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Description: You don’t have to choose between engaging content and standards-aligned instruction. Use Newsela to easily select relevant, accessible content that supports state standards and real-time instructional decision-making. Newsela is proud to deliver instructional materials that aim to benefit every student, specifically those with disabilities. Our conformance to WCAG 2.1 AA standards reflects our efforts to provide content that is accessible to all learners.
Description: The VCU-ACE How To Series demonstrates evidence-based practices for students with ASD. These short videos are approximately five minutes and are intended to provide a quick look at implementing a particular strategy. The How To videos provide a short description of the topic with real life video examples of how to implement the evidence-based practice in the classroom with students with ASD. More How To videos will continue to be added so please check back often! (Videos on Prompting,...
Description: This webcast will provide results of a study on the career planning experiences and overall college experiences of students on the Autism Spectrum. Structured interviews were conducted with college students with ASD attending community colleges and/or state universities in Virginia. Seven emerging themes based on students’ knowledge of, and participation in, career related services and supports will be described.
Description: Bullying in the United States was once a silent epidemic which was endured by millions of children on a daily basis. The attitude “kids will be kids” was just part of normal childhood development. Today, bullying in schools is being recognized as a national health problem and safety issue for all students including students with disabilities. The prevalence of bullying in schools is roughly one in three students and can occur twice as often for students with special needs. Dr....
Description: Within the text of the Diagnostic Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder in the DSM-5, the word “social” appears TEN times; indicating that social skills are, inherently, a significant area of need for students with ASD. Learning to navigate social situations not only helps them understand their world, but also impacts a student’s ability to gain benefit from academics. Our students, more often than not, find themselves alone during recess and lunch times, verbally...
Description: The VCU-ACE Statewide Goal Committee on Transition recognized that there are distinct domains that comprise this complex concept. Appropriately named, “The Three T’s of Transition”, these areas are as follows: Transition from grade-to-grade, level-to-level, teacher-to-teacher, transition to and from out-of division placement, and the transition that takes place when students leave from secondary education and embark into adulthood. This webcast will...
Description: Justin George is a young man with AS and ADHD. He also has anxiety. This webcast will be delivered by Justin. In his own words, he will discuss how strategies, people and placements helped him move from middle school, high school and now to college. Strategies on how he moved forward, became more self-determined, and has used his interests and love of amateur radio and weather reporting to continue to become more successful as he progresses through his transitions in life will be discussed.
Description: VCU-ACE has been providing embedded technical assistance in 12 school divisions to assist them in improving their programming for students with ASD. In this project, the Technical Assistance division of VCU-ACE used the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS) as a measure of program quality and a standard for classrooms to model. In this webcast, we present the APERS pre- and post-test data to demonstrate the change that occurred in classrooms as a result of its use. In addition, we will...
Description: This is a section of the Smithsonian website that includes links to Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Kids' Favorites, Smithsonian Students, and Visiting the Smithsonian. This includes: Art, History, and Culture: Activities and Games Science and Nature: Activities and Games Arts Meets Science in the Collections Art, History, and Culture in the Collections Science and Nature in the Collections
Description: These are guidelines for conducting Functional Behavioral Assessment and developing Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports/Strategies.
Description: Here are Mary’s Top 10 Tips on communicating with someone who has a disability. This video engages the viewer while educating them on the proper disability etiquette. This video is part of a series on disability awareness and inclusion in sports and physical education.
Description: Prader-Willi Syndrome is a complex genetic disorder of the 15th chromosome; the most common known genetic cause of life-threatening obesity in children. PWSA | USA supports individuals diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome, their families, and care providers with critical information and resources. We educate medical providers, educators, and professional care givers about PWS and how to best support individuals with the syndrome. PWSA | USA seeks to support research projects with the potential...
Description: The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the success of children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice. CEC is known as THE source for information, resources, and professional...
Description: Reading Rockets is a national public media literacy initiative offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help. We bring the best research-based strategies to teachers, parents, administrators, librarians, childcare providers, and anyone else involved in helping a young child become a skilled reader. Our goal is to bring the reading research to life — to spread the word about reading...
Description: The new Library of Congress Student Discovery Sets bring together historical artifacts and one-of-a-kind documents on a wide range of topics, from history to science to literature. Interactive tools let students zoom in, draw to highlight details, and conduct open-ended primary source analysis. Full teaching resources are available for each set.
Description: This article from the National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE) notes that the diversity of ability and experience of users with cognitive disabilities complicates attempts to develop web accessibility guidelines for this population. To design Web sites that are easier for users with cognitive disabilities to use, the author offers suggestions based on usability principles. Many of these recommendations make the web easier for everyone to use.
Description: Centers for Independent Living, often referred to as "CILs", are non-residential places of action and coalition designed and operated by people with disabilities. CILs work with individuals to promote leadership and independence as well as with local communities to remove barriers to independence. In Virginia, most CILs serve a planning district comprised of several counties. Centers for Independent Living (CILs) provide services to individuals with significant disabilities as well as to the...
Description: AIR is one of the world's largest behavioral and social science research and evaluation organizations. Our overriding goal is to use the best science available to bring the most effective ideas and approaches to enhancing everyday life. For us, making the world a better place is not wishful thinking. It is the goal that drives us. Their vision is to: Inform improvements to education, health, workforce development, and related areas; Collaborate with organizations, policymakers, and practitioners...
Description: At the Brain Injury Research Institute, our purpose is to study the short and long-term impact of brain injury in general, and specifically in concussions. We focus our attention on the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and the physiological effects of this condition on the lives of CTE victims and their families. Research indicates that there is a clear link between brain injuries and a number of different serious and debilitating neurological disorders, including...
Description: 100 Day Kit for School Age Children The days after an autism diagnosis can be overwhelming. The Autism Speaks 100 Day Kit helps families of children between the ages of five and 13 make the best possible use of the 100 days following the diagnosis. This kit will help you learn more about autism and how to access the services that your child needs. It contains information and advice collected from trusted experts on autism and parents like you. What is autism? Core signs and...
Description: Medical visits can be stressful for anyone. Individuals with autism often face extra challenges during procedures like physical examinations and blood draws due to difficulty communicating about the symptoms they are experiencing and sensory issues that can occur in the clinical setting. The fear and anxiety felt during medical procedures by those with autism can also be stressful for caregivers and medical professionals administering treatment. These brief presentations aim to facilitatte...
Description: The purpose of this interactive workbook is to provide a concise, practical tool to assist teachers in beginning or continuing their journey toward best co-teaching practices.
Description: Activities Guide: Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence - Executive function and self-regulation (EF/SR) skills provide critical supports for learning and development, and while we aren’t born with these skills, we are born with the potential to develop them through interactions and practice. This 16-page guide (available for download, below), describes a variety of activities and games that represent age-appropriate ways for adults to...
Description: Living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - The MSKTC works closely with researchers in the 16 Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model Systems to develop resources for people living with traumatic brain injuries and their supporters. These evidence-based materials are available in a variety of platforms such as printable PDF documents, videos, and slideshows. Topics include: Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Alcohol & TBI Balance Problems & TBI Being a Parent With a Traumatic Brain Injury Changes...
Description: The Virginia Autism Council is a group comprised of self-advocates, professionals and family members. This Council works to advance knowledge and understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) by defining skill competencies needed to effectively support a person with ASD and to advance higher education, training and educational opportunities for personnel and caregivers who provide support. The VAC website is Virginia’s clearinghouse on education and training opportunities taking place...
Description: On this website, you can learn about Virginia’s Medicaid, FAMIS programs for children, pregnant women, and adults. You can also get information about health insurance choices through the Federal Marketplace.
Description: Our mission is to educate, guide and inspire parents of children with learning disabilities or ADHD. Our aim is to help parents realize their children’s significant gifts and talents, and to show that with their love, guidance, and the right support, their children can live happy and productive lives.
Description: This fact sheet presents information that can help you recognize the signs and symptoms of complex trauma in your child and offers recommendations for what you can do to help your child heal.
Description: This graduate certificate is ideal for educators, interventionists, psychologists, pathologists, behavior analysts, or family members who want to enhance their preparation for working with children and adults affected with autism spectrum disorders.
Description: The online writing lab offers global support through online reference materials and services for creating citations, cover letters, major-specific writing help, and general writing advice.
Description: Charlie and the Cardboard Box - A young boy named Charlie is in a wheel-chair but asks the reader not to feel sad or bad for him because he is quite "Handi-Capable". The story progresses with Charlie getting a large refrigerator box and letting his imagination run wild! From a race car driver to kid astronaut and from a submarine to a deep dark cave, Charlie and his imagination have a blast with just a cardboard box. As Charlie says, "Remember...you are only limited by your own...
Description: We are pleased to provide English speakers with quick access to the wealth of information in Spanish on this website. For those of you who don’t speak Spanish, use this page to easily find and share important information with the Spanish speakers you serve in their own language. Use the alphabetical jumps below to search the list for topics in English. Each item starts with the topic/title in English and a link to information in English on that topic. This is followed by the...
Description: Información en español en este sitio, Nos complacemos en facilitar su acceso rápido a nuestra información en español a través de esta lista alfabética organizada por Tema de Discapacidad.
Description: Products or treatments claiming to cure autism are deceptive and misleading, because there is no cure for autism. The same is true of many products claiming to “treat” autism or autism-related symptoms. Some may carry significant health risks. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays an important role in warning companies against making improper claims about their products’ intended use as a treatment or cure for autism or autism-related symptoms.
Description: If you have a family member, child or adult, with Autism Spectrum Disorder and you’ve been longing for a Family Vacation, then you’ve arrived at the right place.
Description: Family Voices is a national family-led organization promoting quality health care for all children and youth with special health care needs. Working with family leaders and professional partners at the local, state, regional, and national levels since 1992, Family Voices has brought a respected family perspective to improving health care programs and policies and ensuring that health care systems include, listen to, and honor the voices of families.
Description: Students with Disabilities and Bullying: Top five things for parents, educators, and students to know 1. The impact – Bullying affects a student’s ability to learn Many students with disabilities are already addressing unique challenges in school. When they are bullied, it can directly impact their ability to learn and grow. Bullying is not a harmless rite of childhood that everyone experiences. Research shows that bullying can negatively impact a child’s access to education...
Description: Education includes: Classroomo Lessons Digital Learning Resources Online Professional Development Teaching Artists Present Moonshot Studio Virtual "Field Trips"
Description: These Bullying fact sheets include: Bullying Behavior and Mental Health Bullying and Children with Disabilities-Health Care Needs Cyberbullying Types of Cyberbullying
Description: In over 30 years of clinical practice, Drs. Peg Dawson and Richard Guare have worked with thousands of children who struggle at home and in school. At the center of their struggles are weak executive skills, and through our writing and now this website, we spotlight these skills that are critical for school and life success. ESQ-R: A self-report assessment instrument that students complete to help them (and their teachers or coaches) understand their executive skill strengths and challenges....
Description: The Customized Employment 101 webinar will assist special education teachers, transition coordinators and employment specialists of middle and high students in considering person-directed employment beyond the confines of traditional job development. The outcome of customized employment planning is paid, community-based employment for students with complex lives. (VCU Center on Transition Innovations)
Description: The Process of Discovery surrounds a person-centered approach to gathering information about the prospective worker to guide the development of customized employment and work experience. Discovery answers the question "who is this student?", "what contributions can he/she make? and "where and when are they at their best?" This process uses portfolios, visual resumes, interviews and observations to uncover the unique contributions, skills and interests that each person can bring to the job. (VCU...
Description: In this article written for Colorín Colorado, Bright Ideas author Kristina Robertson offers an overview of WIDA's new Essential Actions handbook and shares a step-by-step process for using this tool as part of a professional learning community focused on meeting ELLs' academic language needs. (ELL = English Language Learner)
Description: ReadWorks is a nonprofit with the mission to support the growth of successful, joyful readers. As a FREE supplemental resource, we provide K-12 and adult educators with the largest, highest-quality library of curated nonfiction and fiction passages in the country, along with interactive vocabulary supports, text-dependent question sets, teacher guidance, and more!
Description: Early Childhood Mental Health Virginia (ECMHVA) is a statewide initiative focused on the development, implementation and sustainability of a comprehensive early childhood system of care for infant and early childhood mental health. The Early Childhood Mental initiative collaborates with early childhood agencies and representation across the Commonwealth to identify opportunities to increase access to resources and services by researching and securing funding for a continuum of quality in...
Description: People First Language is an objective and respectful way to speak about people with disabilities by emphasizing the person first, rather than the disability. It acknowledges what a person has, and recognizes that a person is not the disability. In putting the person before the disability, People First Language highlights a person's value, individuality and capabilities.
Description: Are you looking for information on a health condition or perhaps trying to find health services? There are lots of medical sites out there that explain conditions in terms you don’t need to be a doctor to understand. And there are sites that can help you locate healthcare services in your community.
Description: There are times when parents and schools simply do not agree on some issue affecting a child’s education. They may try informal approaches to resolving the conflict, such as reviewing and revising the child’s IEP or holding a facilitated IEP meeting (an approach emerging in the field). When these don’t result in agreement on what represents an appropriate education for a child, the law (IDEA) provides several approaches that parents and schools can use to help resolve the...
Description: Down syndrome is the most common and readily identifiable chromosomal condition associated with intellectual disabilities. It is caused by a chromosomal abnormality: for some unknown reason, an accident in cell development results in 47 instead of the usual 46 chromosomes. This extra chromosome changes the orderly development of the body and brain. In most cases, the diagnosis of Down syndrome is made according to results from a chromosome test administered shortly after birth. Just as in the...
Description: Since the 1960s, there has been a virtual avalanche of federal legislation that relates directly or indirectly to individuals with disabilities, particularly children and youth. These form the core of current protection against discrimination and current guarantees of equal educational opportunity that individuals with disabilities have in our nation.