Parenting and Families of Children with Disabilities

Working with children and adults with disabilities should always include establishing good relationships with their families, and other people important in their lives. In this video we will explore this topic and offer suggestions of how service providers can work towards creating positive partnerships with families they support.

Jonathan presents four concrete strategies that parents, teachers, and administrators can utilize to help kids with learning differences succeed. The strategies are: The myth of stupid, crazy and lazy, balancing remediation and empowerment, academic accommodations and modification and normal people suck. With this information Jonathan outlines the goal-- it is not to fix "broken" kids, but to fix broken educational environments, and re-draw the lines of what we consider "normal" learning. Includes a question and answer period at end.

"Traces the life of Adam Terrill--a loud, charismatic, flag-twirling redhead with a complex mix of creative talents and developmental disabilities (including autism, ADHD and retardation) ... Gork! zeroes in on Adam's close relationship with his sister Autumn, whose childhood experiences inspire her to develop a creative approach to helping autistic children communicate."--Container.

Introduces you to Maine families who are coping with and adjusting to the realities of Autism.

Intended for family members and professionals working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit disorders, learning disabilities, mood and anxiety disorders, and other issues that impact social-emotional functioning. Viewers will learn how to de-escalate meltdowns; prevent problems with comprehensive behavior plans; increase motivation to learn social skills; develop strategies to teach and generalize skills like conversation, conflict resolution, play, building relationships, dating, and employment readiness; create accepting peer environments and prevent bullying.

O'Brien speaks honestly about her struggle to cope for the first five years following the birth of Teddy, born with extensive brain damage resulting from an in-utero viral infection. The rewards as well as the challenges of caring for him are evident in Softening, a lyrical cinematic diary O'Brien created to celebrate her son's inherent beauty and the joy he brings to his family's life.

Looks at the lives of three children with autism who attend public school in Oakland, California, following them from the time they get up in the morning to the time they go to sleep at night. Provides a look into the daily lives of families from various socio-economic and racial backgrounds struggling with the disorder and sheds light on which families receive services for their special needs children, which families don't, and why.