Organizations by Professionals and Parents!
Here are a few resources created by both disability professionals and parents like you! This is just a small list of resources, so make sure to talk to professionals and parents like your health care provider, local autism support groups, and local health department.
Navigate Life Texas is an organization based around helping children with special needs and their families. They provide lots of information regarding insurance and financial help, family support, transition support, and more! Their blog is a great place to read entries by parents of kids with disabilities for parents of kids with disabilities. They range from day-to-day stories to helpful guides on how to be prepared for events like public meltdowns. Make sure to sign up for their newsletter to get the latest articles sent straight to your inbox!
Texas Parent to Parent (TXP2P) is an parent-led organization that is "committed to improving the lives of Texas children and adults with disabilities, chronic and mental health conditions and other health care needs". They exist to connect families and give them the support and knowledge they need to advocate for themselves and their child. TXP2P utilizes a parent-to-parent model with "parents volunteering to provide support and information to other parents". Parents and caretakers are encouraged to be honest and express their struggles, stress, anxiety, and frustrations that come from trying to raise a child with a disability. Because it is parent-led, members are able to learn from each other and relate on a far more personal level than they would with a social worker or health professional.
The Caregiver Action Network (CAN) is a family caregiver organization that is working to improve the quality of life for those who care for individuals with chronic illnesses, disabilities, disease, and other conditions. They exist to help all caregivers "ranging from the parents of children with significant health needs, to the families and friends of wounded soldiers; from a young couple dealing with a diagnosis of MS, to adult children caring for parents with Alzheimer’s disease".
Additional Websites and Reading
These are lists of websites, journals, and books for you to look at! There are picture books, books written by parents, academic journals, and websites! Please take some time to look through them to gain a deeper understanding of the autistic community!
Additional Reading for Kids and Parents
My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete: This adorable picture book is about Callie and Charlie, fraternal twins. The former is neurotypical while the latter has autism spectrum disorder. Callie speaks about her brother and how his brain works differently than others. While he's very good at some things, like knowing the name of every US president and playing piano, he also struggles to do other things like making friends and showing his true feelings. But despite that, Callie knows her brother is perfect the way he is
Benji, the Bad Day, and Me by Sally J. Pla: This is a picture book that focuses on how a sibling of a child with autism may feel. It is about two siblings, Sammy and Benji. Both had a bad day at school. However, where Benji and Sammy's parents built Benji a special play-box to cool down in, Sammy is left out and feels that his parents don't care about how he feels or even if he's there! However, someone soon realizes and has an idea on how to help Sammy feel better.
Autism and Me by Katie Cook BCBA MEd: This is a perfect book for late elementary children with autism and their parents.
Autism and Me is full of exercises, quizzes, discussions, and other activities that provide readers with a deeper understanding of what ASD is. The book highlights positive ASD traits while showing children how they can work through some of its challenges as well! Parents can also benefit from the strategies presented in the book like communication skills, developing self-care habits, and navigating school. If your little one needs help navigating their world, this is the perfect place to start. 
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders by Springer: This journal is the leading peer-review, scholarly periodical focusing on all aspects of autism spectrum disorders and related developmental disabilities. Its mission is to increase the understanding of every area pertaining to ASD including possible causes, diagnosis advancements, education, psychopharmacology treatment efficacy, mental health services, and more. This journal also seeks to promote the well-being of children and families by publishing articles on topics such as health policy, legislation, advocacy, culture, and more!
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education (TECSE) by Hammill Institute on Disabilities and SAGE Publishing: This peer-reviewed journal focuses on information the improves the lives of young children with intellectual disabilities and their families. It also helps educational and medical professionals improve their services for young children with disabilities. Each issue contains original research, literature reviews, conceptual statements, position papers, and program descriptions.
Additional Websites
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/archive/ecd/child-health-development/watch-me-thrive: A site that talks about developmental screening for children age birth through five. It includes a guide with a very in-depth look at screening measures for your young child.
https://www.readingrockets.org/article/reading-together-tips-parents-children-autism-spectrum-disorder: This easy to use website gives caretakers ways to connect with their child with disabilities through reading. They list some books you can read with your child and how to get them to engage with both you and the reading.
https://www.healthline.com/health/autism/what-to-do-autism-meltdown: Here is a guide on how to handle autistic meltdowns written by the parent of a child with autism. It gives detailed instructions on what to do and how to approach the meltdown and aftermath in a constructive way.
https://autism.lovetoknow.com/Activities_for_Autistic_Children: This site gives caretakers many therapeutic games to play with their child with autism. It goes from birth all the way to teenage years and even provides links to toys and other resources.
.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment