don’t interfere with their lives. But in some people, tics are more severe or long lasting.”

Mayo Clinic: Tourette Syndrome
“Although there’s no cure for Tourette syndrome, treatments are available. Many people with Tourette syndrome don’t need treatment when symptoms aren’t troublesome. Tics often lessen or become controlled after the teen years.”

WebMD: Brain and Nervous System Health Center
“The main symptom is tics. Some are so mild they’re not even noticeable. Others happen often and are obvious. Stress, excitement, or being sick or tired can make them worse. The more severe ones can be embarrassing and can affect your social life or work.”

CDC: Facts About Tourette Syndrome
“There is no single test, like a blood test, to diagnose TS. Health professionals look at the person’s symptoms to diagnose TS and other tic disorders. The tic disorders differ from each other in terms of the type of tic present (motor or vocal, or combination of the both), and how long the symptoms have lasted. TS can be diagnosed if a person has both motor and vocal tics, and has had tic symptoms for at least a year.”

Tourette Syndrome “Plus” Home Page
Tourette Syndrome “Plus”

The National Tourette Syndrome Assn. Home Page
The Tourette Syndrome Association

Transition: School-to-Work (STW) or to Higher Education

Scholarships and Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities.   (1/28/2019)
“Students with disabilities deserve an education just like every other student. And like the majority of college students, students with disabilities often have trouble finding ways to pay for school and school related costs. There are many special scholarships and financial aid opportunities intended for particular students, such as minority students, those studying a particular field or applicants with a notable academic record. There are also special financial aid and scholarship opportunities for students with disabilities. The purpose of this guide is to focus on these financial aid opportunities and discuss how to take advantage of them.”

How to Become(Added September 29, 2018)
“Many people use “job” and “career” interchangeably. While it’s true that each involves working and a wage, a career goes well beyond a paycheck. It’s the teacher who lesson plans at 7 a.m. for 25 rowdy second graders. It’s the nurse who spends time with the disabled veteran on her ward 30 minutes after she’s clocked out. It’s the social worker who makes sure the kids in her care have a warm meal and clean clothes at Christmastime. A career is a commitment; a career is hard work; a career is your passion. Are you ready to find yours?”

Guide for On-Line Colleges
“This guide is by no means meant to be comprehensive. Rather, its purpose is to serve as a starting point, one of many resources for students to use in their own research. Ultimately, it is up to you to determine both your needs and which school best meets them.”

College Resources for Students with Disabilities
“With the advances of adaptive technologies and trend toward progressive legislation, prospective college students with disabilities now have countless resources available to make their transition to postsecondary education less stressful. Below, find specific information and resources on a variety of different disabilities, learn how to make the transition into the workforce easier, and find out what your legal rights on campus are”

California: Secondary Transition Planning
California Department of Education (2015).  This Web page offers resources and guidelines for assisting educators, parents, and agency partners to improve compliance with state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to transition age youth and improve post-high school outcomes. These resources supplement the California Transition Alliance’s document, Transition Planning: The Basics. Resources are organized into five categories: Employment, Education and Training, Independent Living, Compliance, and theGuideposts for Success document.

Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education
Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) administers, coordinates programs that are related to adult education and literacy, career and technical education, and community colleges.

Wrightslaw on Transition
Legal Requirements for Transition

Understanding Special Education.com: Transition
Understanding the Transition Process

OCR: Planning for post secondary education
OCR on planning for post-secondary education

Life Skills Inventory Assessment Tool
“The life skills inventory independent living skills assessment tool is provided by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services to assess the level that students are at in the process of independent living.”

Travel

The Full Guide to Traveling with a Disability.  (10/14/2019.)
“Everyone has the right to enjoy a trip abroad. In this guide, we’ll discuss everything you can do to make planning your holiday easier.”

Travel Accessibility Resources
Preparing for plane travel can be a time-consuming endeavor, but with the help of airline representatives, travel agents, and friends or family, those with disabilities can enjoy a safe and fun trip on any airline. Ensuring that all necessary medical equipment, medications, and supplies are accounted for before leaving home will make traveling easier and healthier. When traveling with a disability, it can be best to consider your specific impairment and plan ahead with your own particular abilities in mind.

Accessible Travel  Travel tips for people needing wheelchairs (and with other disabilities) by Patti Jackson (Wakanow.com Travel Agency)

Trauma, Dealing With

A compendium of resources from Bridgeport, Connecticut

Guidance for supporting students who have experienced trauma or grief and for coping with violence and disasters.

By Matt Davis

JANUARY 5, 2016 UPDATED NOVEMBER 13, 2017

Understanding Trauma’s Effects on Learning

• How Trauma Is Changing Children’s Brains: Explore the latest research on the effects trauma has on young people’s brains, and learn strategies you can use to make your classroom feel safer. (NEA Today, 2016)
• Responding to Trauma in Your Classroom: Examine the signs and causes of student trauma, and explore strategies for responding to and supporting students who are experiencing trauma. (Teaching Tolerance, 2016)
• How Teachers Help Students Who’ve Survived Trauma: Read about how experiences with trauma impact student learning, and review several expert suggestions on ways that educators and schools can help. (The Atlantic, 2014)
• Helping Kids Recover From Trauma: Discover how resilience can be fostered by supportive factors in schools, and read takeaways from research. (Edutopia, 2009)

Helping Students Who Have Experienced Trauma

• Brains in Pain Cannot Learn: Learn three ways to calm the stress response in students affected by anxiety or depression. (Edutopia, 2016)
• 5 Ways to Help Students in Trauma: Read strategies and tips for creating a calming classroom environment that can help troubled students learn. (Edutopia, 2016)
• Helping Students Who Have Experienced Trauma: Explore seven strategies you can use in your classroom to help support and empower students in trauma. (Edutopia, 2016)
• How Not to Be a Mountain Troll: Take a look at four strategies that educators can use to build trust with students, especially vulnerable students who may have experienced abuse from adults. (ASCD’s Educational Leadership, 2015)
• Emotional Recovery Begins With Teachers: Examine five RULER-based suggestions (recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotions) for helping adults and children cope with the aftermath of school violence or other experiences with trauma. (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence)
• Activities to Help Students Cope With Traumatic Experiences: Discover games, videos, and other activities to help children endure traumatic experiences. (Sesame Street in Communities)

School-Wide Approaches to Addressing Trauma

• Trauma-Informed Practices Benefit All Students: Learn how utilizing school-wide trauma-informed practices can benefit the entire school community, including helping all students learn coping skills and self-efficacy. (Edutopia, 2017)
• How Schools Are Helping Traumatized Students Learn Again: Discover best practices, strategies, and tips your school can employ to foster safe, calming, and supportive learning spaces. (NEA Today, 2016)
• Student Trauma: How School Leaders Can Respond: Explore the latest proven strategies that can help your school make a difference in the lives of students. This guide includes a rich collection of additional resources. (Education Week, 2016)
• It’s Not What’s Wrong With the Children, It’s What’s Happened to Them: Find a list of school-based alternatives to zero-tolerance policies that can help nurture resilience in youths who have experienced adversity. (Edutopia, 2015)
• Strategies for Coping With Violence and Disaster

• Helping Students Cope in a Violent World: Explore 10 useful and practical strategies for discussing violence in the classroom, fostering student coping skills, and helping students make sense of violence. (Edutopia, 2016)
• Tips for Resilience in the Face of Horror: Learn how educators and parents can help protect children and themselves from the effects of vicarious trauma. The linked article “Resources for Helping Children Cope with Trauma” is also worth reading. (Greater Good, 2013)
• Talking to Your Children About Tragedy: Watch a video that describes relevant principles parents can consider in relation to young children and personal or family reactions to traumatic events. Though the introduction to the video is focused on Boston, the principles discussed can be applied to a wide variety of situations. (Bright Horizons, 2013)

Supporting Grieving Students

• Reaching Students With Emotional Disturbances: Learn the latest tips and strategies for supporting students who are grieving or have experienced emotional trauma. (Edutopia, 2017)
• 7 Ways to Calm a Young Brain in Trauma: Discover concrete ways you can support your youngest learners and offer guidance through emotional trauma. (Edutopia, 2017)
• Supporting Grieving Students: Explore guidance and resources to help with the difficult task of reaching out to grieving students. (Edutopia, 2015)
• 5 Tips for Supporting Grieving Students: Consider printing out these five tips as a reference to help support students who are coping with the death of a friend or family member. (Edutopia, 2013)

Traumatic Brain Injury

Concussions  (mild traumatic brain injury) (Added Sepember 18, 2020)

“There has been a lot of media attention on the prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy
(CTE) among professional athletes and those who have sustained repeated concussions. According
to current research, people are in danger of developing CTE if they have sustained repeated
concussions”

concussion_signs_infographic.png

Download File
A poster on the signs of concussion

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Traumatic Brain Injury

Understanding Concussion and its Impact on Learning   September 10, 2016.
A North Carolina parent handout on concussion injuries developed by the state of NC in 2016.  “A concussion can impact a child’s ability to learn and stay focused. Regardless of the intensity of the head impact, a concussion is a type of brain injury that changes the way the brain normally works. It is caused by a bump, blow or jolt (with or without physical contact) to the head. Concussions can occur without loss of consciousness.”  Note:  “In the Amendments Act  Congress clarified that an individual is not “regarded as” an individual with a disability if the impairment is transitory and minor.  A transitory impairment is an impairment with an actual or expected duration of 6 months or less. (Emphasis added.)”  (OCR FAQ on 504, Question 34.)

Traumatic Brain Injury (New Hampshire)Traumatic Brain Injury in Children and Teens BIANH

Brain Injury Association of America
Brain Injury Association of America

Traumatic Brain Injury.com
Traumaticbraininjury.com: Comprehensive listing of links

CDC Injury Prevention and Control (TBI)
Center for Disease Control and  Prevention

Mayo Clinic: TBI
Mayo Clinic

NIH TBI Information Page
NIH TBI Information Page

ASHA TBI Page
ASHA TBI information

Medscape: TBI in Children
TBI in Children (Medscape)

Brainline.org
A Parent’s Guide

Veracity Verifiers

Tips from Fact Checkers  (2/9/2019)

(taken from “Why Students Can’t Google Their Way to the Truth” by Sam Wineburg and Sarah McGrew

Three strategies separate checkers from the rest of us.  While the principles below guide fact checking services, they are also relevant to the rest of us in checking the alleged impartiality of the fact checkers themselves.

• Landing on an unfamiliar site, the first thing checkers did was to leave it. If undergraduates read vertically, evaluating online articles as if they were printed news stories, fact-checkers read laterally, jumping off the original page, opening up a new tab, Googling the name of the organization or its president. Dropped in the middle of a forest, hikers know they can’t divine their way out by looking at the ground. They use a compass. Similarly, fact-checkers use the vast resources of the Internet to determine where information is coming from before they read it.

• Second, fact-checkers know it’s not about “About.” They don’t evaluate a site based solely on the description it provides about itself. If a site can masquerade as a nonpartisan think tank when funded by corporate interests and created by a Washington public relations firm, it can surely pull the wool over our eyes with a concocted “About” page.

• Third, fact-checkers look past the order of search results. Instead of trusting Google to sort pages by reliability (which reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of how Google works), the checkers mined URLs and abstracts for clues. They regularly scrolled down to the bottom of the search results page in their quest to make an informed decision about where to click first.

FactCheck.org  (2/9/2019)
Begun in 2004 as a project of the Annenburg Center at the University of Pennsylvania,  “We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.”

Fact Checker  (2/9/2019)
The Tampa Times (Politifact, see below) is not the only newspaper to provide fact checking.   What distinguishes this Washington Post website from others is the awarding of pinocchios (varying degrees of false) and gepettos (mostly or completely true).  Their self description says in part, “We will strive to be dispassionate and non-partisan, drawing attention to inaccurate statements on both left and right. But we also fact check what matters — and what matters are people in power. When one political party controls the White House and both houses of Congress, it is only natural that the fact checks might appear too heavily focused on one side of the political spectrum. (Divided government is much better for The Fact Checker.) We urge readers to bring to our attention possible false claims we might have missed.”  In this editor’s opinion, their choices of words (“fantastical,” “whopper, “fantasy claim,”  “nonsensical,”) tends  at times to cloud their non partisan claim.

Snopes.com                                             I
 Started in 1994,  of 2019, this website continues to be our first “go-to” favorite for fact checking.  In their words, “When misinformation obscures the truth and readers don’t know what to trust, Snopes.com’s fact checking and original, investigative reporting lights the way to evidence-based and contextualized analysis. We always document our sources so readers are empowered to do independent research and make up their own minds.”  

Quackwatch
“Quackwatch is now an international network of people who are concerned about health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct. Its primary focus is on quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere. To help visitors with special areas of interest, Dr. Barrett maintains 24 additional sites for autism, chiropractic, dentistry, multilevel marketing, and many other hot topics. Our Internet Health Pilot site provides links to hundreds of reliable health sites. Our Casewatch site contains a large library of legal cases, licensing board actions, government sanctions, and regulatory actions against questionable medical products. We are also affiliated with Bioethics Watch, which highlights issues of questionable research on humans. All of these can be accessed through the “Visit Our Affiliated Sites” drop-down menu above. Their contents can be searched all at once through our Google search page.”

Symantec: Security Response
“Our security research centers around the world provide unparalleled analysis of and protection from IT security threats that include malware, security risks, vulnerabilities, and spam. Check out the latest information from Symantec researchers.”

Truthorfiction.com
If you can’t find it on Snopes, try this website.  In their words, “Our team brings decades of award-winning journalistic experience to the public discourse, where we will debunk propaganda, disinformation, and misinformation, offer context and nuance to help you better understand where to look next, and trace the effects of so-called “fake news” around the world so you can better understand how to tell the real from the false.”

Politifact.com
Exposes lies and half truths from both the left and the right.  Started in 2009 by the Florida Tampa Times, they describe their focus, saying “Each day, PolitiFact journalists look for statements to fact-check. We read transcripts, speeches, news stories, press releases, and campaign brochures. We watch TV and scan social media. Readers send us suggestions via email to truthometer@politifact.com. Because we can’t feasibly check all claims, we select the most newsworthy and significant ones. About one-third of the facts we choose to check come from reader ideas.”  This website is widely regarded as actually being the most non partisan of the many fact checking websites on the net.

Urban legends and Folklore
The focus here is on those interesting and often unbelievable tidbits that appear and are frequently shared via social media.  “Do you know if Niagara Falls can freeze or whether sewer monsters really exist? Can you tell a photoshopped image from the original? Debunk urban legends, fake news sites, and internet hoaxes here.”

Writing

Grammar.about.com
Guide to grammar and composition Richard Nordquist

Purdue 2Owl Reading Lab
Purdue on-line writing lab

APA 2009 Corrections
American Psychological Association “Corrections to the first printing of the manual have been organized into four categories in an effort to group like changes together: Errors in APA Style Rules, Errors in Examples, Clarifications, and Nonsignificant Typos. In the first three categories, each correction is followed by a brief explanation of the change that directs users to the relevant APA Style rule or section in the manual to provide context. Items in the fourth category.”

More 2009 APA Corrections
Publication Manual

APA Sample Experiment Paper
Corrections

National Writing Project
National Writing Project

Quick and dirty Grammar Tips
Mignon Fogarty grammar tips