SPE513- Learning Team B

1. C I N D Y G R I M S L E Y
D A W N V L C H E K
D O N N A M O S L E Y
F A I Z A H S H I R L E Y
L U Z M A R T I N
R A C H E L F I T Z G E R A L D
S P E 5 1 3
D U E : A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 8
Learning Team: Workshop
Series V - Parent Resources

2. Resources for Parents of Exceptional Learners
 Examples of District resources
 Examples of Community resources
 Examples of County resources
 Examples of State resources
 How resources can help parents of learners with
exceptional learning needs
 Homework help or tips for exceptional students

3. District Resources
Atlanta, GA: Services for Sensory Impaired Children
 BEGIN (Babies Early Growth Intervention Network). This program
serves children birth to age five years in a nine county metro Atlanta
area. They teach parents developmental activities to help their
vision impaired child progress. They also offer family support. For
information call 404-875-9011.
 Georgia PINES (Georgia Parent Infant Network for Educational
Services). This program provides information and assistance to
families of vision impaired, hearing impaired and multi-
handicapped sensory impaired children. Parent advisors make
home visits to teach families how to help their child. Georgia PINES
also provides audiological assessments and has a loaner hearing aid
service. Call 404-296-7101 for information.

4. District Resources, Continued
 Atlanta Area School for the Deaf (AASD). This program
provides a preschool program for hearing impaired
children ages 3 to 6 years from the Metro Atlanta
area. Language and communication development are
emphasized. They also provides audiology diagnostic
services. For more information call 404-296-7101.
(AASD sponsors Georgia PINES).
 Hospital based, community agency based and private
audiologists are also available to provide services
throughout the state of Georgia. Call your local hospital,
the Parent to Parent Central directory, or look in the
phone book yellow pages for "audiologists."

5. Community Resources
 Our Library is a community resource. It offers many
avenues for the children with special needs. The
library offers
-Multilingual books
-Movie night game night
-It is accessible to every person. Special accommodations are
available
-Provided translated materials and translation services to
parents whose primary language is not English so that they may
better access important information.

6. Community Resources, Continued
 Educational programs offered at the local zoos. Special
accommodations are available
 Some after school arts programs program and discovered
that they provided music, visual arts, dance, musical
theater, and technology for children with special needs in
the community.
 Food pantries
 Transitional housing
 Adult education
 Translation services.
 An unfortunate awareness is that not all “resources” were
accessible to children with disabilities and their families
(Ordoñez, Myck-Wayne, 2012).

7. County Resources
Loudoun County, Virginia
 Bridle Paths Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies: Bridle Paths is an
equine-assisted activities and therapies program located in Leesburg, VA. The
mission of Bridle Paths is to offer strength, support, and healing to our clients
through safe, effective, and high-quality equine-assisted activities and therapies. We
provide therapeutic horseback riding instruction and equine-assisted
psychotherapy services to individuals and families faced with physical,
cognitive, psychological, and emotional needs. http://www.bridlepathsva.org/
 Care Connection for Children of Northern VA: Families of children with
special needs benefit from the support and expertise of community, statewide and
national organizations whose staff knows first-hand the issues they confront every
day. At the same time, families need to connect with each other because doing so
provides support, the chance to share valuable information, and the opportunity to
advocate for their children. http://www.inova.org/inova-in-the-community/care-
connection-for-children/parent-resource-directory/index.jsp
 Celebrating Special Children: A resource guide for families of children with
special needs in Virginia. http://www.celebratingspecialchildren.org/

8. County Resources, Continued
 Formed Families Forward: Formed Families Forward is a non-profit organization
dedicated to supporting families formed through foster care, adoption, and kinship care
connections in the Northern Virginia area. Our mission is to improve developmental,
educational, social, emotional, and post-secondary outcomes for children and youth with
disabilities and other special needs through provision of information, training, and support.
http://formedfamiliesforward.org/
 Individual Family Support Program: The Individual and Family Support Program (IFSP)
is designed to assist individuals on the waiting list for the intellectual disability and
developmental disability (ID/DD) Medicaid waivers to access short-term resources, supports,
and services that will help them remain in their own community homes.
 Project Lifesaver: Project Lifesaver is an electronic based tracking system program that
assists in locating missing individuals with cognitive challenges
https://sheriff.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=260
 TSA Cares Program: This program was set up to provide families and individuals with
special needs assistance with the TSA screening process http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-
information/travelers-disabilities-and-medical-conditions

9. State Resources
 Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) and
Parent Resource Centers: PEATC is Virginia's parent training
and information center with primary funding from the US
Department of Education.. They offer easy-to-understand, research-
based disability information, education, advocacy, training and support for
families of children with disabilities and professionals. 1-800-869-6782.
 Virginia Department of Education is the state agency that
oversees Special Education. Tel. (804) 225-2932 or tel. 1-800-
422-2083. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is the agency
that monitors problems with special education, including complaints from
families/ providers, Due Process filings, and a mediation program. The
VDOE Ombudsman provides information for families. The Department of
Education's website: http://www.pen.k12.va.us has extensive information
about special education, transition, etc. and a special site was developed in
2013 for families: http://vafamilysped.org/

10. State Resources, Continued
 Legal Services: Many offices now have staff specifically
working on child advocacy issues, such as special
education. Legal Services offices generally serve people
who are low-income. JustChildren is a program of the
Legal Aid Justice Center, and provides assistance state-
wide in areas of policy improvement and capacity-
building for community groups and Legal Services
offices. www.justice4all.org.
 Wrightslaw: Pete and Pam Wright publish a free online
newsletter, The Special Ed Advocate, about special
education legal and advocacy issues, cases, tactics and
strategy, and Internet resources.
http://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm.

11. How resources help parents
 District, Community, County, and State resources guide parents of
exceptional students in various ways. Altogether, these resources provide
parents with much information and ways to aid their children at both the
local and state levels.
 Parent Resource Centers
 Special Education Advisory Committee
 Offers parents legal support
 Helps parents get connected to community
 Guides parents in advocating for their children
 Shares how to navigate the special education process
 Assists with resolving issues and conflicts
 Provides different services for parents and their exceptional students
 Gives information for parental rights and responsibilities
 Shares information regarding the local and states rights and
responsibilities to the children and their families

12. Homework Help
 Know your child
 Be mindful of what the child can do on the independent level
 Have a designated Homework area
 Make homework part of your routine
 Have an agenda or homework an assignment book
 Check with children about homework each night.
 Try to get rid of any distractions
 Ask for examples if none are given by the teacher if this can help you
understand the material
 Hold children accountable for their homework, this means checking
for homework to make sure assignment is done correctly.
 Limit the time the child is working, once at home children with
ADHD or other exceptionalities may be ready to disengage their
brains and too much time with homework can prove to be counter
productive.

13. Homework Help, Continued
 If homework cannot be completed, have the child read for 10
minutes, or practice another skill
 Remember that homework is meant to support the child's
growth, but all parties must remain flexible so that the child
can gain from his or her experiences with school.
 Communicate! Any needs, questions, or concerns can be
addressed with the teacher, and they should be. Not talking
and waiting on someone to reach out may not work, the best
thing is to be diligent and open.
 Call teachers early in the morning so that they can return the
call later on in the day.
 Ask for help. There is always someone who can help, redirect,
give advice, or adjust the work load. Nothing is set in stone,
reach out and you can get help.

14. Resources
 Emory University School of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics. (n.d.).
Retrieved from
http://www.pediatrics.emory.edu/divisions/neonatology/dpc/georgia.html
 Jayanti, M., Bursuck, W., Epstein, M. H., & Polloway, E. A. (1997).
Strategies for successful homework. Teaching Exceptional Children, 30(1),
4. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-
com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/201141548?accountid=134061
 Parent Resource Services. (2018, August). Retrieved from Loudoun County
Public Schools: https://www.lcps.org/Page/1431
 R. Ordoñez, J. Myck-Wayne, (2012). Community Mapping in Action:
Uncovering Resources and Assets for Young Children and Their Families.
Young Exceptional Children, Volume 15, (Issue 3), pp. 31 – 45 DOI
10.1177/1096250612451756