Consultants
Debbie Strayer
Family Educational Resources combines expertise with
homeschooling experience to offer products that assist and encourage. Designed
with busy homeschoolers in mind, Debbie's tools are based on sound principles of
learning. The materials and support offered are time-tested, practical, and
effective: they are designed to build a child's ability to think and do. Check out
the inspiring and humorous informational articles.
<http://www.debbiestrayer.com/>
Diana Vaniotos,
M.A. Ed.
Provides comprehensive educational assessments for
parents and educators that demystifies learning problems and stimulates client
awareness of strengths so those strengths can be used to compensate areas of
weakness. Diana also offers reading therapy and consulting to families with
children in private, public, and home school settings.
<http://www.seastars.info/index.html>
Dianne Craft, MA, CNHP
Dianne Craft provides educational and nutritional counseling
which will help improve your child's learning and behavior.
<http://www.diannecraft.org/index.html>
Jean Wetherilt
A pediatric Occupational Therapist, Jean offers home
school consulting and guidance in selecting therapy programs.
Contact her at:
jwetherilt@hotmail.com
Mary Gusman
Mary is listed with
HSDLA as a Special Needs Educational Consultant and focuses
in working with families who are home schooling children with
autism. She works with families nationwide via phone and email
consultations, offering a free 30-minute phone consultation to
any new clients at no obligation. In addition to helping
set educational goals, choose or modify curriculum, she teaches
parents how to implement therapies
at home,
such as applied behavior analysis (ABA), relationship
development intervention (RDI), neurodevelopmental therapy,
social skills therapy, verbal behavior therapy, and speech and
language therapy.
<http://ochomeschooling.com/specialneeds/>Mariaemma Willis (805) 648-1739
(California)
Mariaemma offers special needs home school consulting.
Marian S. Soderholm,
M.A., LD Specialist (562) 425-7886
Marian's service, The Nature of Learning, offers home school
consulting
specifically designed to help
students meet their learning challenges and gain understanding of how they
learn. She evaluates students for learning interferences or disabilities and
designs appropriate educational programs. She offers a reasonably priced
learning assessment battery of tests specially designed to discover your
student's learning style, strengths and capabilities.
<http://natureoflearning.com/>
Mother of Divine Grace School
Offers curriculum consulting, student assessment, record-keeping
and transcript services with a classical, Catholic approach . The
kindergarten through 12th grade curriculum is based on Laura Berquist's Designing
Your Own Classical Curriculum. Special Needs consultants work with
parents to adapt curriculum to their child's needs. (805)-646-5818.
Sharon Wallace (714)
990-0199 (California)
Sharon offers consulting for families home schooling children with special
needs under the auspices of Bethel Baptist Academy.
Susan Behrends, M.S., Educational Specialist
Offers consulting and an Independent Study Program, Golden State Compact School,
located in Rancho Mirage, California. Contact her by email at
tuesdayschild@dc.rr.com.
Wisdom Seekers
A special education tutor and consultant for nine
years, Sue Hegg, M.A. has also taught school for 20 years. She offers in person
and telephone consultations for home educators, parents, tutors and teachers.
Wisdom Seekers offers educational materials for special needs learners as well
as tips on teaching techniques and project ideas.
Varied Abilities School and
Training Network (VAST Network)
A network of home educators and specialists that provide
consultation, support and resources to families with children with special
needs.
Services
AIT Institute for Berard Auditory
Integration Training
AIT is a 10 day educational
intervention that helps those diagnosed with auditory processing disorders
(APD), autism (ASD), ADD/ADHD, SPD and other learning disabilities to improve
the quality of their lives and learning.
www.AITinstitute.org
College of Optometrists in Vision Development
A certifying body and organization of doctors who specialize in
Behavioral/Developmental/Rehabilitative Optometry. Recording
for the Blind and Dyslexic
Educational library for people with print disabilities.
83,000 titles available in taped textbooks, reference and professional
materials, K - post-graduate studies.
All Kinds of Minds
All Kinds of Minds provides programs, tools, and a
common language for parents, educators, and clinicians to help students with
differences in learning achieve success in the classroom and in life. All Kinds
of Minds is a private non-profit Institute that offers a powerful system of
programs that have been developed by Dr. Mel Levine and his colleagues based on
scientific research and over twenty-five years of clinical experience.
NACD
(National Academy for Child Development)
An organization of parents and professionals that help
individuals with disabilities to reach their full potential. NACD provides
detailed individualized neurodevelopmental educational programs.
Support and Information
CABF Learning Center
This supportive web site offers information on recognizing Bipolar Disorder in
both children and adults. Also known as manic-depression, Bipolar Disorder is a
treatable illness marked by extreme changes in mood, behavior and energy.
Do2Learn
Activities to help children and adults with special learning
needs - printable grids, cards and charts.
Friends
of Children with Special Needs
FCSN is a nonprofit organization dedicated
to providing support, friendship, and life skills to developmentally
disabled individuals and their families. Founded in
1996 to provide support to Chinese-American immigrants, FCSN has since expanded
to a membership of over 300 families, serving around 150 individuals
with autism, downs syndrome, and cerebral palsy. Seminars are offered
every other week in San Jose, and local theraputic and play groups are
located in various cities in the Bay Area of California.
<http://www.fcsn1996.org>
Homeschooling Kids
With Disabilities
Homeschooling Kids With Disabilities offers information and
support to people who have chosen to homeschool their children with special
educational needs. Links directly to sites offer excellent information on
a wide variety of topics, such as Adaptive/Assistive Technology, AD/HD, Autism,
Advocacy, Speech and Language, Writing and much more.
<http://www.members.tripod.com/~Maaja/index.htm>
Joni
and Friends National
Center on Birth Defects and Disabilities ~ Interactive Developmental Milestones
This handy tool allows parents to select the age of their
child, then fill in the child's developmental milestones through an interactive
program. The chart displays the next developmental step in a child's
social and emotional, cognitive, or language areas. The information helps
parents to communicate with therapists and doctors and prepares them to
recognize developmental progress in various categories.
<http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/interactive/index.html#> Online
Teaching Reading Help from Mary Pecci
The OnlineReadingTeacher.Com Message Board, hosted by Mary
Pecci, M.A., author of At Last! A Reading Method for Every Child. Parents
Active for Vision Education ®
A national non-profit whose mission is to raise
awareness of the crucial relationship between vision and achievement. It
also provides information on Vision Therapy and Developmental Optometrists. Parents
Helping Parents
PHP is a 28-year-old nonprofit, family resource center that
benefits children with special needs. This includes children of all ages (birth
through life) and all backgrounds who have a need for special services due to
any special need, including but not limited to illness, cancer, accidents, birth
defects, neurological conditions, premature birth, learning or physical
disabilities, mental health issues, and attention deficit (hyperactivity)
disorder to name a few.
<http://www.php.com> Precious Aromatherapy
Least understood of the five senses, the olfactory
sense is directly linked to the limbic system of the brain. Essential oils
inhaled have a direct effect upon the brain influencing emotions and
feelings. Aromatherapy then, is the use of pure and essential absolute
oils in the healing process of the whole person. (Sharon Hensley has used
these oils in the home and in the bath quite successfully with her autistic
daughter.) NATHHAN
National Challenged Homeschoolers Associated Network (NATHHAN)
offers a variety of services including a publication, information, referrals...and
a library. Schwab Learning
Schwab Learning provides free information, resources,
publications and support to parents of children with learning differences and to
kids themselves through two Web sites and Outreach and Community Services.
This site is especially helpful to families who have recently discovered their
child's learning difficulties. Hay una nueva página
Web en español. Sensory Integration Network
Provides current sensory integration resources to families,
professionals and consumers. Learn more about sensory integration
dysfunction, how to find an Occupation Therapist, and how to join a parent
mediated list server. The Special Olympics of Northern
California
Additional Curriculum and Resources for Special Education
Barton Reading & Spelling
A
one-on-one tutoring program for
children and adults who struggle with reading, spelling or written expression due
to dyslexia or a learning disability.
Critical Thinking Books and
Software
These products contain excellent visual organizers in a wide
variety of subject areas. Building on content knowledge in various
subjects, the textbooks and CD's aid the development of skills in acquiring,
synthesizing, evaluating and applying knowledge.
EASeCD (Electronic Audio Stimulation
Effect)
Help your sound sensitive child relax with EASeCD. Vision
Audio Inc. provides the Electronic Auditory Stimulation effect (EASe) Compact
Disc to ease the pain of hyperacusis and auditory hypersenstivity in Autism, PDD,
ADD, ADHD, and Downs Syndrome. It provides a low cost alternative to auditory
integration therapy or training.
<http://www.vision-audio.com/>
Handwriting Without Tears
Written by an occupational therapist and handwriting
specialist, Handwriting Without Tears offers an easy to use method for teaching
pre-printing, printing and cursive. This multisensory approach is designed
for teaching children of all ability levels.
Heads Up!
Heads Up! provides expert information and products for special needs children.
Professionals, as well as parents and families interacting with special needs
children, will finds these resources to be effective in promoting successful
learning experiences while reducing frustration for children, teachers, and
parents. Items have been selected to accommodate various learning styles and
strengths, regardless of curriculum used.
<http://www.headsupnow.com/>
Kurzweil
Kurzweil 3000 software helps people with reading or
learning difficulties increase their reading speed and comprehension through its
multisensory approach to reading. It reads any scanned document or electronic
file and then converts it into speech using the acclaimed L&H RealSpeak™.
Designed for readers with low vision, the MagniReader component displays scanned
material in a variety of magnification levels.
Language Tune-up Kit
The Language Tune-up Kit, based on the Orton-Gillingham method, is a multi-media
approach to teaching phonics to students of all ages with dyslexia, special
needs and ESL.
LinguiSystems
Publishes speech and language arts materials. LinguiSystems
carries books and games for phonological awareness, language development,
oral-motor, autism, articulation, nonverbal learning disorders, and more.
Improve your Math
Description: Improve your math from acclaimed educator Joe Pagano.
Rocky Mountain Learning Systems
This company offers a variety of educational software
programs professionally developed to re-train the bran and to remediate learning
difficulties. Educational and skills testing is also available by
appointment.
Starfall Reading System
The Starfall learn-to-read program was created to meet the needs
of the emergent reader by incorporating rhyming games and high-interest books
that teach phonemic awareness (sounds in words), phonics, decoding skills, and
comprehension. Starfall readers are available free online and include
interactive word games and instructions for home schoolers and educators.
Stevenson Learning Skills
Wynn Wizard
WYNN Wizard provides optical character recognition (OCR), the
ability to scan a printed page and convert it into electronic text. Speech
synthesis enables this scanned text to be read aloud. Also, a special correction
feature provides automatic correction of misrecognized word.
Zaner- Bloser
Autism
Autism Research Institute
Autism Research Institute (ARI), a non-profit organization,
is primarily devoted to conducting research, and to disseminating the results of
research, on the causes of autism and on methods of preventing, diagnosing and
treating autism and other severe behavioral disorders of childhood.
The P.L.A.Y. Project
The P.L.A.Y. Project is a community based/regional autism training and early
intervention program
dedicated to empowering parents and professionals to implement intensive,
developmental interventions for young children with autism in the most effective
and efficient way. View The P.L.A.Y. Project's
media
brochure for a succinct description of the philosophy and efficacy of this
home-based program.
The
M.I.N.D. Institute
The M.I.N.D. Institute is an international, multidisciplinary
research organization, committed to excellence, collaboration and hope, striving
to understand the causes and develop better treatments and ultimately cures for
neurodevelopmental disorders. Standing shoulder to shoulder, families,
scientists, physicians, educators, and administrators are working together to
unlock the mysteries of the mind.
<http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/>
California State Education Information
California
High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE)
Earn the legal equivalent of high school diploma by proving
your proficiency in basic skills through passing the CHSPE. The test is
offered by the State Department of Education (for California residents).
<http://www.chspe.net/>
Correspondence Schools & Distance Education
Correspondence
Schools
Ann A. Zeise provides links to a number of Correspondence
Schools on her A to Z Home's Cool website. Since the level of difficulty
varies with each program, it is wise to consider programs that can be adapted to
students with special needs. Ann also provides a number of other links and
references that are very helpful to home educators. In addition, check out
her Distance
Education page with high school programs that have been accredited by the
Distance Education and Training Council. Online
Education
Time4Learning
Time4Learning a convenient, online home education program that
combines learning with fun educational teaching games. Many home school families
use Time4Learning as core curriculum in one or more subjects: others use
Time4Learning to supplement other home school curriculum with a fun interactive
reinforcement of the day's lessons. Families with children in school use
Time4Learning as an alternative to tutoring, learning centers, or supplementary
workbooks.
<http://www.time4learning.com/>
Therapeutic Riding
Bay Area Equestrian Network
Equestrian Network (BAEN) is a regional directory that helps you find horses,
services, and products in your area.
<http://www.bayequest.com/>
Dream Power Horsemanship
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy is provided by the synergistic team of the
horse and the therapeutic riding instructor, who is a licensed mental health
professional. In the barn setting, equine facilitated therapeutic activities
provide powerful tools for building self-awareness, self-esteem, appropriate
boundaries and a sense of responsibility.
<http://www.dreampowerhorsemanship.com/>
Hensley Ranch
Laura Hensley provides horse training and boarding and specializes in handling
difficult horses. She offers riding lessons to adults and children particularly
children with attention and learning difficulties.
<http://extendinc.com/hensleyranch/>
Sharon Hensley offers therapeutic riding lessons to
children with learning disabilities and more severe learning handicaps. <http://avcsbooks.com/theraride.htm>
Marta Glover
offers therapeutic riding lessons to adults and children with special needs and
developmental
disabilities. She is vendored with the Regional Center and works in Quincy,
California. Contact her at
mglover@plumasruralservices.org or at (530) 283-0111.
Westwind 4-H Riding
Westwind 4-H Riding provides horseback riding instruction for
children ages 5 to 19 years
with physical handicaps. The program builds confidence and self-esteem, develops
coordinationand balance, and develops horsemanship and independence.
<http://www.westwindbarn.com>
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Turning
Challenges Into Opportunities
