Resource Links

Bullying – A legacy resource from NICHCY – Now Residing on Parent Center Hub Repository (May 2020)
Bullying is a serious problem with horrible consequences if left unchecked. The good news is that you can do lot to stop it. We hope that the resources listed on our website will be useful to you in that effort.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Bullying Prevention Youth Leaders’ Toolkit (January 2022)
This Youth Leaders’ Toolkit is designed for the Leadership Team. It will help you develop a project or campaign working with younger children -the Project Team – to raise awareness about bullying and to involve them as leaders in their school or organization. The main purpose of the Toolkit is to guide the discussions that will help you lead the Project Team as they develop their own project to address bullying.
Source: StopBullying.gov

Bullying Resources for Educators and Parents (January 2022)
Bullying is formally defined as unwanted aggressive behavior by another youth or group of youths (not siblings or dating partners), involving a perceived or observed balance of power External link. These behaviors are continuous and can inflict harm on communities, individuals, families, and schools. Up to 90 percent of students report they have experienced bullying External link by the time they reach eighth grade. Our comprehensive list of resources should serve as a guide for educators and parents to help put a stop to bullying in our schools and communities.
Source: Teach.com

Common Social Media Apps and Sites (July 2023)
Digital media and apps allow children to communicate and express their creativity, connect with peers, and share their feelings. However, parents may not be aware of the apps that their children use, or the risks involved in using them. There are many ways that cyberbullying can be hidden in apps and sites, such as texts, videos, and web calls that disappear or do not appear on the device’s call or text message logs.
Source: StopBullying.gov

Cyber Bullying: The Complete Resource Guide
Helping the Bullied, Stopping the Bullies. A complete resource guide on Cyber Bullying.
Source: Background Checks.org

My Child Is a Bully: What Should I Do? (July 2021)
How to find out what’s behind the bullying behavior, and foster healthy friendship skills.
Source: Child Mind Institute

National Bullying Prevention Center
Founded in 2006, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center unites, engages, and educates communities nationwide to address bullying through creative, relevant, and interactive resources. PACER’s bullying prevention resources are designed to benefit all students, with an emphasis on students with disabilities.
Source: PACER Center

PACER Teens Against Bullying (March 2025)
Student-led initiative empowering teens to take pledges, share support, and foster kindness and inclusion to eliminate bullying in schools.
Source: PACER Center

Stand For Courage (March 2025)
Teaches de‑escalation and intervention skills, empowering students to act as courageous bystanders in bullying situations within schools.
Source: Stand for Courage

STOMP Out Bullying (March 2024)
Leading U.S. nonprofit combatting bullying and cyberbullying through awareness campaigns, educational programs, and youth support networks.
Source: STOMP Out Bullying®

StopBullying.gov (March 2025)
U.S. government hub offering resources on preventing and responding to bullying, including cyberbullying guidance for youth, parents, and educators.
Source: StopBullying.gov

Talking to Kids about Bullying- Tips for Parents and Caregivers (August 2022)
Sometimes talking about bullying can be difficult. There are many ways to raise the subject of bullying and start the conversation before bullying happens or if you are concerned that it may be happening. This article may help to begin the conversation with your child.
Source: StopBullying.gov

What Are Public Schools Required to Do When a Student with Disabilities is Bullied? (May 2025)
A one-page fact sheet that provides concise information on the obligations of public school districts and resources for families on how to ensure their students with disabilities are protected.
Source: U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR)

What is Cyberbullying? (July 2020)
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.
Source: StopBullying.gov

What Is Cyberbullying? An Overview for Students, Parents, and Teachers (July 2020)
The Internet is a defining factor of modern education. In fact, education has become more accessible and widespread than ever before because of the Internet. From using digital textbooks to getting a degree online, more classroom functions and student experiences are moving into cyberspace — including, unfortunately, bullying. This guide on cyberbullying from Maryville University Online will help you learn everything you need to know about cyberbullying, from relevant facts and statistics to helpful resources, so you can keep your teen safe online.
Source: Maryville University

CADRE Parent Resource (July 2013)
An easily searchable collection of resources related to special education dispute resolution that may be of value to parents and the centers who serve them.
Source: The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

A Comparison of Dispute Resolution Options Available Under Various Federal Laws Protecting Education Rights of Children with Disabilities (June 2025)
Offers a detailed comparison of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Source: The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

Dispute Resolution Procedures (June 2025)
State and federal laws provide three ways to solve problems in special education if the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team can’t agree on a solution. These are mediation, filing an administrative complaint, and due process. BEFORE considering any of those three options, there are steps you can take to try to solve the problem at the local level. Doing this first might help you find a quicker solution that benefits your child and improves your relationship with the school system.
Source: Family Engagement in Special Education

IDEA Dispute Resolution Parent Guides and Companion Videos from CADRE  (July 2013)
Following OSEP’s release of a Q&A on IDEA Part B Dispute Resolution in July 2013, CADRE was asked to create a set of companion resources for parents and families. These guides explain facilitation, mediation, written state complaints, due process complaints, resolution meetings, and expedited due process complaints.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

IDEA Early Intervention Due Process Complaints and Hearing Requests – Part B Procedures  (August 2018)
A Guide for Families of Infants and Toddlers (Birth through Age 2).  This publication is part of a series of guides on dispute resolution options available under Part C of the IDEA. These options include mediation, written state complaints, and due process complaints and hearings.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

IDEA Early Intervention Due Process Complaints and Hearing Requests — Part C Procedures  (August 2018)
A Guide for Families of Infants and Toddlers (Birth through Age 2).  This publication is part of a series of guides on dispute resolution options available under Part C of the IDEA. These options include mediation, written state complaints, and due process complaints and hearings.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

IDEA Early Intervention Family Guides and Companion Videos from CADRE (July 2013)
These four family guides are designed to explain the dispute resolution options under Part C of the IDEA: mediation, written state complaints and the due process complaint and hearing procedures specific to families with infants or toddlers with disabilities (Birth through Age 2). The companion resource, “Quick Guide to Early Intervention Dispute Resolution Processes for Infants & Toddlers (Birth through Age 2)” offers a side-by-side look at dispute resolution options under Part C of the IDEA.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

IDEA Early Intervention Mediation (August 2018)
A Guide for Families of Infants and Toddlers (Birth through Age 2).  This publication is part of a series of guides on dispute resolution options available under Part C of the IDEA. These options include mediation, written state complaints, and due process complaints and hearings.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

IDEA Early Intervention Written State Complaints (August 2018)
A Guide for Families of Infants and Toddlers (Birth through Age 2).  This publication is part of a series of guides on dispute resolution options available under Part C of the IDEA. These options include mediation, written state complaints, and due process complaints and hearings.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

Able Tennessee 
ABLE TN is a savings program designed to help individuals with disabilities put aside money to pay for qualified expenses. These accounts provide the opportunity to save and invest with tax-free earnings to help participants maintain independence and quality of life.
Source: Tennessee Department of Treasury

Administering a Special Needs Trust: A Handbook for Trustees
Have you been named as trustee of a special needs trust? Have you created a special needs trust, and wonder what the job of trustee is actually like? Are you a trust beneficiary, trying to figure out what the trustee is permitted — and required — to do? The Special Needs Alliance is pleased to offer its free booklet on administering special needs trusts. In plain English, it can help you understand the choices and obligations.
Source: Special Needs Alliance

Conservatorship Handbook
A guide for individuals with disabilities and their families.
Source: The Arc Tennessee

Conservatorship in Tennessee
In Tennessee, if an adult with a disability cannot make their own decisions, the court can legally appoint someone else to make decisions for them. This is called “conservatorship”. Conservatorship can cover all decisions in a person’s life or just some decisions. The person the court appoints to make those decisions is called a “conservator.” The person unable to make decisions is called the “conservatee,” also known as “respondent” or “ward.” These terms are explained further in this guide.
Source: TN Center for Decision-Making Support

Special Needs Trust
A Special Needs Trust is a type of trust. It is for someone with a disability. This type of trust gives people with disabilities income. It lets them have this income while keeping their needs-based public benefits. (This may be Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Medicaid benefits.)
Source: Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC)

Vista Points Special Needs Trusts & Resource Center
Vista Points is a nonprofit organization, which acts as a trustee for special needs trusts. It also offers resources on establishing special needs trusts, educational programs, and referrals to attorneys to assist families with creating special needs trusts. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Source: Vista Points

What Should I Know About ABLE TN Accounts? Family Tip Sheet
The ABLE TN account is a savings and investment program. It was created to help people with disabilities in Tennessee save money. This money can be used to pay for disability expenses. This money is not taxed when it is used.
Source: Transition Tennessee

8 Simple School Strategies for Students With ADHD (Aug. 2022)
Helpful Techniques for Teachers and Parents.
Source: Verywell Mind

After the ADHD Diagnosis: Experts Answer Your Top 10 Questions (August 2021)
An ADHD diagnosis often answers some big, life-long questions. Then, it quickly raises new ones: What exactly does this mean? What are our options? Where do we go from here?
Source: ADDitudemag.com

American Printing House for the Blind 
The world’s largest nonprofit organization creating an educational, workplace, and independent living products and services for people who are visually impaired.
Source: American Printing House

Audio & Braille Books through the Imagination Library
Did you know that resources are available for young blind and visually impaired children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL)?   The Imagination Library has partnered with the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) to make many of the books in this program, available in braille and audio format. The goal of this initiative is to ensure that young blind and visually impaired children can also benefit from these wonderful children’s books.
Source: American Printing House

Brain Links (Jan. 2026)
Brain Links is a statewide team of brain injury specialists. We equip professionals with current, TBI research-based training and tools to enable them to better serve people with TBI of all ages.
Source: Tennessee Disability Coalition

Brain Injury is BIGGER Than You Think! Video (September 2025)
This short, engaging video from Brain Links’ Tennessee Brighter Futures Collaborative reveals how brain injury affects millions of people—and why awareness matters across every system of support.  Watch and share to help shed light on the true scope of brain injury and understand what to do next.
Source: Brain Links’ TN Brighter Futures Collaborative

Cerebral Palsy (July 2023)
The Birth Injury Center assists anyone who has been affected by a birth injury. Our website is a compilation of information about the different types of injuries. We offer resources to assist these families, and we will continuously be adding more. Cerebral Palsy is the most common motor disability for children and it affects 1 in every 345 kids.
Source: Birth Injury Center

Cerebral Palsy Guide
Cerebral Palsy Guide offers free support, educational and financial resources to families and children who are affected by cerebral palsy.
Source: cerebralpalsyguide.com

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and Neuro-Developmental Disorders  (May 2023)
This page features a variety of resources for families raising and working with children, youth, or young adults who have experienced prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs. Several resources, noted with a (T) below, are helpful for sharing background information with teachers and other adults working with children and youth with FASD.
Source:  Formed Families Forward

Down Syndrome Association of Memphis & the Mid-South
Promotes the inclusion of all people with Down syndrome by providing families and our communities with up-to-date information and education.
Source: Down Syndrome Association of Memphis & The Mid-South

Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee
We celebrate and support individuals with something extra. The Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee is a community of parents, grandparents, siblings, physicians, educators, professionals, friends and self-advocates from forty-one counties in Middle Tennessee who celebrate and support individuals with Down syndrome and their families.
Source: Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee

Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Pediatric Audiology Links to Services (EHDI-PALS)
A web-based link to information, resources, and services for children with hearing loss. At the heart of EHDI-PALS is a national web-based directory of facilities that offer pediatric audiology services to young children who are younger than five years of age. The facilities included in this directory have licensed pediatric audiologists who provide these services to children who are younger than five years of age.
Source: Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Pediatric Audiology Links to Services

EMPOWERing Youth with Visual Impairment (July 2025)
EMPOWER VI aims to equip students with visual impairments in rural communities, along with their families and support professionals, with virtual resources to enhance postsecondary education and employment outcomes.
Source: EMPOWERing Youth with Visual Impairment

Fast Facts About Mental Illness: Discover the Facts About the Most Common Mental Health Issues and Their Impacts
Mental illness is a serious medical condition that can affect a person’s ability to function in their daily life. Suffering from mental illness means navigating the world differently than a person who doesn’t. There are millions of Americans who navigate life with a mental health diagnosis, yet many are still going untreated due to the stigma connected to mental illness. Discover the facts about the most common mental health issues and their impacts.
Source: Arrow Passage Recovery

Hands and Voices
Supporting families with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
Source: Hands & Voices 

Health Resources for Smaller Demographics (December 2024)
A brief set of resources with you as part of our Tennessee Brighter Futures (TBF) Collaboration. Tennessee Brighter Futures is organized and facilitated by Brain Links through a contract from the Tennessee Department of Health TBI Program. TBF infographic.
Source: TN Brighter Futures 

Healthline – Treating Bipolar Disorder
Provides a very comprehensive overview of bipolar disorder as a critical starting point for individuals and/or their loved ones.
Source: Healthline Media

Supporting Intellectually Gifted Students TDOE (May 2025)
A resource is now available to assist educators and families in supporting intellectually gifted students through key transition assessments. Supporting Intellectually Gifted Students offers practical strategies for helping gifted students navigate their academic journeys and prepare for life beyond school. The resource covers essential assessments and how they can foster success in postsecondary education and career pathways.
Source: TN Department of Education

Learning Disabilities & Differences: What Parents Need To Know (July 2025)
Looking for information on learning disabilities to support your family or need a quick refresher? Explore this clear and helpful overview that explains how learning disabilities can impact children in both preschool and school-age years.
Source:  American Academy of Pediatrics

Just in Time Tool (August 2021)
The Just in Time tool is designed to help families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) connect to family-to-family supports focusing on state-level resources. The tool contains the most essential resources identified by both families and professionals to address hearing-related needs.
Source: National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management

National Down Syndrome Society
Advocate for the value, acceptance, and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.
Source: National Down Syndrome Society

Parents Guide to Problem Behavior
Download this free guide, from Child Mind Institute, for a comprehensive look at problem behavior. Learn – What may be triggering problem behavior, How to improve the parent-child relationship when it becomes strained, What to do if kids are struggling with behavior in school, and more.
Source: Child Mind Institute

Sensory Processing Disorder: The Ultimate Guide (July 2025)
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) affects how the brain processes everyday sights, sounds, textures, and smells. For some children, everyday activities like wearing clothes or going to a busy store can feel overwhelming or uncomfortable. Others might seek out more sensory input, like constantly touching things or making loud noises, to feel calm.
Source: Autism Parenting Magazine

Supporting Intellectually Gifted Students: Key Transition Assessments for Success (July 2025)
A new resource is now available to assist educators and families in supporting intellectually gifted students through key transition assessments. Supporting Intellectually Gifted Students: Key Transition Assessments for Success offers practical strategies for helping gifted students navigate their academic journeys and prepare for life beyond school. The resource covers essential assessments and how they can foster success in postsecondary education and career pathways.
Source: TN Department of Education

Supporting Kids With Learning Disorders (August 2025)
These resources — videos, articles, fact sheets, and a college toolkit — focus on both the learning needs and emotional well-being of kids with learning disorders.
Source: Child Mind Institute

Supporting Kids With Sensory Processing Issues (June 2021)
Sensory processing issues can cause a lot of confusing behavior. Your child might complain that their clothes are uncomfortable, or have a dramatic meltdown when they’re in a loud or crowded place. Or they might seek out sensory stimulation, touching everything and even crashing into people. These behaviors can be baffling, but they happen because the child is having trouble processing either too much or too little information from their senses.
Source: Child Mind Institute

Teaching Strategies for Students with ADHD: Ideas to Help Every Child Shine (Oct. 2022)
Your child’s teacher is your partner in a fair education, but does she have the ADHD tools she needs? The following ADHD teaching strategies will help all students — but especially those with ADD — learn to the best of their ability in any classroom.
Source: ADDitudemag.com

Teaching Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Instructional Strategies and Practices (Oct. 2022)
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Education Publications Center, U.S. Department of Education
Enjoy this resource of practical and thorough strategies for instructing children with ADHD and other children requiring learning modifications. Read about instructional strategies on specific subjects and for various age groups.
Source: LD OnLine

Tennessee Eligibility Standards and Informational Resources
If you suspect that your child may have one of the following disabilities that are impacting his or her education, you may request in writing a comprehensive evaluation. An initial evaluation for eligibility must be completed within 60 calendar days of the local education agency’s receipt of informed written consent.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tips for Teaching Kids With ADHD (Oct. 2022)
Simple classroom adjustments make it easier for a teacher to work with the strengths and weaknesses of a child with ADHD.
Source: WebMD

Traumatic Brain Injury Program (TN Department of Health)
The TBI Program is the central office for brain injury information in the state. Numerous materials including articles, books, videos, and pamphlets are available to survivors, family members, and professionals. A toll-free number (1-800-882-0611) is available to give immediate information regarding traumatic brain injury to individuals all across Tennessee.
Source: TN Department of Health

United Spinal Association of Tennessee
United Spinal Association is a national 501(c) (3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of people living with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D), as well as all others in a wheelchair, including veterans and providing support and information to loved ones, care providers and professionals.
Source: United Spinal Association of Tennessee

Behavioral Treatments for Kids With ADHD (May 2023)
Helping kids get organized and control problem behaviors. What You’ll Learn – How can behavioral treatment help kids with ADHD? What kinds of behavioral treatments for ADHD are there? How does parent training for kids with ADHD work?
Source: Child Mind Institute

Functional Behavior Assessment (June 2025)
What is a Functional Behavior Assessment? This tip sheet is designed to help families understand the purpose and process of functional behavior assessment (FBA).
Source: Vanderbilt Kennedy Center

School Discipline & Behavior Packet  (February 2025)
Autism Resources of the MidSouth has created this document to assist parents in their advocacy efforts. ARMS believes that parents are an extremely important part of the IEP team. We believe that the documents provided in this packet will help parents better advocate for their children when issues of “behavior” arise. This packet contains ARMS flow charts and documents from the State of Tennessee, Department of Education, The U.S. Department of Education: Office of Special Education Programs as well as sections of the Rules of The State Board of Education regarding Isolation and Restraint and Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans.
Source: Autism Resources of the MidSouth

Strengthening Family Participation in Addressing Behavior in an IEP  (May 2023)
The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) document is a legal plan for special education created by a team that includes educators and family members. The IEP contains goals that promote student success, and, if needed, might include goals on ways to improve behavior. As families might find it helpful to plan ahead for IEP meetings, this brief is designed to help families prepare for an IEP meeting with tips to help strengthen the IEP team planning for any needed behavioral goals and supports.
Source: Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS)

Using Functional Behavioral Assessments to Create Supportive Learning Environments (November 2024)
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) is committed to supporting State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and our partners in ensuring that schools and preschool programs have additional tools to foster safe, inclusive learning environments that increase students’ engagement and sense of well-being. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) are jointly offering guidance on the use of functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) for all students whose behavior interferes with learning. Briefly, an FBA is a process for identifying the reasons behind, or factors contributing to, a student’s behavior. This guidance is rooted in evidence-based practices to support students and allowable activities under both the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) — both of which emphasize a collaborative approach to support our Nation’s students. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) are jointly offering guidance on the use of functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) for all students whose behavior interferes with learning.
Source: U.S. Department of Education

Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities Apps
The following is an extensive and meticulously organized list of apps that may be helpful to individuals with dyslexia, parents of dyslexics, or the professionals who work with dyslexics (teachers, tutors, reading specialists, etc.). They carefully consider each app before they add it, ensuring that it claims to help dyslexics in ways that are in line with the evidence on how to help dyslexics. In other words, they add apps that aid with the cognitive processes used in speaking, reading, spelling, and writing, but they do not add apps that are visual aids for reading because evidence shows that dyslexia is not a visual disability.
Source: University of Michigan

Dyslexia, Dysgraphia & Dyscalculia: Helping Kids With Learning Disorders Thrive (July 2025)
For an overview of several common learning disabilities including dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, check out this resource from healthychildren.org. This resource also identifies some ways students can be supported in school.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

Dyslexia Overview for Parents Guide (May 2025)
Tennessee’s law for screening for characteristics of dyslexia was passed in 2016. The law requires school districts to universally screen all students and to further screen students who flag for risk for characteristics of dyslexia through their existing Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²) procedures. School teams will use screening information to determine the need for dyslexia-specific intervention.
Source: A collaborative project of the TN Department of Education and TNSTEP

Dyslexia Resource Guide – An Update to Guidance Regarding Characteristics of Dyslexia and Dyslexia (2025)
The Tennessee Department of Education guide will discuss dyslexia and the characteristics of dyslexia and how the RTI2 framework supports the instruction of all learners. Regardless of what student plan a student is being served through, instruction begins in Tier I provided through the RTI2 framework. This guide will discuss where students with a specific learning disability in basic reading and/or fluency, such as dyslexia, and where students with characteristics of dyslexia, or foundational literacy skills gaps, fit into the continuum of services.
Source: TN Department of Education

How to teach kids with dyslexia to read (May 2021)
What’s the best way to teach kids with dyslexia how to read? The most helpful approach is called structured literacy.
Source: Understood for All

Ignite Dyslexia Awareness
Ignite’s mission is to build awareness about dyslexia throughout the state of Tennessee and beyond. The goal is to get research-based information to parents and all educators so, we can have the right knowledge and tools that will give dyslexic students the chance to succeed and feel empowered in school.  Providing advocacy, coaching, screening, and tutoring for dyslexics.
Source: Ignite Dyslexia Awareness

International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with dyslexia, their families and the communities that support them.
Source: International Dyslexia Association

Resources to Support Students With Dyslexia (April 2022)
Dyslexia is a condition that affects how a person processes words and numbers, which can also impact how they learn. Many people with dyslexia are not diagnosed until several years into their schooling or even into adulthood. In order for children with dyslexia to get the tools and assistance they need, it’s helpful for teachers and parents to understand dyslexia and how these children learn effectively.
Source: Teach.com

RTI2 and Dyslexia Resources
Several resources defining the difference and implication between the identification of characteristics of dyslexia through screening and the identification of dyslexia as a disability under IDEA or Section 504, as well as a guidance document for Dyslexia and Section 504, as well as resources on RTI2.
Source: TN Department of Education

Screening for Characteristics of Dyslexia – A Companion to the Dyslexia Resource Guide (April 2025)
No individual with dyslexia or characteristics of dyslexia is exactly the same. However, research has identified common indicators of risk for dyslexia as well as primary characteristics. The primary characteristics of dyslexia relate directly to the reading and spelling of words. Dyslexia affects learning to read at the word level. Areas that indicate risk relate to a variety of oral and written language skills and processes that contribute to the reading and spelling of words. However, dyslexia and characteristics of dyslexia are not comprehension specific. Therefore, students who are struggling with reading specifically due to oral language skills, vocabulary, and/or comprehension deficits without also exhibiting word-level struggle do not meet the profile of dyslexia.
Source: TN Department of Education

Signs of Dyslexia (March 2022)
What does dyslexia look like in early childhood? The middle grades? High school? Learn how to recognize the telltale traits of this learning difference and best address reading challenges at every age. Get this free dyslexia symptom checklist, plus additional learning resources from ADDitude.
Source: ADDitude Magazine

Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia
The Center is dedicated to unraveling the puzzle of dyslexia. It is a model for the organization and delivery of professional services to students with dyslexia, to psychologists and teachers who identify and instruct them, and to schools that must orchestrate a broad range of factors that will enable these students to achieve their potential.
Source: Middle Tennessee State University

Tennessee Dyslexia Law Overview for School Districts Guide (May 2025)
During the 2016 Tennessee Legislative Session, the General Assembly passed T.C.A. § 49-1-229. This law requires school districts to screen for and identify students with characteristics of dyslexia, to provide appropriate dyslexia-specific interventions to those students, and to monitor the progress of those students in response to the interventions. The school team will use all available data to determine the need for a student to receive a dyslexia-specific intervention. The Dyslexia Resource Guide assists districts in their implementation of the requirements established by the legislation.
Source: A collaborative project of the TN Department of Education and TNSTEP

What is Dyslexia? (March 2025)
Dyslexia is a common learning disorder that mainly affects reading and spelling. It’s lifelong, but skills can improve with help. Dyslexia is a lifelong learning disorder that affects reading and spelling. It can also cause problems with writing and math. Dyslexia is the most common . It’s not clear exactly how many people have it. Expert opinions vary widely, and estimates of the rate of dyslexia in kids range from 5 to 17.5 percent. There’s no cure for dyslexia, but there is help. Specialized reading instruction and supports like accommodations can improve skills and reduce challenges at school and at work.
Source: Understood for All

10 Children’s Books That Feature Disabled Characters (June 2021)
If you are looking for children’s books that feature disabled characters, we asked members of the Mighty’s disability community to share their recommendations. These books may be great additions to your home library and can help disabled kids feel seen.
Source: Mighty Proud Media

2025-2026 TDOE Guidance for Classrooms Providing Preschool Special Education Services to Children with Disabilities Ages 3-5 (July 2025)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and state law require local education agencies (LEAs) to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to all eligible children with disabilities between ages 3 and 21. See 34 C.F.R. § 300.101(a); State Board of Education Rule 0520-01-09-.05(2). The IDEA requires all states to accept Section 619 funding to support the early learning of children with disabilities from ages 3 through 5. See 34 C.F.R. § 300.800. The regulations implementing the IDEA have specific requirements for providing services to children with disabilities from ages 3 through 5, not in kindergarten. See 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.800 through -.818.
Source: TN Department of Education

An Age-By-Age Guide to Helping Kids Manage Emotions (August 2025)
When we teach kids to identify their emotions, we give them a framework that helps explain how they feel, which makes it easier for them to deal with those emotions in a socially appropriate way. This free printable from Quality Start LA shares simple tips to help young children, from infancy to preschool-age, manage their emotions.
Source: Quality Start Los Angeles

Behavior Expected in Preschool Children (February 2024)
Expected Behavior for 3 to 5-year-olds fact sheet. Reprinted with permission of Macmillan Publishing Company from The Years Before School by Vivian Edmiston Todd and Helen Heffernan.
Source: Macmillan Publishing Company

The Breadth of the Three Child Outcomes (August 2021)
The three child outcomes, measured by early intervention and early childhood special education systems, encompass functional skills and behaviors meaningful for a child’s participation in everyday routines. This infographic, developed by ECTA and DaSy, displays the breadth of these outcomes and provides a visual framework for describing and consistently measuring children’s functional skills and behaviors across settings and situations. The outcomes cut across developmental domains to represent the integrated nature of how children develop, learn, and thrive.
Source: Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)

Building Important Life Skills (September 2022)
Before a child starts school, they are busy learning about the world around them and how to engage with it. One of the most important ways they do this is through play. Read the three ways your child builds important life skills through play. Different types of play help build different developmental skills that help lay the groundwork for resilient children.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

Child Find Self-Assessment
OSEP, with the collaboration and support of ECTA (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center, Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy), and IDC (for Sections II and III), developed this voluntary self-assessment tool to assist states in meeting regulations and implementing best practices related to child find. It will assist states in understanding and documenting their work around child find regulations and in identifying best practices to improve the efficiency of their child find efforts. The following tools are designed to support the collection, review, and improvement of child find systems including 618 data.
Source: Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)

Determining a Child’s Eligibility for Early Intervention Services Remotely Infographics
This infographic summarizes guidance and considerations to support state staff and local practitioners in determining a child’s eligibility for early intervention services remotely, which requires effective state policies, procedures, and practices.
Source: Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)

A Format to Guide Instructional Planning Sheet (February 2024)
Using the General Education Classroom as a Reference Point for Planning.
Source: Stetson & Associates, Inc.

A Family Guide to Participating in the Child Outcomes Measurement Process (April 2021)
Parents of a young child in early intervention or early childhood special education programs want to be sure these services are helping their child develop and learn. But how can they tell if that is so? One way is to learn about the 3 “child outcomes” measured for every child who participates in such a program. This free handout explains the 3 outcomes and how parents can participate in the child outcomes measurement process.
Source: PACER Center

HeadStart.gov (January 2025)
We’re excited to announce that HeadStart.gov has taken the place of the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) as our official website address! This change is part of our ongoing efforts to streamline access to trusted resources and enhance the way you find and share information related to Head Start programs. Head Start programs support children’s growth from birth to age 5 through services that support early learning and development, health, and family well-being.
Source: Headstart.gov

Helpful Entry-Level Skills Summary Page (February 2024)
Early childhood classroom summary for classroom rules skills, work skills, communication skills, social behavior skills, and self management skills.
Source: TNSTEP

How Does ADA Apply to Child Care? (July 2023)
Parents may have questions about the expectations of daycare or preschools to make accommodations for children with disabilities. This resource by PACER, ADA- Q&A- Child Care Providers, to learn more about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how families can work with the childcare provider so children can learn and play with all children at school.
Source: PACER Center

IDEA Early Intervention Due Process Complaints and Hearing Requests – Part B Procedures
A Guide for Families of Infants and Toddlers (Birth through Age 2).  This publication is part of a series of guides on dispute resolution options available under Part C of the IDEA. These options include mediation, written state complaints, and due process complaints and hearings.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

IDEA Early Intervention Due Process Complaints and Hearing Requests — Part C Procedures 
A Guide for Families of Infants and Toddlers (Birth through Age 2).  This publication is part of a series of guides on dispute resolution options available under Part C of the IDEA. These options include mediation, written state complaints, and due process complaints and hearings.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

IDEA Early Intervention Mediation 
A Guide for Families of Infants and Toddlers (Birth through Age 2).  This publication is part of a series of guides on dispute resolution options available under Part C of the IDEA. These options include mediation, written state complaints, and due process complaints and hearings.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

IDEA Early Intervention Written State Complaints 
A Guide for Families of Infants and Toddlers (Birth through Age 2).  This publication is part of a series of guides on dispute resolution options available under Part C of the IDEA. These options include mediation, written state complaints, and due process complaints and hearings.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

Overview of Early Intervention (July 2021)
If you’re concerned about the development of an infant or toddler, or you suspect that a little one has a disability, this page will summarize one terrific source of help—the early intervention system in your state. Early intervention services can help infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays to learn many key skills and catch up in their development. There’s a lot to know about early intervention. This resource will give you the “basics” to get you started.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Preschool During the Pandemic: Early Childhood Education in Extraordinary Times Video Series
It’s been said that “necessity is the mother of invention”. When the pandemic struck last year, practitioners in early education and early childhood special education, and parents came together to support young children and their families through remote service delivery. This multi-part video series, developed by Larry Edelman, features preschool staff and families from five states and illustrates their working together to use technology to make the virtual learning experience exciting, effective, and engaging for young children. Currently, there are 12 videos in the series, each ranging from five to 16 minutes in length. The videos cover the perspectives of professionals and parents on topics such as acceptance, fairness, and family support, the challenges and joys of remote learning, hands-on and play-based experiences, a family’s approach to supporting a preschooler in a virtual environment, promoting social skills, relationships and positive social-emotional development and the use of green screens to engage preschoolers.
Source: Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)

Preschool/Early Intervention Checklist (February 2024)
The checklist below is a guide; include any additional thoughts and reminders on a separate sheet of paper. Go over your responses with other advocates who are visiting the program and compare your responses before your second visit and before your final decision.
Source: Exceptional Parent

Quick Guide to Early Intervention Dispute Resolution Processes for Families of Infants & Toddlers (Birth through Age 2) (September 2025)
This guide is not intended to interpret, modify, or replace any IDEA Part B or Part C procedural safeguards or requirements of federal or state law. State regulations associated with these processes vary widely but federal requirements remain consistent. Parents are encouraged to contact their state lead agency or OSEP-funded parent center for more information.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

Resource to Support the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs (November 2023)
The U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced the release of an updated joint-policy statement on supporting the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs. The joint statement sets the expectation that inclusion continues as a child enters into elementary school, emphasizes the need to increase public awareness and understanding of the science that supports the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs, and reinforces the legal foundations that support inclusion.
Source: U.S. Departments of Education or Health and Human Services

Resources Within Reason
This month’s Resources Within Reason (RWR), compiled by Hsiu-wen Yang, Chih-Ing Lim, and Jessica Amsbary, features STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education. About RWR: Every other month a concise set of free resources on a key early childhood/early childhood special education topic is posted. Whether the topic is family engagement (May 2018) or the evidence for inclusion (January 2017), this one-page summary highlights great materials to use or share.
Source: Division for Early Childhood (DEC)

Social and emotional skills: What to expect at different ages (July 2021)
When do kids gain social and emotional skills? Children start developing them as babies, and new skills emerge as they get older. Not all kids develop at the same pace. But there are some milestones you can expect kids to meet around roughly the same age. See this list of social and emotional milestones at different ages.
Source: Understood.org

Support Early Language Development in a Digitally-Saturated World (July 2025)
Does digital media help or hinder language development in infancy and early childhood? How can parents and caregivers know what truly supports early learning? Children and Screens’ newest tip sheet, Early Childhood Language Development in a Digital World provides research-backed insights on the interplay between digital media and early language skills. It also offers actionable tips for parents to maximize the benefits–and avoid the pitfalls–of new technologies.
Source: Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development

Taking a Break: Using a Calm Down Area at Home  (July 2023)
A calm-down area provides a child with a place to calm down and take a break. It is one strategy that might be used when children are feeling anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed. It is important to note, the calm-down area is not to be used for punishment. Provide positive feedback and attention to your child for using the calm down area, this is helping your child to let go of strong emotions and begin to feel calm and ready to engage with others again.
Source: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations | ChallengingBehavior.org

Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) Extended Option (2024)
Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) now serves eligible infants and toddlers with disabilities or developmental delays from birth until the start of the school year following the child’s 5th birthday. This means families of children who are eligible for IDEA Part B services will have the choice to continue with TEIS services until their child reaches school age. This extension offers families an additional option to consider as they help their children develop and prepare for school.
Source: Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS)

Tennessee Early Learning Development Standards (Birth-48 months TN ELDS)
The standards for children birth–48 months provides a developmentally appropriate framework for parents and caregivers to work together to provide meaningful interactions and activities so that even the youngest children can develop to their fullest potential. Generally, the examples given should be demonstrated by the end of the age range and indicate only a sample of the ways developmental skills may be demonstrated.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tennessee Early Learning Development Standards (Four-year-old TN ELDS)
The TN ELDS and Kindergarten Standards tell what students need to know and learn. The instructional strategies based in developmental science tell how students will learn and grow toward the standards. The instructional structures (i.e., centers, whole group, etc.) tell where the learning will occur.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tools to Support Preschool Learning
New resources focus on technology integration, and emergent bilingual learners. Early childhood educators looking for ways to develop a supportive learning environment for children who are emergent bilingual (or dual-language) learners, while also seeking to meaningfully integrate technology tools into their programs, now have two new EDC resources. Both resources were funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Supporting Emergent Bilingual Children in Early Learning and Integrating Technology into Early Learning draw on current research into how children learn, giving educators promising practices for supporting the diverse needs of young learners. These resources also provide easy-to-use classroom checklists to aid educators in effectively implementing these practices. The resources, available in Spanish, Chinese, and English, are applicable to all early childhood professionals, working in all types of learning environments, with young children from all backgrounds.
Source: EDC.org

Transition to Kindergarten: Supporting Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Children and Their Families (February 2023)
During the transition to kindergarten, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) programs have some unique challenges. The nature of the programs and the children and families they serve are already transitional. Explore information specific to the needs of children of migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families. Learn about the kindergarten transition practices that program leaders who participated in the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Study 2017 already implement. Discover promising practices from three MSHS grantees that exemplify and build on the practices in the study. The practices are organized by child, family, program and center, school district levels, and children and families leaving the area.
Source: National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning

Transition to Preschool Resources (July 2021)
Kids grow fast, don’t they? And early intervention is designed for children from birth up to age three. At that point, services under EI end. If the child will need continued support once he or she moves on to preschool, it’s very important to plan ahead so that the transition is smooth.  The resources listed help you do just that.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Understanding IEPs and Service Plans for Preschool Children with Disabilities (July 2025)
In April, the department released a Memo on Serving Students with Disabilities in Preschool Settings, which provides updated guidance for serving children with disabilities aged 3–5 who are not enrolled in kindergarten or participating in TEIS Part C Extended Option. This memo reinforces the legal requirement that all eligible preschool-aged children with disabilities must be provided a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) through an IEP starting on their third birthday—regardless of whether the district operates its own preschool program. The guidance also clarifies expectations for placement in the least restrictive environment (LRE), including options like Head Start and community-based programs, and outlines when equitable services through a service plan may apply for children parentally placed in certain private preschool settings. An accompanying guidance document for Understanding IEPs and Service Plans for Preschool Children with Disabilities provides additional clarification.
Source: TN Department of Education

Useful Websites for Families (July 2021)
Source: Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children

Your Role in Your Child’s Early Intervention Team (June 2025)
This resource was developed to support families in the early intervention process by providing general information regarding IFSP teams, what to expect and how to prepare for IFSP meetings, communicating with service providers, and advocating for the child. Highlighting – What is Early Intervention? Early Intervention: An Unexpected Journey, Developing the Individualized Family Service Plan [IFSP] and Implementing Services, You are Your Child’s Advocate, Tips for Preparing for the IFSP Meeting, Providing Services: Conversations with Service Providers, Tips for Communicating with Service Providers, Guiding Principles of Early Intervention, and Your Role in Your Child’s Early Intervention Team.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

101 Inclusive Get to Know You Questions for Students (May 2021)
To help you get to know your students, we’ve curated 101 asset-based, inclusive questions. Most are open-ended questions, but you can also adapt them into a multiple-choice format. If you are a district or school administrator focused on improving relationships and belonging campus-wide, we invite you to share this article with your teachers and staff. This is a great resource to include on district or school resource sites, Tier 1 resource hubs, or in staff newsletters. If you are a teacher, practitioner, or instructional coach, feel free to borrow these questions to get to know your students in the classroom—virtually or in person! These questions are great for small group brain breaks, icebreaker games, morning meetings or morning circles, and advisory periods. Or, use them as conversation starters in a 1:1 setting.
Source: Panorama Education

Autism Reading: Books for Parents and Educators (May 2021)
Here are some books on autism for parents and educators with ideas that could be applicable at home or school. Educating and raising children with autism can be challenging. Books are great resources for parents and educators looking to better understand the behavior and perspectives of their students. As a teacher myself, I wrote this article to highlight some of the best books I’ve found about autism.
Source: Autism Parenting Magazine

Building Social Skills in Schools (October 2023)
This toolkit provides strategies and resources for those within the public education setting who are supporting autistic students. It focuses on the areas of social awareness and relationship skills in order to improve student connections. This toolkit is focused on autism and autistic individuals, but the information can be applicable to all children. Additional strategies and resources can be found for free in the Building Social Connections in Schools self-paced online course. Make a free account at triad.vkclearning.org, then go to the “School-Age Services” folder.
Source: Vanderbilt Kennedy Center

Bullying Resources for Educators and Parents (January 2022)
Bullying is formally defined as unwanted aggressive behavior by another youth or group of youths (not siblings or dating partners), involving a perceived or observed balance of power External link. These behaviors are continuous and can inflict harm on communities, individuals, families, and schools. Up to 90 percent of students report they have experienced bullying External link by the time they reach eighth grade. Our comprehensive list of resources should serve as a guide for educators and parents to help put a stop to bullying in our schools and communities.
Source: Teach.com

Helping Kids Build Inclusive Friendships
Giving children opportunities to spend time with others who are different from them can build new experiences, perspectives and friendships. It also helps children build the skills needed to interact successfully with a diverse population.
Source: The Kids Mental Health Foundation

McKinney-Vento Toolkit – A Guide for Homeless Liaisons, LEAs, and Schools
The Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, authorized under Title VII, Part B of the McKinney-Vento Act, was reauthorized in December 2015 with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). All local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to provide needed services to homeless children, as well as set aside a portion of their Title I, Part A funding for students experiencing homelessness. In addition, the Tennessee Department of Education (department) receives funding through the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Grant Program and distributes grants competitively to LEAs that have developed programs that document effective collaboration between LEAs and service providers to ensure that homeless students receive needed services. All LEAs, regardless of whether they receive a McKinney-Vento subgrant, must comply with required identification, reporting, and service responsibilities to homeless children and youth (such as enrollment, transportation, free lunch, equal access to education and extracurricular activities, services, etc.).
Source: TN Department of Education

NAEYC Resources to Support Our Work – Resources within Reason
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a DEC partner association, is an organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. The NAEYC website is a source of excellent free resources for families, educators, interventionists, and leaders.
Source: Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children

National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) Self-Care for Teachers
This document was created to support teachers in self-care and self-regulation during stressful moments in the classroom.
Source: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

Question Bank: Student Check-ins: 80 Questions Across Well-Being, SEL Skills, Relationships, and Classroom Feedback (May 2021)
This resource is for school and district teams who recognize the power of student’s voices and want to ensure that every student has consistent, individualized supports around well-being and SEL skills this school year. Inside, you’ll find an introduction to student check-ins in Panorama and the complete set of check-in questions.
Source: Panorama Education

Resources to Support Observation, Documentation, and Assessment Practices
Do you or your colleagues use observation, documentation, and assessment resources on an ongoing basis? These may be part of the teaching of professional development you provide, or they may be part of the repertoire you use to support students, professionals, and families to adjust their lenses and focus. Here are some resources that may help you to do that work.
Source: Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children

Return to School Roadmap: Development and Implementation of Individualized Education Programs (Sept. 30, 2021)
This Q&A document highlights certain Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements related to the development and implementation of individualized education programs (IEPs) and other information that state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs), regular and special education teachers, related services providers, and parents should consider.
Source: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Safe Online Surfing (SOS) Program (September 2022)
The FBI Safe Online Surfing (SOS) Internet Challenge in English and Spanish is a free program for children that teaches cyber safety. The content was created for students in third through eighth grades and covers age-appropriate topics like cyberbullying, passwords, malware, social media, and more. Watch the video here. Teachers can register their classes to participate on the SOS Teacher Sign Up page.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, FBI.gov

STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education – Resources within Reason
Have you heard of the STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education (STEMIE) center? STEMIE is a federally-funded knowledge development and technical assistance center funded to support practitioners, families, and faculty with improving confidence and competence in including and engaging young children with disabilities (birth to five) in high-quality STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) experiences. STEMIE has developed and curated resources to engage diverse stakeholders. Here are some of their key products.
Source: Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children

Strategies for Youth – Connecting Cops and Kids (May 2022)
Strategies For Youth’s training reduces contentious encounters between police and youth, unnecessary arrests of youth for minor offenses, and disproportionate policing of children of color. Now, more than ever, we see the consequences of bad interactions between police and the communities they serve. When encounters between police and youth go wrong, the individuals, their communities, and all of us pay a steep and sometimes irrecoverable cost. Something is tragically broken. But at Strategies For Youth, we know there is a way to fix it.
Source: Strategies for Youth

Student Behavior Blog
Looking for help dealing with behavioral challenges? Click on the “Social-emotional and behavioral challenges” category to filter for resources on topics in that area. Want to learn about specific programs or interventions that you may be expected to implement next school year? Click on the “School-based supports and systems” category to see specific topics. Or simply peruse the full list of topics to see what might be helpful for your needs. Each topic includes a variety of resources including blog posts, infographics, and videos.
Source: SRI Student Behavior Blog

Transition of Students With Disabilities To Postsecondary Education: A Guide for High School Educators
Do you know what is in store for students with disabilities who graduate from your school and head off to postsecondary education? Do you have the information you need to advise them on what to expect in postsecondary education? For students with disabilities, a big factor in their successful transition from high school to postsecondary education is accurate knowledge about their civil rights. The purpose of this guide is to provide high school educators with answers to questions students with disabilities may have as they get ready to move to the postsecondary education environment. This guide was developed by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). OCR has enforcement responsibilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), as amended, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, (Title II), which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability.
Source: U.S. Department of Education

Universal Design for Learning Resources – Resources within Reason
What is Universal Design for Learning or UDL? It’s an approach that offers flexibility in the ways young children access content, engage with it, and show what they know. When you use UDL to guide the design of learning experiences, you assume that barriers to learning are in the design, not in the learner. So universal are UDL approaches that they may be used effectively to support children with disabilities and children who are gifted, as well as children of diverse cultures, languages, and life experiences.  Here are some free UDL resources to try out.
Source: Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children

Updated RTI Guidance (TN Dept. of Education)
It is the longstanding position of both the U.S. and Tennessee Departments of Education that response to intervention strategies may not delay or deny timely initial evaluations to children suspected of having a disability. Please see the linked memo, found here, outlining updates that have been made to ensure this guidance is clear.
Source: TN Department of Education

What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching and learning that gives all students equal opportunity to succeed. To understand what UDL is, it helps to understand what it’s not. The word universal may throw you off. It may sound like UDL is about finding one way to teach all students. But UDL actually takes the opposite approach.
Source:  Understood for All

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (P.L. 114-95) 
On December 10, 2015, the President signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), most recently known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Watch the signing ceremony. Get the Every Student Succeeds Act online or in PDF (392 pages).
Source: The Advocacy Institute

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) – Tennessee
In Tennessee, we have laid a firm foundation for our students’ future by raising standards to a more rigorous level that will prepare them for college and careers; establishing fully aligned assessments to ensure all of our students are developing problem-solving and critical thinking skills; and by using evaluation and accountability systems based on multiple factors.
Source: TN Department of Education

About.com for Food Allergies
Find recipes you can use as-is, adapt any recipe for your own allergy needs, and track down unusual ingredients with the resources on this site!
Source: FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education)

Allergy Kids
“We build community and provide information for people who want to protect the health of their loved ones, especially the 1 in 3 American children with allergies, ADHD, autism, and asthma.”
Source: allergykids.com

Food Allergies 101
The article is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the subject of food allergies, and contains three sections:

• Section 1: The 8 Most Common Food Allergens
• Section 2: How To Prevent An Allergic Reaction
• Section 3: How To Manage A Severe Allergic Reaction

Source: Adrenal Fatigue Solution

Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) 
FARE was formed in 2012 when two reputable organizations merged: the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) and the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI).  Providing public awareness of food allergy through the media and through education, advocacy, and research efforts.
Source: FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education)

Gluten Free & More
The magazine is for people with allergies and food sensitivities.
Source: Gluten Free & More

Kids With Food Allergies 
Welcome to Our Wonderful Collection of Safe Eats® Allergy-Friendly Recipes! Parents of food-allergic children have shared thousands of their favorite recipes that are indicated as “free of” many different allergens. You can search to meet your special dietary needs, or you can browse by category. The “free of” boxes indicate that the recipe can be made without those allergens (it may require substitution to make the recipe safe for your particular needs).
Source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Relationship Between ADHD and Binge Eating Disorder – Within Health (April 2023)
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and binge eating disorder (BED) often occur together. While the relationship between ADHD and binge eating is complex, they both share similarities in the pathways in the brain for reward processing, impulsivity, and emotional regulation.
Source: Within Health

Understanding Food Allergy Accommodations (September 2025)
To clarify the necessary allergy documentation for parents and schools, refer to the guide below from the School Nutrition Association. It details when an Emergency Care Plan (ECP), Individual Health Plan (IHP), 504 Plan, or Individualized Education Program (IEP) may be appropriate.
Source: Originally published by Region C PTAC, FoodAllergyAwareness.org

Adoption Assistance: Helping Tennessee’s Adoptive Parents & Children Succeed (January 2023)
Adoption Assistance is a program designed to remove barriers to adopting special needs children. By providing financial assistance and services to help parents meet the needs of a special needs child, Adoption Assistance can aid families of any economic level in giving a child a permanent home.
Source: TN Department of Children’s Services
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Foster Care, Special Education, and Learning and Thinking Differences: What You Need to Know (January 2023)
Working closely with the school is key to getting the best help for kids with learning and thinking differences. But if you’re a foster parent, that can be difficult. Foster parents don’t have the same legal rights as biological or adoptive parents. So, you may be limited in how involved you can be with the school, and in how much you can advocate for your foster child. But even with these limitations, you can still play a vital role in helping your foster child work on challenges. Read on to learn more about foster care and learning and thinking differences.
Source: Understood for All

Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network (August 2023)
The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network is the first-ever national technical assistance center for those who serve grandfamilies and kinship families. The network exists, free of charge, to offer a new way for government agencies and nonprofit organizations in states, tribes, and territories to collaborate and work across jurisdictional and systemic boundaries—all to improve supports and services for grand families and kinship families. Be sure to check out the network’s resource library, a centralized hub of resources for professionals who are serving and supporting grand families and kinship families. It features resources such as fact sheets, tip sheets, webinars, practical toolkits, reports, videos, and research/data.
Source: Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network 

How to Talk to Your Child About Being Adopted (September 2025)
When to tell them and how to answer tough questions as they grow up.
Source: Child Mind Institute

How Do I Foster Kids Who Have Disabilities? Here are some good things to know before you start the journey.  (January 2023)
Fostering a child with a disability can be a wonderful undertaking. Nothing is more selfless or more heartbreaking or more rewarding than helping a child who is not your own to complete physical and cognitive tasks each day. You are relieving her suffering and helping her become the person she was meant to be. Many parents agree to foster children with disabilities because they see an unmet need and want to help. It is important, however, to know how your life will change if you agree to foster a child with disabilities. The good news is that your foster arrangement will likely pay for many of the services that your child requires. Before making an official decision to foster, it is important to know exactly how you will be required to assist your child throughout his or her life. You may need to change your schedule, your job, or your living space to accommodate your new guest. Once you begin your journey, however, you may discover that your life is more meaningful, purposeful, and love-filled than you ever dreamed it could be.
Source: Adoption.com

Kinship Care and the Child Welfare System (January 2023)
Sometimes grandparents, other relatives, or family friends care for children when their parents are unable to care for them. This arrangement, known as kinship care, can occur with or without the involvement of a child welfare agency, depending on the situation. This factsheet is designed to help kin caregivers—including grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, and other relatives as well as family friends caring for children—work effectively with the child welfare system. It also includes resources, such as links to more detailed information or places to find support, to help you learn about and navigate the child welfare system.
Source: Child Welfare Information Gateway

Navigating the Relationship with Your Adult Child (November 2023)
If you’re a grandparent raising a grandchild, you already have a relationship with a parent of the child – one that can be tough to navigate. Here is what to expect and what you can do to make things easier.
Source: Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center (Network)

Resources Especially for Foster or Adoptive Families (January 2023)
Giving a child a home is a remarkable gift. This page is written for families who’ve adopted children with disabilities (and without!) and those who offer them safe haven through fostering. It’s also written for those who work in state agencies or in private organizations who find foster homes and adoptive families for so many children.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Respite Care: A Lifeline for Foster Parents and Children in Care
Being a foster parent is a rewarding yet demanding role. The love and support you give to a child in need can have a profound impact, but it can also be emotionally, physically, and mentally draining. That’s where respite care steps in—offering a temporary break for foster parents while ensuring children continue to receive quality care in a safe environment. In this blog, we’ll explore what respite care is, how it benefits both foster parents and children, and what you need to know if you’re considering becoming a respite care provider.
Source: EveryChild TN

Social Media: Tips for Foster Parents and Caregivers (January 2023)
While social media has changed the way the world communicates, it has also created privacy and safety concerns. This factsheet briefly discusses the benefits of social media for children and youth in foster care and provides tips for parents and caregivers who want to help them use social media safely. It also provides advice for foster parents on how to responsibly use your own social media accounts.
Source: Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS

Special Education Decision-Making Role of the Foster Parent (January 2023)
Can a child with a disability get special help to learn? Federal and state laws require that children with disabilities, from birth to when they graduate or (in most states) turn 21, get the help they need to learn. This help is called special education. Whenever possible, students with disabilities should be taught what all students are learning in regular classrooms—with the extra help they need. Children with disabilities can also get speech, physical, and occupational therapy; psychological supports; school health services; and other supports to help them make meaningful progress in academic and behavioral areas.
Source: American Bar Association and Casey Family Programs

Supporting Educational Access for Kinship/GrandfamiliesSpecial Education Decision-Making Role of the Foster Parent (February 2023)
Education is high on the to-do lists of kin and grand family caregivers. Accessing educational services for children in their care can be difficult. Frequently, kin/grand family caregivers lack legal custody of the children and/or are unfamiliar with the local education system. This resource is designed to help direct-service professionals assist caregivers in ensuring the children they raise have the educational experiences needed to thrive.
Source: Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center

TN Respite/Emergency Care
Are you a Foster Parent in Need of Time Off? Respite care provides you with a temporary break, whether it is to address an unexpected emergency, care for a family member or take a quick trip. Respite also is necessary for reducing caregiver stress and promoting the stability of child placements.
Source: TN Department of Education

Homelessness Resources (June 2024)
Brain Links is sharing a brief set of Homelessness resources with you as part of our Tennessee Brighter Futures (TBF) Collaboration. In TBF, our mission is Building brighter futures for Tennesseans by improving how systems of support collaborate to identify, educate and serve people with co-occurring needs.

• Where Does Homelessness Happen? Understanding the Definitions of Homelessness
• Traumatic Brain Injury and Homelessness

Sources: Tennessee Disability Coalition, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Inc., Australian Policy Online (APO)

How to Get Help If You Are Experiencing Homelessness (June 2024)
The National Alliance to End Homelessness does not provide direct services such as housing or case management. If you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, please contact your local 2-1-1 hotline or continue reading for more information on how to get help in your community.
Source: The National Alliance to End Homelessness

Tennessee Children & Youth Homeless Services
The Children and Youth Homeless Outreach Project provides outreach and case management for homeless families or those at risk of homelessness to identify children and youth with Severe Emotional Disturbances (SED) or at risk of SED. The program then assists parents to secure needed mental health services for children and other family members in need. Assistance to find or restore secure housing is also provided including temporary financial assistance with rent, utilities, and other needs that will assist the child with SED and help keep the family intact.
Source: TN Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children. The IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. Infants and toddlers, birth through age 2, with disabilities and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth ages 3 through 21 receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.

Categories of Disability Under Part B of IDEA
The nation’s special education law is called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. As part of making special education and related services available to children with disabilities in the public schools, Part B of IDEA defines the term “child with a disability.” That definition includes specific disability terms, which are also defined by IDEA, as this webpage describes.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Part B of IDEA: Services for School-Aged Children
Since the enactment of the original legislation in 1975, children and youth (ages 3-22) receive special education and related services under Part B of IDEA. Part B is so named because it’s the second part of the law itself.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Part B, Section 619 of IDEA
Part B, Section 619 of the IDEA authorizes additional preschool formula grants to states that are eligible for grants under Section 611 of Part B. States are eligible if they make Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) available to all children ages 3–5 with disabilities. While not mandatory, all states are currently providing IDEA services to preschool-aged children.
Source: Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)

TN Dept. of Education – The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. Infants and toddlers with disabilities (ages birth–2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA, Part C. Children and youth (ages 3–21) receive special education and related services under IDEA, Part B.
Source: TN Department of Education

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children. The IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. Infants and toddlers, birth through age 2, with disabilities and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth ages 3 through 21 receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.

Part C Dispute Resolution Calls Infographic
CADRE is excited to announce a new resource, Part C Dispute Resolution Calls Infographic! This product supports Part C and Parent Center staff who receive calls about early intervention disputes. It provides a basic framework, as well as sample questions and responses, that can be used as a general guide to the process.  New hires or staff new to taking dispute resolution calls may find the information especially helpful.  It is important to note that the order of the steps and the sample questions provided in this infographic may not be appropriate or effective in all situations.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

IDEA Part C: Early Learning and Early Childhood
The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C program promotes the development of infants and toddlers with delays or disabilities, enhances the capacity of families to meet the developmental needs of their infants and toddlers, minimizes the need for special education and related services when children enter school, and enhances children’s long-term outcomes.
Source:  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Part C of IDEA
Part C of IDEA—the Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities—is a federal grant program that assists states in operating a comprehensive statewide program of early intervention services for infants and toddlers ages birth–2 with disabilities, and their families.
Source: Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)

Part C of IDEA: Early Intervention for Babies and Toddlers
Early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth-3) have been a part of IDEA since 1986. This section of the law is commonly known as Part C of IDEA.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

TN Dept. of Education – The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. Infants and toddlers with disabilities (ages birth–2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA, Part C. Children and youth (ages 3–21) receive special education and related services under IDEA, Part B.
Source: TN Department of Education

20 Tips for an Effective Video IEP Meeting (June 2022)
An IEP meeting is an integral part of planning for a student’s needs.  It is also an opportunity to build relationships that make a positive difference in the lives of students.  But how can we conduct a meaningful, personalized meeting online?  It is possible! The legal and procedural requirements, as well as content, remain the same. Online meetings will require small adjustments to the preparation and method of delivery.  We have provided you with 20 tips for an effective online meeting as well as a tutorial on Zoom conferencing to help assist you in making these changes.  These tips also included ways to continue to ensure that the meetings continue to be collaborative, and effective and bring value to each student’s individual education plan.
Source: Stetson & Associates, Inc.

A Family Guide to Participating in the Child Outcomes Measurement Process
This guide helps families determine if their child’s early intervention or special education program is meeting his or her needs through three “child outcomes.”
Published by: National Parent Technical Assistance Center at PACER Center & ECTA Center.

Bridges4Kids
A non-profit parent organization providing a comprehensive system of information and referral for parents and professionals working with children from birth through transition to adult life.
Source: Bridges4Kids

Considering Assistive Technology for Students with Disabilities
Assistive technology is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities who may have difficulty performing activities of daily living independently. The term “Assistive Technology service” means any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device.” It includes: (A) evaluations, (B) purchasing, leasing, or otherwise acquiring AT devices; (C) selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, maintaining, repairing, or replacing AT devices; (D) coordinating and using other services with AT devices; (E) training for the individual, or, where appropriate, the family; and (F) training for those providing services to the individual.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Continuous Learning Individualized Plan (CLIP) for MNPS
To identify the mode of how MNPS will implement the services and supports outlined in students’ IEP or 504 plan during virtual learning. The CLIP does not replace the IEP, but rather documents how the services will be implemented during virtual learning. If services, as outlined in an IEP, cannot effectively be implemented in a virtual setting then convene an IEP meeting to discuss options on how we can best meet all services in a virtual setting. The CLIP will be used for the 2020-2021 school year whenever MNPS is required to complete learning virtually.
Source: Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS)

Determining Appropriate Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
IEP and 504 Plan team members, including parents, must engage in a thoughtful process that determines the necessary accommodations to facilitate the student’s access to grade-level instruction and full participation in state and district assessments. The purpose of this document is to guide team members in selecting appropriate accommodations.
Source: TN Department of Education

Engaging Parents as Partners in the IEP Process (May 2023)
Family participation is an essential feature of developing and implementing high-quality educational programming for students with disabilities. Families bring important information related to their child’s academic, functional, and behavioral strengths, needs, and goals. As a result, it is important to ensure that the individualized education program (IEP) team is truly a partnership that values all participants’ perspectives. All participants must understand each team member’s role and value the expertise they bring to developing and implementing the IEP. This webinar, More Than an Invitation: Tips for Ensuring Parents are Partners in Developing and Implementing the IEP, featuring the PROGRESS Center, Center on PBIS and PEAK Parent Center, shares resources and tips to help schools effectively engage parents as partners in the IEP process.

Helping Your Family Prepare for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) Meeting (May 2023)
The IEP document is a legal plan for special education which is created by a team that includes educators and you, the child’s family. The IEP contains goals to promote your child’s success in school and should, if needed, include goals on improving their behavior. The IEP provides information about the specifically designed instruction, related services, and other supports for your child (often referred to as accommodations and modifications), the educators who will provide supports, and how progress on the IEP will be collected and reviewed. The IEP team meets to create an IEP, for a yearly update, or for a new concern. Families might find it helpful to plan ahead for IEP meetings. For example, be prepared to talk about other areas of your child’s life, such as health, eating habits, social behaviors, emotions, or academic level. This tip sheet shares some ideas on preparing for the IEP meeting to promote full participation in your child’s education program.
Source: Center on PBIS, Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports

IEP at a Glance Sheet (June 2022)
Summary of IEP Decisions Regarding Accommodations and Modifications to Instruction and Assessment.
Source: Stetson & Associates, Inc.

IEP Tip Sheet Series – PROGRESS Center (May 2023)
This tip-sheet series introduces the individualized education program (IEP) components. They include brief summaries of federal regulations, tips for implementation, and resources. Check with your state for additional requirements.
Source: American Institute for Research

Navigating Transportation Through the IEP and Beyond (September 2025)
Take a moment to think about your daily routine and how much of it involves transportation. Whether it’s driving to work, taking children to school, or heading to the grocery store, transportation plays a vital role in nearly every aspect of life. In fact, the average person spends about 12,480 minutes, or roughly 208 hours, in the car each year. That’s a significant amount of time devoted to simply getting from one place to another. Although transportation takes time, it is also a gateway to independence. It allows people to reach employment, attend school, live independently, and stay connected socially. For individuals with disabilities, having equal access to transportation is critical for achieving their personal goals. Without reliable and accessible transportation, a student or adult may struggle to participate fully in education, work, or community life.
Source: Mimi Sanders, M.Ed., Tennessee Disability Pathfinder

Parent Guide to TNReady Supports for Students with Disabilities 2016-17
As a parent of a child with a disability, you are involved in making decisions about services for your child. This guide is intended to increase your understanding of the use of accommodations in both instruction and assessment. Accommodation use is an important part of planning the educational program for your child, and many students with a disability only need slight changes to the way they are taught and tested to participate successfully in their general education classes.
Source: TN Department of Education

Quick Guide to Parent Rights and Responsibilities in Special Education
This Quick Guide to Parent Rights and Responsibilities in Special Education is an overview of some special education provisions. It is designed to assist families in understanding their rights and responsibilities in the special education process. Parents of children who receive or may be eligible for special education services have rights under both the TN Rule 0520-01-09 and The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA 2014). An important part of these laws provides parents with the right to participate in their children’s education.
Source: A collaborative project of the TN Department of Education and TNSTEP.

Response to Instruction and Intervention Framework – TN Dept. of Education  (May 2024)
We are pleased to share this updated manual for Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²), Tennessee’s framework for teaching and learning that begins with high-quality, differentiated instruction throughout the day and emphasizes intervening with students when they first struggle to avoid prolonged academic difficulties. The goal of this manual is to support educators and empower districts in their continued implementation of RTI² and to ensure that you have the structure and resources necessary to provide all students with access to and support for reaching high standards and expectations.
Source: TN Department of Education

Strengthening Family Participation in Addressing Behavior in an IEP (May 2023)
The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) document is a legal plan for special education created by a team that includes educators and family members. The IEP contains goals that promote student success, and, if needed, might include goals on ways to improve behavior. As families might find it helpful to plan ahead for IEP meetings, this brief is designed to help families prepare for an IEP meeting with tips to help strengthen the IEP team planning for any needed behavioral goals and supports.
Source: Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS)

Tennessee Curriculum Standards 
What should your child be learning in school this year? Check out the curriculum standards for your child’s grade.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards (TN-ELDS) 
The Tennessee Early Childhood Education Early Learning Developmental Standards, or TN-ELDS, were first developed in 2004 to provide documentation of the continuum of developmental milestones from birth through age five based on research about the processes, sequences, and long-term consequences of early learning and development. The standards for 4-year-olds were revised and adopted by the State Board of Education in August 2012.  These revised standards provide a direct alignment with the content areas found in Tennessee’s state English language arts and mathematics standards as well as the Tennessee state standards for kindergarten. The birth-48 months standards were revised in 2013 and adopted by the State Board of Education in January 2014. These revised standards continue to be a resource for educators, childcare providers, and families who work with children in this age range.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tips to Welcome Students and Help Them Effectively Participate in their IEP Meetings (June 2025)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) considers the student to be an important member of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team, and encourages their attendance at IEP meetings, as appropriate. The law requires that students of transition age be invited to the IEP meeting when the team considers post-secondary goals and the transition services needed to assist them in reaching those goals. Including students in IEP meetings, even very young children for a short time, can positively impact the development and quality of their IEPs. When students participate, the focus of the meeting is more likely to remain on the individual needs of that student and encourages more inclusive and collaborative conversations.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)

Transition IEP Factsheet for Parents (June 2022)
The Transition plan is part of the Individualized Education Program (IEP). It is not a separate document, and it is often called the Transition IEP.
Source: PEATC

Transition Planning
Transition planning is a gigantic and very important topic for youth with disabilities, their families, and IEP teams. CPIR’s Hub of Resources offers a virtual mountain of information about the subject, including articles written expressly for students themselves, school personnel, and parents.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Understanding Evaluations – Educational versus Medical Disability (June 2025)
Eligibility for special education services is based on different criteria than a medical diagnosis. A medical disability is diagnosed by a healthcare professional. An educational disability follows the state and federal special education criteria.
Source: The Arc Tennessee

Updated RTI Guidance
It is the longstanding position of both the U.S. and Tennessee Departments of Education that response to intervention strategies may not delay or deny timely initial evaluations of children suspected of having a disability. Please see the linked memo, found here, outlining updates that have been made to ensure this guidance is clear.
Source: TN Department of Education

Virtual IEP Meeting Tip Sheets
Circumstances may prohibit participants from attending special education meetings in person. In these situations, technology allows one or all of the individuals to participate through the Internet or telephone. Many types of meetings can occur virtually, including IEP meetings, mediation, resolution sessions, and due process hearings. While each type of meeting is unique, virtual meetings share common traits and considerations. Below are resources, tips, and strategies for meaningfully participating in a virtual meeting.
Source: These resources were produced in collaboration with the Center for Parent Information and Resources, Family Network on Disabilities, National Center for Systemic Improvement, PROGRESS Center, and Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education, Training, and Support.

WAZE of Adulthood Resource Factsheets – Roles Around the IEP Table

• Roles Around the IEP – Parent Fact Sheet (Aug. 2022)
• Roles Around the IEP – Parent Fact Sheet (Spanish) (Aug. 2022)
• Who is On My IEP Team – Student (Aug. 2022)
• Who is On My IEP Team – Student Visual (Aug. 2022)
• Who is On My IEP Team – Student (Spanish) (Aug. 2022)
• Who is On My IEP Team – Student Visual (Spanish) (Aug. 2022)

Source: PEATC

What to Know Before Your Child’s IEP Meeting (December 2025)
To support families of preschool children with disabilities as they enter school for the first time, this resource offers an easy-to-understand overview of the first Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting, including who will be there, what will be discussed, and how families can participate.
Source: TN Department of Education

Aulas de Inclusión y Construcción de Amistades
Hacer amigos, jugar y llevarse bien con los demás es bueno para todos los niños, incluidos los niños con discapacidades. Las aulas de inclusión ayudan a los niños a practicar habilidades socioemocionales y a desarrollar amistades. Pregúntele al maestro de su hijo sobre cómo desarrollar habilidades de juego que fomenten las amistades en la escuela. Consulte estos consejos para que los padres ayuden a su hijo a aprender sobre la construcción de amistades en inglés y español. Este cuento puede ser una gran herramienta para los niños más pequeños en inglés y en español.

Inclusion Classrooms and Building Friendships (September 2022) 
Making friends, playing, and getting along with others is good for all children, including children with disabilities. Inclusion classrooms help children practice social-emotional skills and build friendships, Ask your child’s teacher about building play skills that encourage friendships at school. Check out these Tips for parents to help your child learn about friendship building in English and Spanish. This short story can be a great tool for younger children in English and in Spanish.
Source: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations | ChallengingBehavior.org

Ayuda para los Bebés Hasta Su Tercer Cumpleaños (Agosto 2021)
Si le preocupa el desarrollo de un bebé o un niño pequeño, o sospecha que un pequeño tiene una discapacidad, esta página resumirá una excelente fuente de ayuda: el sistema de intervención temprana en su estado. Los servicios de intervención temprana pueden ayudar a los bebés y niños pequeños con discapacidades o retrasos a aprender muchas habilidades clave y ponerse al día en su desarrollo. Hay mucho que saber sobre la intervención temprana. Presentamos los “conceptos básicos” aquí para que pueda comenzar.

Overview of Early Intervention – If you’re concerned about the development of an infant or toddler, or you suspect that a little one has a disability, this page will summarize one terrific source of help—the early intervention system in your state. Early intervention services can help infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays to learn many key skills and catch up in their development. There’s a lot to know about early intervention. We present the “basics” here to get you started.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Ayuda para Niños con Discapacidades (3-21)
Si Ud. tiene o conoce un niño entre las edades de 3 a 21, y tiene preocupaciones acerca de su desarrollo, bienestar emocional, conducta, aprendizaje o discapacidad, esta página le ayudará a familiarizarse con los sistemas de apoyo para niños con discapacidades en los Estados Unidos.

Centro para el Estudio del Estrés Traumático (CSTS)
Además de sus hojas informativas en inglés, el Centro ofrece muchas en español, chino mandarín y japonés.

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) – In addition to its English-language fact sheets, the Center offers many in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese.
Source: Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University

Crianza Positiva: Cuando Necesitas un Descanso
Pruebe estos pasos conscientes cuando se sienta frustrado y necesite un descanso. Gracias a Zero to Three por proporcionar este recurso.

Positive Parenting: When You Need a Break – Try these mindful steps when you are feeling frustrated and need a break.
Source: Zero to Three

Ejemplo de agenda para una reunión virtual del IEP (Español)
Este documento de una página sugiere una agenda para una reunión de 60 minutos; describe los posibles roles de los participantes (por ejemplo, encargado del tiempo, facilitador); propone normas para la reunión; y enumera seis temas a tratar durante la reunión, los facilitadores para cada tema y el tiempo que se debe dedicar a cada uno.

Infografía: Participación en reuniones virtuales (inglés)

Sample Agenda for a Virtual IEP Meeting (Spanish) – This one-page document suggests an agenda for a 60-minute meeting; describes possible roles for participants (e.g., timekeeper, facilitator); proposes meeting norms; and lists six topics to be covered during the meeting, the facilitators for each topic, and the time to be allocated to each. Sample Virtual IEP Meeting Agenda (English) – This 1-page document suggests an agenda for a 60-minute meeting; describes possible roles for participants (e.g., timekeeper, facilitator); offers meeting norms; and lists six topics to cover during the meeting, the facilitators for each topic, and how much time to devote to each topic.

Infographic: Participating in Virtual Meeting (English)

Source: U.S. Department of Education

El lenguaje positivo mejora el comportamiento (julio de 2023)
Cuando se enfoca en usar un lenguaje positivo con su hijo, encontrará que proporciona un poderoso cambio positivo en el tono de la conversación. Al usar un lenguaje positivo, es más probable que vea menos berrinches, menos lloriqueos y, en general, menos comportamientos desafiantes.
Fuente: Centro de Asistencia Técnica sobre Intervención Socioemocional (TACSEI) para Niños Pequeños y Centro Nacional de Innovaciones del Modelo Pirámide

Positive Language Improves Behavior (July 2023) – When you focus on using positive language with your child, you’ll find it provides a powerful positive shift in the tone of the conversation. By using positive language, you’re more likely to see fewer tantrums, less whining, and overall less challenging behavior.
Source: Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention (TACSEI) for Young Children and National Pyramid Model Innovations Center

Entendimiento del Estrés Traumático Infantil: Una Guia para Padres
Esta guía informativa ofrece a los padres información sobre el estrés traumático infantil (ETI), la mejor manera de tratarlo, lo que los padres pueden hacer en casa por sus hijos y cómo pueden asegurarse de que sus hijos reciban apoyo en la escuela.

Understanding Child Traumatic Stress: A Guide for Parents – This tip sheet offers parents information about child traumatic stress (CTS), the best way to treat CTS, what parents can do at home for their children, and how parents can make sure their children receive support at school.
Source: National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

Glosario – Traducciones inglés-español de términos comunes relacionados con IDEA
Recién salido de la prensa, la segunda edición del Glosario OSEP incluye más de 400 términos relacionados con IDEA Partes B y C. Estos términos fueron seleccionados por traductores experimentados de Centros de padres que trabajan con familias con niños con discapacidades que representan la mayoría de las culturas de habla hispana. en América Latina y España. Cortesía de Statewide Parent Advocacy Network y Region 1 PTAC, ¡descargue su copia hoy!

2nd Edition of the Office of Special Education (OSEP) English-to-Spanish Translation Glossary!
The Glossary of Spanish Translations of Common IDEA Terms – Hot off the press, the 2nd edition of the OSEP Glossary includes over 400 terms related to IDEA Parts B and C. These terms were selected by experienced translators from Parent Centers who work with families with children with disabilities representing the majority of Spanish-speaking cultures in Latin America and Spain. Courtesy of the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network and Region 1 PTAC, download your copy today!
Source: Statewide Parent Advocacy Network and Region 1 PTAC

Got Transition (marzo 2023)
Got Transition, su Grupo Asesor Nacional Familiar y la colaboración de padres líderes de habla hispana de Family Voices, han desarrollado un conjunto de herramientas para ayudar y guiar a las familias en la transición de sus jóvenes en los servicios de salud pediátricos a los de adulto. Esta guía es para familias e incluye recursos en español fáciles de usar para ayudar a jóvenes y familias a ser más independientes en su cuidado de su salud y el uso de los servicios de salud. Los recursos incluyen un programa de transición, preguntas para hacerle a su proveedor, lo que significa cumplir 18 años para su salud y más.

Got Transition – Got Transition, its National Family Advisory Group, and collaborating Spanish-speaking parent leaders from Family Voices have developed a toolkit to help and guide families as their young people transition from pediatric to adult health care services. This guide is for families and includes easy-to-use resources in Spanish to help young people and families become more independent in managing their health care and using health services. The resources include a transition plan, questions to ask your provider, what turning 18 means for your health, and more.
Source: Got Transition, The National Alliance.org

Hojas de consejos para padres: aprendizaje a distancia (July 2021)
(Parent Tip Sheets: Distance Learning)

• My child says she doesn’t like online learning. How can I help?
  • Spanish version: Mi hijo(a) dice que no le gusta la enseñanza virtual. ¿Cómo puedo ayudarlo(a)?
• How can I help my elementary child stay focused during online learning?
  • Spanish version: ¿Cómo puedo ayudar a mi hijo(a) que asiste a la escuela primaria a mantenerse concentrado(a) durante la enseñanza virtual?
• How can I support my teen while he learns online?
  • Spanish version: ¿Cómo puedo apoyar a mi hijo(a) adolescente durante la enseñanza virtual?
• How can I keep my teen engaged while she learns online?
  • Spanish version: ¿Cómo puedo mantener a mi hijo(a) adolescente interesado(a) durante la enseñanza virtual?

Source: Iris Center, Vanderbilt Peabody College

Hoja Informativa para Padres de Virginia: Las Funciones alrededor de la mesa del IEP (Agosto 2022)
El equipo del IEP – El Programa de Educación Individualizado (IEP) es una hoja de ruta para que un estudiante con una discapacidad pase de un punto de partida a una meta final. Cambia cuando cambian las necesidades del estudiante y es la base para la educación de su hijo. Los padres también son miembros del equipo del IEP. Por lo general, así es como se ve un equipo de IEP.

Fact Sheet for Parents’ Roles Around the IEP Table – The IEP Team – The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a roadmap for a student with a disability to get from a starting point to an end goal. It changes when the student’s needs change and is the basis for your child’s education. The parent is an equal member of the IEP team. This is generally what an IEP team looks like.
Source: PEATC

Información del Gobierno de Estados Unidos a su alcance
USAGov en Español hace más fácil la búsqueda de servicios y programas del Gobierno.

U.S. Government information at your fingertips.
USAGov en Español makes it easier to find U.S. government services and programs.
Source: USA.gov

“Justo a tiempo” recursos para apoyar a las familias de niños sordos o con problemas de audición (Agosto 2021)
Creado para usted por el Centro Nacional para la Evaluación y Manejo de la Audición (NCHAM por sus siglas en inglés) y el comité consultivo de familias NCHAM Esta guía es una herramienta para ayudar a familias, de niños que son sordos o con problemas de audición, a conectarse con grupos de apoyo de familia a familia con enfoque en recursos a nivel estatal. NCHAM invita a los programas de EHDI y Parte C, organizaciones de apoyo a la familia, y a proveedores de la salud a copiar y publicar esta herramienta. Invitamos a los estados a adaptarla para su uso, agregando recursos únicos a su estado. Recursos adicionales disponibles en www.infanthearing.org/familysupport/.

“Just in Time” Resources to Support Families of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (August 2021) 
This guide is a tool to help families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) connect to family-to-family supports with a focus on state-level resources. NCHAM encourages copying and posting this tool by EHDI and Part C programs, family support organizations, and health care providers. States are welcome to adapt it for their own use, adding resources unique to their state. Additional resources are available at www.infanthearing.org/familysupport/.
Source: National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management and NCHAM’s Family Advisory Committee

Le saludamos de parte de La Red Nacional para el Estrés Traumático Infantil 
¡Docenas de hojas informativas y otros recursos en español aquí! Explore la larga lista y seleccione aquellos artículos que aborden el aspecto del estrés traumático infantil relevante para su situación: desastres, separaciones traumáticas, dejar el hospital, materiales para jóvenes, lidiar con tiroteos escolares y mucho más. Si hace clic en el menú desplegable etiquetado como español, también encontrará una pequeña selección de recursos en otros idiomas (por ejemplo, ruso, chino, coreano, armenio, por nombrar algunos).

National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Dozens of fact sheets and other resources in Spanish here! Scan through the long list and select those articles that address the aspect of childhood traumatic stress relevant to your situation: disasters, traumatic separations, leaving the hospital, materials for youth, coping with school shootings, and much more. If you click on the drop-down menu labeled Spanish, you’ll also find a small selection of resources in other languages (e.g., Russian, Chinese, Korean, Armenian, to name a few).
Source: National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

Ley de éxito de todos los estudiantes
La Ley Cada Niño Triunfa fue firmada por el presidente Obama el 10 de diciembre de 2015, y es una buena noticia para las escuelas de nuestro país. Esta medida bipartidista reautoriza la Ley de Educación Primaria y Secundaria (ESEA), la legislación de educación nacional que se compromete a la igualdad de oportunidades para todos los estudiantes de la nación, y vigente desde hace 50 años.

• Nunca es demasiado temprano para ayudar a que su hijo aprenda
• Las ventajas de ser bilingüe: Información para maestros y cuidadores de bebes y niños pequeños
• El Lenguaje en el Hogar y en la Comunidad
• Consejos para los maestros y cuidadores de bebés y niños pequeños
• Consejos para maestros de preescolar y proveedores de otros programas de educación infantil temprana
• Como los padres pueden ayudar sus niños a triunfar PDF

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015, and is good news for schools across our country. This bipartisan measure reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s primary federal education law, which is committed to equal opportunity for all students nationwide and has been in effect for 50 years.
Source: U.S. Department of Education

Planificando Tu Futuro (Agosto 2022)
¿Quién está en mi equipo del IEP? – El Programa de Educación Individualizado (IEP) es una hoja de ruta o guía para que un estudiante con una discapacidad pase de un punto de partida a una meta final. Cambia cuando cambian tus necesidades y es la base de tu educación. Hay diferentes personas que pueden asistir a tu reunión del IEP y ayudar a hacer tus metas y ayudar a planificar tu futuro.

Planning for YOUR Future – Who Is On My IEP Team – The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a roadmap for a student with a disability to get from a starting point to an end goal. It changes when your needs change and is the basis for your education. There are different people who can attend your IEP meeting and help make your goals and help plan your future.
Source: PEATC

Opción extendida de TEIS (septiembre de 2022)
El Sistema de Intervención Temprana de Tennessee (TEIS) actualmente atiende a bebés y niños pequeños elegibles con discapacidades o retrasos en el desarrollo desde el nacimiento hasta los 3 años. El gobernador y la Asamblea General de Tennessee aprobaron un presupuesto que prevé que TEIS amplíe los servicios más allá del tercer cumpleaños del niño. Si es aprobado por la Oficina de Programas de Educación Especial (OSEP) de los EE. UU., las familias de los niños que son elegibles para los servicios de la Parte B de IDEA tendrán la opción de continuar con los servicios de TEIS hasta el comienzo del año escolar posterior al cumpleaños número 4 del niño. Esta extensión ofrece a las familias una opción adicional a considerar mientras ayudan a sus hijos a desarrollarse y prepararse para la escuela.

TEIS Extended Option – What Families Need to Know – An overview of a family’s options through the TEIS Extended Option. The Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) currently serves eligible infants and toddlers with disabilities or developmental delays from birth through age 3. The Governor and the Tennessee General Assembly approved a budget that provides for TEIS to expand services beyond a child’s third birthday. If approved by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), families of children who are eligible for IDEA Part B services will have the option to continue receiving TEIS services until the start of the school year following the child’s fourth birthday. This extension offers families an additional option to consider as they help their children develop and prepare for school.
Source: TN Department of Education

Recursos de planificación futura en español
Ahora hay seis recursos gratuitos disponibles para descargar en español para ayudar a las personas con discapacidades intelectuales y del desarrollo (IDD) y a sus familias a planificar el futuro.

Estos recursos cubren una variedad de temas relacionados con la toma de decisiones y la planificación financiera, que incluyen:

• Apoyos disponibles para ayudar a las personas con IDD a tomar decisiones
• Prepararse para cambios inesperados en la capacidad de una persona para tomar decisiones
• Mitos comunes sobre la tutela y las personas con IDD
• Consejos sobre cómo ahorrar dinero para el futuro
  
• Recursos a considerar al crear un plan financiero
  
• Cuándo utilizar una cuenta Fideicomiso para necesidades especiales o ABLE

Six free resources are now available for download in Spanish to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families plan for the future. These resources cover a variety of topics related to financial decision-making and planning, including:

• Support is available to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities make decisions.
  
• Prepare for unexpected changes in a person’s ability to make decisions.
  
• Common myths about guardianship and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Tips on how to save money for the future
• Resources to consider when creating a financial plan
• When to use a Special Needs Trust or ABLE account

Source: The Arc

Recursos de seguridad y crisis traducidos
Visite la página web de la Asociación Nacional de Psicólogos Escolares para obtener recursos de crisis en muchos idiomas diferentes, incluidos amárico, árabe, chino, francés, coreano, kurdo, somalí, español y vietnamita.

Translated Safety and Crisis Resources
Visit the National Association of School Psychologists webpage for crisis resources in many different languages, including Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Kurdish, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Source: National Association of School Psychologists

Recursos para familias y educadores para este regreso a clases
Tanto para las familias como para los educadores, este año escolar presenta nuevos desafíos. El “regreso a clases” podría significar ir a la escuela de manera presencial con mucho distanciamiento, empezar otra ronda de aprendizaje remoto o una combinación de ambos.

Sin importar cuál sea su situación, estamos aquí para ayudarlo con herramientas prácticas y consejos de expertos para aprovechar al máximo el regreso a clases en esta crisis del coronavirus.

Back-to-School Resources for Families and Educators
For families and educators alike, the transition into this school year comes with new challenges. Going “back to school” might mean attending in person with lots of distancing, soldiering through another round of remote learning, or some of both.

No matter your situation, the Child Mind Institute offers practical tools and expert advice to help you make the best of going back to school during the coronavirus crisis. If your child needs specialized help, learn about clinical care at the Child Mind Institute here.
Source:  Child Mind Institute

Señales de shock emocional en los Niños
Qué debemos vigilar en las semanas y meses posteriores a un evento traumático.

Signs of Emotional Shock in Children
What to watch for in the weeks and months after an upsetting event.
Source: Child Mind Institute

Separación Traumática, Niños Migrantes y Refugiados: Consejos para Padres, Cuidadores Primarios y Proveedores
Esta guía de tres páginas ofrece consejos para cuidadores y otras personas que trabajan con niños inmigrantes y refugiados que han experimentado una separación traumática. También describe las posibles reacciones de los niños según su edad y cómo los cuidadores y otras personas pueden brindarles apoyo.

Traumatic Separation and Refugee and Immigrant Children: Tips for Current Caregivers
This 3-page tip sheet provides tips for current caregivers and others to help address the needs of immigrant and refugee children who have experienced traumatic separation. It also outlines what children of different ages might be experiencing and how caregivers and others can help.
Source: National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

Sitios Web Útiles para Familias (July 2021)
Useful Websites for Families
Source: Division for Early Childhood Family Committee

Sobre el Proceso de Educación Especial
Aquí puede ver brevemente cómo un estudiante es identificado como niño que tiene una discapacidad y necesita educación especial y servicios relacionados. Después de familiarizarse con el proceso básico de educación especial, puede usar los enlaces a final para aprender más acerca de aspectos específicos de lo que la ley IDEA requiere.

10 Basic Steps in Special Education – When a child is having trouble in school, it’s important to find out why. The child may have a disability. By law, schools must provide special help to eligible children with disabilities. This help is called special education and related services.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Sus servicios más solicitados, en línea
Con una cuenta segura de my Social Security, puede acceder a servicios y administrar sus beneficios, en cualquier momento y lugar.

Information You Need To Apply for Child’s Benefits – You can apply for benefits by calling our national toll-free service at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or by visiting your local Social Security office. An appointment is not required, but if you call ahead and schedule one, it may reduce the time you spend waiting to apply.
Source: Social Security Administration

Transición a la vida adulta
La vida está llena de transiciones, y una de las más notables ocurre cuando los estudiantes se preparan para salir de la escuela secundaria y entrar al mundo como adultos jóvenes. Cuando el estudiante tiene una discapacidad, la planificación para el futuro es especialmente importante. De hecho, la ley IDEA lo requiere.

Transition to Adult Life 
This resource page connects Spanish-speaking youth (and their families and service providers) with information in Spanish about the transition process, their rights under federal law, the systems of help that are available, post-secondary education, and the world of work.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Casa de la Cultura Latino Americana, Nashville
La misión de la Casa de la Cultura Latino Americana es promover, rescatar y preservar la identidad y la cultura de los países de latinoamerica, prestando servicio a las comunidades desatendidas, excluidas y olvidadas de Tennessee Central que carecen de una oferta cultural, a través de programas educativos, artísticos y culturales.

Latin American House of Culture
The mission of Casa de la Cultura Latino-Americana is to promote, rescue and preserve the identity and culture of Latin-America countries serving undeserved, excluded and forgotten communities from Middle Tennessee with a lack of a cultural offer through educational, artistic, and cultural programs.
Source: www.casadelaculturanashville.org

Centro Hispano de East Tennessee
Centro Hispano es un lugar acogedor para la comunidad bilingual de East Tennessee. Aspiramos en ser la organización que en la educación y proporcionar servicios sociales para mejorar la calidad de vida y la integración exitosa de estas familias a la comunidad. Nuestra misión es promover el empoderamiento y la participación cívica de la comunidad bilingual a través de educación y servicios sociales.

Centro Hispano is a welcoming place for the bilingual community of East Tennessee. We aspire to be the organization that in education and provides social services to improve the quality of life and the successful integration of these families into the community. Our mission is to promote the empowerment and civic participation of the bilingual  community through education and social services.
Source: www.centrohispanotn.org
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Conexión Américas Ayuda a Familias Latinas
Conexión Américas es una organización sin fines de lucro cuya misión es ayudar a las familias Latinas inmigrantes a alcanzar sus aspiraciones para progresar socialmente y económicamente. En Conexión Américas trabajamos para ayudarte a ti y a tu familia a alcanzar tus aspiraciones para una mejor calidad de vida. Estamos aquí para apoyarte en el proceso de adaptación a la vida en este país y en Tennessee…a enfrentar los retos y las oportunidades. Gracias a las contribuciones que recibimos de fundaciones, corporaciones e individuos, y a nuestra estrecha colaboración con otras organizaciones, nuestros servicios son gratis o de muy bajo costo.

At Conexión Américas, our mission is to build a welcoming community and create opportunities where Latino families can belong, contribute, and succeed. Every year, we assist more than 9,000 individuals and their families in their desire to start businesses, improve their English, help their children succeed in school and go to college, and become an integral part of Nashville’s social, cultural, and economic vitality. Conexión Américas is the lead partner of Casa Azafrán, a nonprofit collaborative at the gateway to Nashville’s International District that is home to Conexión Américas and nine partners.
Source: www.conexionamericas.org

Únete a nuestro grupo en Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/autismocac/

The Spanish Autism Program in Chattanooga provides information and support for the Latino community with autism through educational materials, support groups, meetings, workshops, and social activities. This program is for parents and families who want to learn about autism and the different ways how to improve the quality of life for individuals on the spectrum. Autism affects all ethnicities, and increased awareness of autism should matter to everyone. For more information, you can contact Dorca Rose Guayurpa by email: or 423-531-6961 option 9. Every fourth Tuesday of each month, we will have a support group that meets in order to learn through workshops and social activities. If you want to be a participant, you are more than welcome to come to the Autism Center in Chattanooga at 6:30 p.m. Website: www.chattanoogaautismcenter.org/espanol

Join our group on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/autismocac/

Source: Chattanooga Autism Center

HoLa Hora Latina
HoLa se inició en Knoxville, TN en 1992 y es una organización Latina sin fines de lucro y la más antigua en el este de Tennessee. Constituida en 2003, es ahora una (c) (3) caridad 501. Su misión es promover la unidad en la comunidad mediante la creación de puentes de arte, cultura y la comunicación entre los latinos y la comunidad en general, y mediante el fomento de la educación, la participación y el liderazgo.

HoLa ha contribuido a la vida cultural de la zona de Knoxville a través de sus programas educativos y culturales variados. Somos posiblemente más conocidos por la celebración anual del Mes de la Herencia Hispana, que se celebra del 15 de septiembre hasta el 15 de octubre y por el Festival HoLa, el más destacado este mes con largas celebraciones.

HoLa Hora Latina started in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1992 and is the oldest grassroots Latino non-profit organization in East Tennessee. Chartered in 2003, it is now a 501(c)(3) charity. The mission of HoLa Hora Latina is to promote unity in the community by creating art, cultural and communication bridges between Latinos and the larger community, and by encouraging education, participation, and leadership.

HoLa Hora Latina has contributed to the cultural life in the Knoxville area through its various cultural and educational programs. We are mainly known for the annual Hispanic Heritage Month which is celebrated from September 15 to October 15 and for the annual HoLa Festival. The last one is the most celebrated among the many celebrations during this month. The HoLa Festival is known to be attended by more than 25,000 festival goers kicking off with a Saturday night Salsa Fiesta and leading to a Sunday filled with food, music, dance, cultural events, a Parade of Nations, and endless activities promoting the culture of all Hispanic countries and their influences in the United States.
Source: www.holahoralatina.org

La Fundación de la Familia Hispanoamericana de Clarksville (CHAFF)
La Fundación de la Familia Hispanoamericana de Clarksville (CHAFF) es una organización sin fines de lucro dedicada a celebrar, preservar y compartir la belleza de la cultura hispana. Basada en la creencia de que la cultura es el alma viviente de la humanidad, CHAFF trabaja para empoderar y unir a las comunidades a través de la educación, el arte y el patrimonio. Desde festivales vibrantes y talleres culturales hasta narración de cuentos, música, danza y arte, CHAFF promueve la comprensión, la armonía y el orgullo entre todas las personas conectando generaciones, honrando la sabiduría de nuestros mayores e inspirando a nuestra juventud. CHAFF actúa como un puente cultural que fortalece la identidad, fomenta la inclusión y construye un futuro más brillante y conectado para la comunidad hispana y más allá.

Clarksville Hispanic American Family Foundation (C.H.A.F.F.) – Our mission is to ensure that every Hispanic voice in Clarksville is heard, valued, and uplifted. We work to build bridges between cultures, generations, and dreams — promoting understanding, unity, and pride in our shared humanity. CHAFF isn’t about where you come from — it’s about how we move forward together. We believe in community, compassion, and the power of culture to bring people closer and make our city stronger.
Source: www.chaffclarksville.org/es

LaPaz Chattanooga
El Centro De Recursos Familiares Para La Comunidad Latina – En el 2013 la Ciudad de Chattanooga le dió a La Paz la posición de Centro de Recursos para Familias Latinas. Tomamos este papel muy en serio – actuamos como guía y conexión para familias latinas. Ya sea que buscan ayuda con diligencias cotidianas o consejos sobre como manejar las cosas dificiles, nuestro personal trabaja sin cesar apoyando la comunidad para que puedan prosperar.

Chattanooga’s Official Latino Family Resource Center – In 2013 the City of Chattanooga gave La Paz the title of Latino Family Resource Center. We take this title very seriously, acting as a guide and connector for Latino families. Whether they’re seeking help with day-to-day tasks or advice on how to navigate the heavy stuff, our Social Impact staff works tirelessly to advocate for them and empower them so they can thrive in their community.
Source: www.lapazchattanooga.org

Qué Hacemos
Para muchos latinos que viven en Memphis, los latinos de Memphis son el primer paso en su búsqueda de una vida mejor para ellos y sus familias. Para otros, somos el único lugar al que pueden acudir para obtener asistencia con la salud, la educación y otros servicios básicos.Cada vez más latinos hacen de Memphis su hogar cada año. Más de 80,000 latinos mempianos viven, adoran, trabajan, estudian y se divierten aquí. Como el principal proveedor de servicios para esta comunidad, nos hemos dedicado a la idea de que cada memphian latino debería tener la oportunidad y los recursos para convertirse en un participante comprometido y activo para hacer que nuestra ciudad sea una gran ciudad. Esto significa brindar oportunidades educativas y de avance profesional, conectar a los clientes con los servicios necesarios, garantizar que las familias estén seguras y fomentar el compromiso entre personas de todos los orígenes y etnias.

Latino Memphis
For many Latinos living in Memphis, Latino Memphis is the first step in their pursuit of a better life for themselves and their families. For others, we are the only place they can turn to for assistance with health, education, and other basic services.

More and more Latinos are making Memphis their home every year. Over 80,000 Latino Memphians currently live, worship, work, study, and have fun here. As the primary provider of services to this community, we have dedicated ourselves to the idea that every Latino Memphian should have the opportunity and resources to become an engaged and active participant in making our city great. This means providing educational and career advancement opportunities, connecting clients to needed services, ensuring families are safe, and encouraging engagement between and among people of all backgrounds and ethnicities.
Source: www.latinomemphis.org

LUCES Memphis
Latinos United for Children, Education and Services “LUCES” es un grupo de apoyo para familias de habla hispana que tienen hijos con necesidades especiales.

Niñez Temprana y Apoyo a la Familia
Promovemos la educación en la niñez temprana a través de nuestros programas Head Start (y fomentamos la participación de los padres) con diversos servicios, desde educación para el desarrollo infantil hasta servicios de apoyo a la familia. Telamon-TRC brinda servicios principalmente a través de centros Head Start en seis estados: Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Carolina del Norte y Tennessee.

Red de Cuidado de Tennessee en el Centro Médico de la Universidad de Vanderbilt Recursos para los Cuidadores
¿Le preocupa el desarrollo de su hijo pequeño? Si es así, queremos estar seguros de que usted conoce sobre los siguientes recursos. Puede llamar o enviar un correo electrónico para preguntar acerca de ellos, no importa si su hijo ya tiene o no un diagnóstico. No hay necesidad de esperar.

Tennessee Care Network at Vanderbilt University Medical Center Resources for Caregivers – Are you concerned about your young child’s development? If so, we want to be sure you are aware of the following resources. You may call or email to ask about them, whether or not your child already has a diagnosis. There is no need to wait.
Source: vkc.vumc.org/vkc/triad/tncares-sp

Servicios para Inmigrantes de Caridades Católicas
Ofrece asistencia a inmigrantes de diversos países (no solo hispanos) para completar trámites y formularios de inmigración, como peticiones para familiares, renovaciones de permisos de trabajo, ciudadanía y naturalización, reemplazo de documentos de inmigración, e información sobre servicios sociales básicos.

Office of Immigrant Services, Catholic Charities of East TN
Offers assistance to immigrants of diverse countries (not only Hispanic)to fill out paperwork and formularies of immigration like petitions for family members, renewals of work permits, citizenship & naturalization, replacement of immigration documents, and information about basic social services.
Source: www.ccetn.org

A Student’s Guide to Police Practices  
You and the Police – We hope that the information in the Student’s Guide to Police Practices (Guide) will help you make smart decisions if you are stopped by the police The Guide describes some of your basic legal rights, common crimes, and how to avoid becoming the affected persons of a crime The Guide cannot replace legal advice from a lawyer We hope you will find it helpful.
Source: Office of the Independent Police Auditor, City of San Jose

Improving Outcomes for Justice-Involved Youth with Disabilities
Juvenile Justice Regional TA Webinar PowerPoint (Feb. 18, 2019)
Universal Strategies and Tips that Build Organizational Capacity within Parent Centers.
Source: TNSTEP

Juvenile Justice Factsheet
Youth Transitioning from the Juvenile Justice System and increasing the opportunity for successful reentry, higher education, and sustainable employment.
Source: TNSTEP

LOCKED OUT: Improving Educational and Vocational Outcomes for Incarcerated Youth
Policymakers across the governmental spectrum agree: all young people should have access to a high-quality public education. Within the past two decades, particular emphasis has been placed on ensuring that students receive instruction that prepares them for college and careers, and that schools are held accountable for realizing these goals. There is perhaps no subset of young people whose need for quality education is more acute—and whose situation makes them especially challenging to serve—than incarcerated youth. Of the more than 60,000 youth who are incarcerated on any given day in the United States, nearly 36,000 are committed to state custody, two-thirds of whom are the youth of color. The majority of these youth are over-age and under-credited, several grade levels behind their peers, more likely to have a disability than their peers, and have been suspended multiple times and/or expelled from their local schools.
Source: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, “Locked Out: Improving Educational and Vocational Outcomes for Incarcerated Youth” (New York: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2015)

Reducing Structural Barriers to School and Work for People with Juvenile Records
To aid states, The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center conducted a first-of-its-kind examination of state statutory and administrative barriers that affect people who have been adjudicated of an offense in juvenile court. With a specific focus on education and employment-related collateral consequences, the study examined those consequences that follow young people after the conclusion of their juvenile justice system involvement. (6) This brief summarizes key findings from the analysis and provides recommendations for state statutory reform. Policymakers and other state leaders can use these recommendations to ensure that state policies don’t unduly hamper people from continuing their education or obtaining employment due to the mistakes of their youth. An accompanying toolkit includes sample legislative language and state best practice examples to help advance these efforts.
Source: Josh Weber, Reducing State-Imposed Barriers to School and Work for People with Juvenile Records (New York: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2021)

Strategies for Youth Connecting Cops and Kids (May 2022)
Strategies For Youth’s training reduces contentious encounters between police and youth, unnecessary arrests of youth for minor offenses, and disproportionate policing of children of color. Now, more than ever, we see the consequences of bad interactions between police and the communities they serve. When encounters between police and youth go wrong, the individuals, their communities, and all of us pay a steep and sometimes irrecoverable cost. Something is tragically broken. But at Strategies For Youth, we know there is a way to fix it.
Source: Strategies for Youth

TNSTEP Juvenile Justice Resource Links
Source: TNSTEP

Charting the Course: Supporting the Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities
This Guide was developed by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth), an organization charged with assisting education and workforce development organizations to improve the successful transition of youth with disabilities into the workplace. This Guide includes numerous quick reference charts, tables, and tools for counselors, career advisors, and other professionals who work directly with youth.  Quick reference tools are of limited use without an understanding of learning disabilities, so in-depth information is provided on a variety of topics including the types and impact of learning disabilities, needed supports, and research-based interventions. This Guide is intended to increase awareness of the fact that the workforce development system serves many youth who have learning disabilities that may never have been identified and many others who may know they have a learning disability but choose not to disclose.  Although focusing primarily on youth with learning disabilities, many of the strategies and approaches advocated in this Guide, which are premised on universal design, may be of practical use for other youth.
Source: This document was developed by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, funded by a grant/contract/cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (Number #E-9-4-1-0070). 

Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities Apps
Provided by the University of Michigan, the following is an extensive and meticulously organized list of apps that may be helpful to individuals with dyslexia, parents of dyslexics, or the professionals who work with dyslexics (teachers, tutors, reading specialists, etc.). They carefully consider each app before they add it, ensuring that it claims to help dyslexics in ways that are in line with the evidence on how to help dyslexics. In other words, they add apps that aid with the cognitive processes used in speaking, reading, spelling, and writing, but they do not add apps that are visual aids for reading, because evidence shows that dyslexia is not a visual disability.
Source: The Regents of the University of Michigan

LD Online
LD OnLine knows that there are many different ways to learn, and having the right tools at school and at home can change everything. Explore our resources and help every child reach their full potential.
Source: LD Online

Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities are thankfully becoming increasingly understood, removing the stigma and scorn associated with such conditions. This is timely, as according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, one in five American children is now living with some kind of learning disorder. This guide will help parents and guardians identify a potential learning disability in children and take the appropriate action. Upon diagnosis, it will become increasingly clear what learning disorder is impacting a child – and what action can be taken to provide the young person with a superior quality of life.
Source: Businesscostsaver.co.uk

National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
The National Center for Learning Disabilities improves the lives of all people with learning difficulties and disabilities by empowering parents, enabling young adults, transforming schools, and creating policy and advocacy impact.
Source: National Center for Learning Disabilities

Parents Guide to ADHD
Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) find it unusually difficult to concentrate on tasks, to pay attention, to sit still, and to control impulsive behavior. This guide offers parents the information you need to understand the behaviors associated with the disorder and make effective decisions for your child about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
Source: Child Mind Institute

Parents Guide to OCD
Children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have intrusive thoughts and worries that make them extremely anxious, and they develop rituals they feel compelled to perform to keep those anxieties at bay. This guide explains the often confusing behaviors that can be associated with OCD in children, and the effective treatments for helping kids who develop it.
Source: Child Mind Institute

Sensory Processing Issues
Explore resources on sensory processing disorder to understand sensory issues in kids, treatment options, and ways to support them.
Source: Child Mind Institute

Social and Emotional Learning Toolkit for Parent Champions
This toolkit is a quick guide for parents and caregivers to share accurate information in support of SEL in our children’s schools and communities. Use these tools to ground conversations in facts and data, dispel misinformation, and advocate for high-quality social, emotional, and academic learning.
Source: Leading with SEL

Students with Learning Disabilities Find Help in Community Colleges
Community colleges are an excellent stepping stone between high school and a four-year institution, especially for students with learning disabilities. Learn about the support programs available at community colleges that can help students thrive academically, regardless of their disabilities.
Source: Community College Review

Tech Tools and Tips for Teaching Coding to Students with Learning Disabilities  (January 2022) 
This resource discusses strategies and tools that can make learning coding more accessible to all children.
Source: MastersinDataScience.org 

Understood for Learning & Attention Issues
Understood is the leading nonprofit empowering the 70 million people with learning and thinking differences in the United States. People with learning and thinking differences are two to three times more likely to have mental health challenges like anxiety or depression. These challenges, plus the stigma surrounding them, can leave people feeling isolated or misunderstood. With Understood, no one ever has to feel alone. Our expert-designed resources are free and easy to access, so everyone can get the support they deserve.
Source: Understood.org

Unlocking Potential: How Assistive Technology Empowers Students with Intellectual Disabilities
There’s little debate when it comes to the importance of getting a good education. The quality of a child’s school years has a direct impact on health and well-being, physical, cognitive, and social development, and future abilities to earn a living. These same facts ring true for students living with intellectual disabilities (ID).
Source: Advocates for Life Skills & Opportunity (ALSO)

4 reasons kids get anxious about reading — and how to help (May 2021)
Reading helps lots of people unwind. But for some kids, reading is anything but relaxing. It stresses them out. Even just thinking about reading can put them on edge. Here are some common reasons kids get reading anxiety.
Source: Understood.org

8 Multisensory Techniques for Teaching Reading (May 2021)
Multisensory instruction is a way of teaching that engages more than one sense at a time. Using sight, hearing, movement, and touch gives kids more than one way to connect with what they are learning. Here are a few examples of multisensory techniques you can use to help all kids, especially those who struggle with reading.
Source: Understood.org

Audio & Braille Books through the Imagination Library (April 2014)
Did you know that resources are available for young blind and visually impaired children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL)?  The Imagination Library has partnered with the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) to make many of the books in this program, available in braille and audio format. The goal of this initiative is to ensure that young blind and visually impaired children can also benefit from these wonderful children’s books.
Source: American Printing House

CDC’s Developmental Milestones (November 2023)
In 2022, CDC’s milestones and parent tips were updated and checklist for ages 15 and 30 months were added. For more information about the CDC’s developmental milestones, please review the Pediatrics journal article and these important key points.
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Distinguishing Between Disability and Language Difference (October 2024)
Delays in social and communication development might occur when children are learning two or more languages. Because such delays can be red flags for further developmental problems in the areas of social-emotional development and cognition, early childhood educators must determine their cause: language difference or disability.
Source: The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University Nashville

English as a Second Language Manual (October 2024)
The purpose of this manual is to provide support for local education agencies (LEAs) as they manage English as a Second Language (ESL) programs and projects. LEAs may also find this manual useful to train teacher leaders and clarify best practices and policies. Tennessee’s population of English Learners (ELs) exceeded 75,000 during the 2023-24 school year.1 With the reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December 2015 and the subsequent approval of Tennessee’s ESSA state plan, Tennessee is poised to leverage the increased state-level decision-making authority to fulfill the vision laid out in Tennessee’s strategic plan, Best for All. The strategic plan sets a vision and intention that, “together as a state, we will set all students on a path to success.” It is imperative that this vision is true for all students, including ELs.
Source: TN Department of Education

How Important is Literacy? (November 2023)
We all know that it’s good to read to our babies, but what exactly are they learning? Here are 13 things babies learn when we read to them. You can also check out this resource that has 8 creative ideas to help your child learn new words!
Source: Regents of the University of Minnesota

How to Introduce Toddlers and Babies to Books (May 2020)
This resource provides research-based tips on how to share books with babies and toddlers to maximize the joy and learning of book-reading and to nurture a lifelong love of books. Thanks to Zero to Three for providing this resource.
Source: Zero to Three

Information for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Parents and Guardians and for Schools and School Districts that Communicate with Them
This fact sheet answers common questions about the rights of parents and guardians who do not speak, listen, read, or write English proficiently because it is not their primary language.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Education

International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL) (April 2021)
Named one of the 25 best websites for teaching and learning by the American Association of School Librarians, the ICDL provides free online access to books for children in multiple languages.
Source: University of Maryland

Literacy for Children with Combined Vision and Hearing Loss (October 2016)
Strategies, examples, and resources for children with sensory losses, including children who do not use a formal language system and children who have multiple disabilities and complex learning challenges. Builds on communication as the foundation for early literacy and moves children along a continuum toward ever-increasing skill levels. The website allows users to interact with each other as well as request technical assistance for their child or classroom.
Source: National Center on Deafblindness

Make Learning Fun (June 2023)
Explore and play all summer long with a variety of free resources from PBS Kids. Spark curiosity and creativity with hands-on activities and games supporting literacy, math, science, and fun. Get started here with summer fun for the whole family!
Source: PBS Kids

A Parents Guide to Introducing Children to Libraries (September 2023)
Going to the library can be an exciting experience that is valuable and worthwhile for a parent’s time and energy. Parents are a child’s first and most important teachers, and the library can be an additional learning space for them. Having a space that allows families and young readers to gather and experience materials and resources for free is a unique experience that no other place provides other than a library.
Source: Library Science Degree Online

Reading Aloud with Children of All Ages (October 2024)
It’s important to read aloud to children of all ages

• Reading aloud presents books as sources of pleasant, valuable, and exciting experiences. Children who value books are motivated to read on their own.
• Reading aloud gives children background knowledge, which helps them make sense of what they see, hear, and read. The more adults read aloud to children, the larger their vocabularies will grow and the more they will know about the world and their place in it.
  

Source: Reading Is Fundamental

Reading Readiness Checklist
Did you know that there are five skills your child should master before you begin formal reading instruction? These reading readiness skills—print awareness, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, listening comprehension, and motivation to read—are so important, we call them the Big Five Skills. Has your child mastered these critical skills? In this e-book, you’ll find a handy checklist designed to help you measure your child’s reading readiness and identify the pre-reading skills he still needs to work on.
Source: All About Reading

Reading Rockets – Science 
Many of the skills that are critical for growing strong readers and writers are also core skills in the study of science and math.
Source: Reading Rockets

RIF’s Summer Reading Camp (July 2023)
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) invites children to soar into summer through a series of literary field trips with activities designed to support reading engagement and comprehension. Check out their free booklists, read-aloud videos, printable activities, and more!
Source: Reading Is Fundamental

Speech and Language Developmental Milestones (October 2024)
The first 3 years of life, when the brain is developing and maturing, is the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills. These skills develop best in a world that is rich with sounds, sights, and consistent exposure to the speech and language of others.
Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Teaching a child with dyslexia how to read (May 2021)
Structured literacy helps kids with dyslexia build a solid reading foundation.
Source: Understood.org

Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards – Birth-48 months (October 2024)
Guiding Principles for the Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards.

The Tennessee Early Childhood Education Early Learning Developmental Standards, or TN-ELDS, were first developed in 2004 to provide documentation of the continuum of developmental milestones from birth through age five based on the research about the processes, sequences, and long term consequences of early learning and development.

The birth-48 months standards were revised in 2013 and adopted by the State Board of Education in January 2014. These revised standards continue to be a resource for educators, child care providers, and families who work with children in this age range.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards – 4 Year Old (October 2024)
Guiding Principles for the Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards.

The Tennessee Early Childhood Education Early Learning Developmental Standards, or TN-ELDS, were first developed in 2004 to provide documentation of the continuum of developmental milestones from birth through age five based on the research about the processes, sequences, and long term consequences of early learning and development.

The standards for 4 year-olds were revised and adopted by the State Board of Education in August 2012.  These revised standards provide a direct alignment with the content areas found in Tennessee’s state English language arts and mathematics standards as well as the Tennessee state standards for kindergarten.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tennessee English Learners
An English Learner (EL) is a student with a non-English language background who qualifies for English as a Second Language (ESL) services based on an English Language Proficiency screener approved by the Department of Education. State and federal laws require Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to identify all English learners, determine their level of English proficiency, and provide effective ESL programs for these students.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tools and Resources for Identifying All English Learners (October 2024)
This is the first chapter of the English Learner Tool Kit, which is intended to help state and local education agencies (SEAs and LEAs) meet their obligations to English Learners (ELs). This tool kit should be read in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) and the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) joint guidance, “English Learner Students and Limited English Proficient Parents,” published in January 2015, which outlines SEAs’ and LEAs’ legal obligations to EL students under civil rights laws and other federal requirements.
Source: U.S. Department of Education

Understanding your child’s reading struggles (May 2021)
Try these 5 strategies to give your child extra support during reading time.
Source: Understood.org

When do kids learn to read? (July 2021) 
Learning to read is a process that involves different language skills. It happens over time, so it’s hard to say exactly when kids learn to read. To some people, reading means being able to sound out words and recognize words that can’t be sounded out. To others, reading means being able to read and understand sentences and text. Learning to read is different for every child. Some kids start to learn to read in daycare or preschool. Others start gaining the skills in kindergarten or first grade.
Source: Understood.org

Where to Find Free Audiobooks and Digital Text-to-Speech Books for Your Child (June 2021)
If your child has trouble with reading, check out these resources for a free audiobook and digital text-to-speech books.
Source: Understood.org

8 Helpful Articles on Mental Health Issues for Children with Special Needs
May is Mental Health Month. Since children with special needs often face mental health issues, we’ve gathered eight posts from our archives to inform and enlighten parents and provide strategies for help and prevention.
Source: Friendship Circle

About Children’s Mental Health
Children who experience good well-being and mental health have a positive quality of life and can function well at home, in school, with peers, and in their communities. Mental health is not simply the absence of a mental health condition—it is also about a child’s well-being and ability to thrive.
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The Child Mind Institute x P!nk (March 2020)
The Grammy Award-winning musician joins Child Mind Institute president Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz to discuss parenting, building self-confidence, and her new Sleep Story with Calm. P!nk talks about the youth mental health crisis facing girls today, how her mom brought her to a therapist for the first time at 14, and what she teaches her own daughter. The message she wants her daughter to know: “The world is a big, beautiful place with a lot of really great people in it. They may not be at her school. They may not be her neighbor. But they’re just waiting to love her, just how she is.” Click here to view the video.
Source: Child Mind Institute

Children’s Books About Mental Health
Best books for helping kids understand emotional and learning challenges.
Source: Child Mind Institute

Children’s Mental Health: Tips for getting help and what you can do while you wait
It can be challenging to know where to begin to support your child or teen when new or persistent mental health needs impact their day-to-day life. Whether you already have your child on a waiting list for services or are just beginning to explore treatment options, here are some steps you can take while you wait.
Source: PACER Center

College Student Mental Health Toolkit
The MHC College Student Mental Health Toolkit is designed to equip college students with the resources, services, and support needed to thrive as they transition into the beginning of adult life. Inside this toolkit, you will find key background information on college students’ mental health. You will also find tips for students on maintaining their mental health and well-being and advice for fostering mental health awareness on every college campus. Our aim is to provide students with digestible, accessible information to support their mental health journey and overall college experience.
Source: Mental Health Coalition

How Telehealth Can Enhance Mental Health Care
​If you’ve noticed your child or teen is struggling in school, having difficulties with family or friends, has changed in how they eat or sleep, or seems depressed, hopeless, anxious, or angry, they may be giving you signs they can use some extra support.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

Managing Social Media Stress With Mindfulness (July 2021)
It’s hard to imagine life without social media. It has become essential to connecting with our friends, getting updates about what’s going on in the world, and being entertained. We can barely remember (if we’re old enough to remember!) how we stayed in touch without it. But teens and young adults are increasingly reporting that social media can also be a source of stress.
Source: Child Mind Institute

Mental Health Resources
In keeping with concern for people’s mental health in these turbulent times, CPIR has updated and added to its Highly Rated page Mental Health Resources. It emphasizes easy-to-read summaries of the wide range of mental conditions, where to find treatment, and where to turn in a crisis situation. Resources in Spanish are also emphasized.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Mental Health Resources
A mental health condition is not the result of one event. Research suggests multiple, linking causes. Genetics, environment and lifestyle influence whether someone develops a mental health condition. A stressful job or home life makes some people more susceptible, as do traumatic life events. Biochemical processes, circuits and basic brain structure may play a role, too.
Source: Tennessee Disability Coalition

Parenting, Depression, and Hope: Reaching Out to Families Facing Adversity
Depression is an illness that is extremely painful to live with. It is painful for the person suffering from depression and painful for his or her family members and loved ones. People with depression withdraw from social interactions, from children and families, and from the kind of help that could spare them from their suffering. At the heart of any effort to raise awareness of depression and of any program trying to reach out to those who are depressed is acknowledging and relieving the suffering caused by depression.
Source: Headstart.gov

Resources for Student Mental Health (September 2025)
Students going to college, especially for the first time, often experience loneliness, confusion and even stress. This is especially true since the pandemic. The good news is that there are many placed and organizations available to offer help and assistance. The college years are meant to be fun and exciting, and with the right resources available, student can make the best of these years despite outside forces around them.
Source: CollegeEducated.com

Supporting Children’s Mental Health: Tips for Parents and Educators
Feeling connected and welcomed is essential to children’s positive adjustment, self-identification, and sense of trust in others and themselves. Building strong, positive relationships among students, school staff, and parents is important to promoting mental wellness.
Source: National Association of School Psychologists

Why Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Stigma Happens and 5 Ways to Cope
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may occur after a person experiences or witnesses a threat to their physical health or life that triggers terror or helplessness. It can lead to debilitating flashbacks, ongoing nightmares, and the avoidance of activities or locations that bring up memories of the traumatic event or events. PTSD can also cause physical reactions like sleep disturbance, concentration or memory issues, a tendency to startle easily, and a sense of guilt about surviving the trauma when others have not.
Source: Everyday Health

The ABCs of SCHEDULE A Tips for Applicants with Disabilities on Getting Federal Jobs
There are many advantages to working for the federal government. Federal employees serve in a wide variety of exciting jobs, earn good wages, receive medical benefits, and make a difference through public service. The federal government hires people in many different fields, from accounting to public affairs, health care to law enforcement, and everything in between. There are a number of ways that people can apply for a job in the federal government. For individuals with disabilities, one of those paths is the Schedule A Hiring Authority for people with disabilities.
Source U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP)
The Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) is the Department of War’s centrally funded reasonable accommodation program that provides assistive technology (AT) and services to DoW civilian employees with disabilities and wounded, ill, and injured Service members.
Source: Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP)

The Education Directory for Children With Special Needs
The Education Directory for Children With Special Needs provides military families who have children with special needs the resources they need to make informed assignment decisions and experience easier adjustment.
Source: Military OneSource

MCEC Special Education and Military Families Issue Paper (Dec. 17, 2020)
America’s military-connected children experience academic and social-emotional challenges when they relocate to new schools due to a parent’s change in duty station. As a result, many students struggle to stay on track to be college-, workforce- and life-ready. Military families with a child with special needs experience even greater challenges during these many relocations. Military families with an eligible child with special needs are entitled to support under applicable Department of Defense (DoD) programs. Additionally, all eligible children with special needs who are enrolled in public and charter schools are entitled to educational services under federal law.
Source: Military Child Education Coalition

MIC3 – Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission
Guide for Schools/Parents. The Compact deals with the challenges of military children and their frequent relocations. It allows for uniform treatment as military children transfer between school districts in member states.
Source: Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission

Military Definitions
Source: PEATC

Military Resources

• Military Crisis Line – Dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255
• Assistive Tech for Veterans
• Department of Defense – Reasonable accommodation policies
• Military OneSource – Support for military personnel and their families
• Department of Veterans Affairs – Understanding life after service

Sources: Hill and Ponton, a Veterans Disability law firm, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Military OneSource, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Resources for Military-Connected Children with Disabilities (November 2023)
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Director, Valerie C. Williams sent a letter to all State Directors of Special Education and State Part C Coordinators to remind them that “…we all have an obligation to care for our military community, including ensuring high-expectations supported through a high-quality education for military-connected children with disabilities.”

She reminded them that, while all children with disabilities and their families face many challenges, “the families of military-connected children with disabilities may also have the added challenges of frequent separation from family and support networks and disruptions in the continuity of early intervention services and special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) because of frequent adjustments.”

The letter includes a single list of key resources, pulled together from several different government websites, that can be provided to parents and families of military-connected children with disabilities.

To read the letter from Director Williams, click here.

To see the list of key resources referenced in the letter, click here.

Sesame Street for Military Families
Military children are navigating the challenges of a pandemic while also often adapting to changes in location and daily routines. These resources on military deployments, homecomings, grief, and self-expression can aid with difficult adjustments.
Source: Sesame Street for Military Families

Special Needs
Military OneSource special needs specialty consultants can help you navigate and understand the benefits and resources available to families with special needs. This service is part of the Exceptional Family Member Program Resources, Options, and Consultations, or EFMP ROC.  Consultants have licensed professionals with master’s degrees and extensive experience with TRICARE and the educational needs of military families.
Source: Military OneSource

Supporting Military Families (March 2025)
The CPIR has created a new page especially for military families! Supporting Military Families is full of resources on many different topics affecting military families, including education, healthcare, and moving/deployment.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

United States Air Force School Liaison Program Directory
Source: Department of the Air Force School Liaison Program Directory Air Force Services Center

United States ARMY School Liaison Officer Directory (March 2021)
Source: U.S. Army Installation Management Command G-9, Family and MWR Programs Army Child and Youth Services

United States Marine Corps School Liaison Program Contacts
Source: United States Marine Corps School Liaison Program

United States Navy School Liaison Officer Directory
Source: Child & Youth Education Services Navy School Liaison Officer

Advancing independence and inclusion of older adults and people with disabilities
The Administration for Community Living was created around the fundamental principle that older adults and people of all ages with disabilities should be able to live where they choose, with the people they choose, and with the ability to participate fully in their communities.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living

Advocacy Institute
Organization dedicated to the development of products, projects and services that work to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
Source: The Advocacy Institute

The Arc
The largest national community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
Source: The Arc, National Office

Birth Injury Justice Center
The Birth Injury Justice Center is an online resource for anyone who has been affected by birth injuries, brain injuries, cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy or other disabilities. Our organization was created to provide answers and guidance to help families and children get all the assistance they need to help improve their overall quality of life.
Source: Birth Injury Justice Center

Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)
The Center for Parent Information & Resources (CPIR) is the central hub of valuable information and products specifically designed for the network of Parent Centers serving families of children with disabilities.
Source: Center for Parent Information & Resources (CPIR)

Cerebral Palsy Guide
Cerebral Palsy Guide offers free support, educational and financial resources to families and children whom are affected by cerebral palsy.
Source: cerebralpalsyguide.com

Entertainment Guide for Families of Children with Special Needs 
Family vacations and daytrips enrich everyone’s lives. They can provide children and parents with new perspectives, not to mention relaxation mixed with excitement. Unfortunately, vacations are also a source of stress for many families – and particularly those that include a child with special needs. But with a little planning, preparation and information, a trip can be a source of joy rather than distress.
Source: Stern Law, PLLC

Find Your Parent Center
There are nearly 100 Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) in the US and Territories. Working with families of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities, birth to 26. Helping parents participate effectively in their children’s education and development. Partnering with professionals and policy makers to improve outcomes for all children with disabilities.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

Guide to Accredited Online Colleges and Universities
Want to know where to go to college in your state? We’ve got you covered! Our state pages compile data for every accredited college in the nation. Use these guides to learn what online programs are offered in your state and details about each college.
Source: AccreditedOnlineColleges.org

Inclusive Technology
Inclusive Technology provides special educational needs software, switches and computer access devices, simple communication aids and assistive technology for learners with a physical disability, sensory impairment or learning difficulty.
Source: Inclusive Technology Ltd.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children. The IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.
Source:  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Infant Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) 
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association is organized as a not-for-profit corporation to promote mutual assistance, cooperation, and exchange of information and ideas in the administration of Part C and to provide support to state and territory Part C coordinators.
Source:  IDEA Infant & Toddler Coordinators Association

NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness 
The nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
Source: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

National Bullying Prevention Center 
Founded in 2006, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center unites, engages and educates communities nationwide to address bullying through creative, relevant and interactive resources. PACER’s bullying prevention resources are designed to benefit all students, with an emphasis on students with disabilities.
Source: PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 
The primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES is located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences.
Source: The Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
The National Center for Learning Disabilities improves the lives of all people with learning difficulties and disabilities by empowering parents, enabling young adults, transforming schools, and creating policy and advocacy impact.
Source: National Center for Learning Disabilities

National Center on Dispute Resolution (CADRE) 
Funded by the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. CADRE uses advanced technology as well as traditional means to provide technical assistance to state departments of education on implementation of the mediation requirements under IDEA ’97. CADRE also supports parents, educators and administrators to benefit from the full continuum of dispute resolution options that can prevent and resolve conflict and ultimately lead to informed partnerships that focus on results for children and youth.
Source: Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) 

National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has developed tools and materials for building skills and increasing knowledge about childhood emotional distress to help child welfare administrators, caseworkers, frontline staff, other mental health personnel, and caregivers understand and respond to the needs of traumatized children. Check out their website – full of great resources.
Source:  National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

Social Security Administration Disability Benefits
Social Security pays disability benefits through 2 programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This publication is about our SSDI program and provides basic information to help you understand the disability determination process. For information about SSI for adults, read Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (Publication No. 05-11000). For information about disability programs for children, read Benefits For Children With Disabilities (Publication No. 05-10026).
Source: Social Security Administration

Southeast ADA Center
Information, Guidance and Training on the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Southeast ADA Center is located in Lexington, Kentucky and serves as the regional office for an extended State and Local Affiliate Network from eight (8) states in the U.S. Southeast that provide information, training, materials, and technical assistance on the ADA and Technology Access.
Source: Southeast ADA Center

Transition to Adulthood & Aging Out of Care
The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs supports a number of efforts to build the skills and resources of youth aged 16-24. Whether they are called “youth in transition,” “transition age youth,” “youth aging out” or other terms, youth in this age group experience a number of challenges on their path to a successful adulthood. A particular challenge for federal programs is support for youth transitioning out of foster care or juvenile detention facilities, youth who have run away from home or dropped out of school, and youth with disabilities.
Source: Youth.gov

Understanding Supplemental Security Income SSI for Children
A child with a disability who is younger than 18 years of age or under 22 years and is a student regularly attending school (as determined by Social Security) may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Source: Social Security Administration

Wrightslaw Special Education Rights and Advocacy
Parents, supporters, educators, and attorneys come to IDEA 2004 at Wrightslaw for reliable, accurate information about IDEA issues: child find, eligibility, evaluations, reevaluations, high stakes testing, IEPs, accommodations, alternate assessments, educational placements, life after high school, parental rights, and more.
Source: Wrightslaw

Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities
Find educational consultants, psychologists, educational diagnosticians, health care providers, academic therapists, tutors, speech language therapists, occupational therapists, coaches, advocates, and attorneys for children with disabilities on the Yellow Pages for Kids for your state.
Source: Wrightslaw

8 Tips for Staying Safe on the Internet
We all have seen it. People with disabilities who post private information on Facebook, make themselves vulnerable on the Internet, or text “sexual selfies” to let someone know that they like them. Here are eight tips to use with people with disabilities to help them stay safe.
Source: Elevatus Training, LLC

Active Learning Practice Guide (June 2023) 
For a child who is deaf-blind, Active Learning strategies create motivating environments that promote curiosity, learning, and engagement. Check out the National Center Deaf-Blindness Active Learning practice guide, which details the key components of this instructional practice.
Source: National Center on Deaf-Blindness

Enhancing Student Success: Practical Family Engagement Strategies for Schools
As the old adage goes, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and in the realm of K-12 education, that adage couldn’t be more accurate. Let’s paint a vivid picture — a student who feels the unwavering support of both their school and family, like two sturdy pillars standing below their feet, providing encouragement, guidance, and collaboration.
Source: ParentPowered formerly Ready4K

Family Engagement Practices Checklist (May 2023)
Use this checklist to observe and reflect on ways to help families identify and access resources. It can also help staff support or actively engage parents and other family members in the use of other types of intervention practices.
Source: Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)

How to Use Positive Language to Improve Your Child’s Behavior (July 2023)
When you focus on using positive language with your child, you will find it provides a powerful positive change to the tone of the conversation. Using positive language, you are more likely to see fewer tantrums, whines less, and overall fewer challenging behaviors.
Source: Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention (TACSEI) for Young Children and National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

Positive Parenting and the Seven Essential Life Skills for Children!
How do parenting and child development intersect? The way we parent can nurture the very skills that children need—not just for success in the short-term—but across their entire lives.
Source: Zero to Three

Positive Parenting: When You Need a Break
This Family Routine Guide can assist parents and caregivers in developing a plan to support young children who are using challenging behavior. Children engage in challenging behavior for a variety of reasons, but all children use challenging behavior to communicate messages. Challenging behavior, typically, communicates a need to escape or avoid a person or activity or communicates a desire to obtain someone or something. Once caregivers understand the purpose or meaning of the behavior, they can begin to select strategies to change the behavior. They can do this by selecting prevention strategies, teaching new skills, and changing the way they respond to eliminate or minimize the challenging behavior.
Source: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations, ChallengingBehavior.org

Professional Roles in Early Childhood Intervention (May 2023)
Families should expect to be actively involved in decision-making and actions to achieve family-identified outcomes and goals. Learn helpful information about family-centered practices.
Source: Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)

Tips for Talking About Sexuality
Many parents of children with developmental disabilities need help talking about sexuality. Here are some general tips for talking about this sensitive topic.
Source: Elevatus Training, LLC

7 Things To Know About College Disability Services  (July 2023)
If your child has had an IEP or a 504 plan in high school, you’ve been able to play a role in the process. You’ve had access to the people who are providing supports and services. And you’ve been able to monitor how well those supports are being implemented. College is a different story — starting with the fact that there are no IEPs or special education in college. For some parents, that can be hard to adjust to at first. Still, almost all colleges have a disability services office for students with learning and thinking differences. Learn seven things to know about college disability services, and how they differ from high school.
Source: Understood.org

A Place For US (July 2025)
A national nonprofit that aims to create a virtual space for students with disabilities to connect and empower one another through peer mentorship that spans from high school through college. Essentially, we match current high school or undergraduate students with disabilities with upperclassmen or recent college graduates with disabilities so that they help them get through the college process. We also host a variety of free virtual events that aim to foster empowering and informative discussions for students with disabilities.
Source: A Place For Us

Adulting
Think you’re ready to leave home and live on your own? Master these financial skills before you ditch you parents, to avoid making that awkward call later begging for more bucks.
Source: Biz Kid$

AIR Self-Determination Assessment (October 2019)
The AIR Assessments measure two broad self-determination components. Capacity refers to the student’s knowledge, abilities, and perceptions that enable them to be self-determined. Opportunity refers to the student’s chances to use their knowledge and abilities.
Source: Zarrow Institute on Transition & Self-Determination

Applying for a Job: The Young Adults Guide (August 2023)
This is a 5-page tip sheet for youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions about finding, applying for, and interviewing for jobs.
Source: Northeast Massachusetts Community of Practice. (2011; Rev. 2023). Applying for a Job: The Young Adults Guide. Worcester, MA: UMass Chan Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Implementation Science and Practice Advances Research Center (iSPARC), Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research

BestColleges.com Resources
Find in-depth guides for studying smarter so that you can get the most out of your college education. In addition, we’ll feature articles with tips on paying for school, planning for college, maximizing military benefits, and student lifestyle.
Source: Bestcolleges.com

Career One Stop Video Collection (June 2022)
This video collection provides information on careers, industries, skills, abilities, work options, and education levels.
Source: CareerOneStop.org

Career Guide for College Students With Disabilities
Finding a career after graduating college can be a daunting prospect for many students, but it can be especially challenging for students with disabilities. These students face challenges associated with a lack of career counseling, discriminatory hiring practices, fear of disclosing disabilities during the application or interviewing process for a job, and inadequate education regarding disability rights.
Source: Maryville University

Charting the Course: Supporting the Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities (2010)
This Guide was developed by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth), an organization charged with assisting education and workforce development organizations to improve the successful transition of youth with disabilities into the workplace. This Guide includes numerous quick-reference charts, tables, and tools for counselors, career advisors, and other professionals who work directly with youth.  Quick reference tools are of limited use without an understanding of learning disabilities, so in-depth information is provided on a variety of topics including the types and impact of learning disabilities, needed supports, and research-based interventions.
Source: National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, funded by a grant/contract/cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (Number #E-9-4-1-0070)

Choosing Employment Goals (February 2016)
Choosing Employment Goals teaches students to set employment goals by considering their interests, skills, and limits. It is particularly useful for students who are trying to determine their career interests. This curriculum contains a video, an instructional guide with lesson plans, replicable worksheets, and student assessments. Teachers and/or paraprofessionals can use the worksheets and assessments as a means of situational assessment for students who are engaged in non-paid community-based vocational training.
Source: University of Oklahoma, Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment

Collaborative Assessment Guide for Transition Planning Services
We have updated and expanded what was the TA Toolkit for broader use for education and VR! The Collaborative Assessment Guide for Transition Planning is intended to help develop a coordinated assessment approach for transition planning and service delivery. The guide is designed to help include: students, family members, educators, vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselors, human services and health agency staff, and many others.
Source:  National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C)

College
College can be an amazing time — offering new freedoms, friendships, and possibilities. But it can also be overwhelming, especially if you’re dealing with mental health struggles or learning challenges. This guide is here to help you feel more prepared, stay grounded, and get through the tough moments with practical tools and support. Whether you’re just starting out or deep in finals mode, you’re not alone.
Source: Child Mind Institute

College Resources for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities often require additional support to succeed in college. While many postsecondary institutions offer various college disability resources, not every school offers robust support services. However, most colleges and universities remain committed to providing their enrollees with disabilities with adequate assistance to reach their academic objectives. This guide outlines some college disability resources and how students with disabilities can benefit from them.
Source: Affordablecollegesonline.org

Cyber Disclosure for Youth with Disabilities (July 2010)
This document is a supplement to The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities which helps youth learn about disability disclosure and what it means for them. Since the toolkit was written in 2005, there have been many advances in technology that have changed what youth need to know about disability disclosure.
Source: The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth)

Diploma Decision Guide (June 2025)
This guide explains the four diploma options and the postsecondary opportunities and considerations for each. It is important for IEP teams to consider the student’s postsecondary goals when determining the diploma option that is most appropriate. This discussion will also support the IEP team in developing a course of study within the student’s transition plan. The diploma does not determine, nor is it predicated by, the student’s least restrictive environment.
Source: TN Department of Education

DO-IT: Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology
Advancing the success of people with disabilities in education, research, & careers. The DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center is dedicated to empowering people with disabilities through technology and education. It promotes awareness and accessibility—in both the classroom and the workplace—to maximize the potential of individuals with disabilities and make our communities more vibrant, diverse, and inclusive.
Source: University of Washington, Do It

DO-IT: Helping Students With Disabilities Transition to College and Careers (September 2003)
NCSET – Research to Practice Brief – Improving Secondary Education and Transition Services through Research.
Source: National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET)

Employment Checklist for Students (Ages 14-22) with Disabilities (December 2025) 
Getting a job is an exciting experience that takes planning. There are important documents you may need before you can get a job. There are skills you will need to prepare you for employment, and actions that you may need to take to be successful.
Source: Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center: PEATC

Employment Connections (August 2025)
CPIR’s Employment Connections page guides families and educators through the steps of planning employment for youth with disabilities. It highlights the importance of identifying personal interests, leveraging supports like job coaches, and exploring opportunities for supported employment through networks like Vocational Rehabilitation.
Source: Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)

EMPOWERing Youth with Visual Impairment (July 2025)
EMPOWER VI aims to equip students with visual impairments in rural communities, along with their families and support professionals, with virtual resources to enhance postsecondary education and employment outcomes.
Source: EMPOWERing Youth with Visual Impairment

Exploring E-TRAC Vocational Rehabilitation Training for Youth (December 2025)
The PACER Center recommends this app E-trac app which provides people with disabilities with quick tips and techniques to find and keep a job. Seekers can explore six categories of resources representing the entire hiring process – exploring a career,  filling out the paperwork, starting your job search, interviewing for a job, evaluating and accepting a job offer, and finally keeping a job.
Source: PACER Center

A Family Toolkit: Pediatric to Adult Health Care Transition | Webinar (October 2020)
Here’s another 1-hour webinar, this one discussing Got Transition’s Family Toolkit, which was developed for families to use during their young person’s transition from pediatric to adult health care.
Source: www.GotTransition.org

Finding Your Future in Green Jobs (July 2025) 
Do you know a young person who may be interested in a career in green jobs but is not sure what role they want? Green Jobs for Nature has a quick and easy quiz to help job seekers find a role that is a good fit for their interests and skills!
Source: Greenjobsfornature.org

FYI Transition – Self-Determination Resources
Developed by the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council and the University of South Florida.
Source: FYI Students in Transition

Getting a Head Start with Vocational Rehabilitation (2019)
Choosing a career is a big decision. Finding the right job can be challenging. Keeping a job and moving up is hard work for anyone. People with disabilities can face added challenges on their employment path. The foundation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is that all people who want to work should have the opportunity, including people with disabilities. In Tennessee, The Division of Rehabilitation Services, a part of the Department of Human Services, supports people with disabilities in getting jobs. Most people in the disability community refer to it as Vocational Rehabilitation or VR.
Source: TN Vocational Rehabilitation Program

Goals Calendar for Kids Who Struggle With Planning (2018)
This calendar can help kids stay on track with goals like getting to school on time or cleaning up their room. It has goals kids can print, cut out, and stick to the calendar. Each one comes with a list of steps to get the job done. (You and your child can also create your own goals and steps.)
Source: Understood.org

Got Transition Family Toolkit on Health Care Transition (June 2022) 
Got Transition has developed a must-have toolkit of tools and resources for families to use during the transition from pediatric to adult health care.
Source: Got Transition®

Guide on How to Get Scholarships and Grants for Students with Disabilities (May 2020)
The financial burdens of medical care can make it difficult for many students with disabilities to pursue higher education – a harsh reality that can lead to lifelong disadvantages. Many schools and organizations offer assistance to help students with disabilities reach their goals. From tutoring to financial aid and tax breaks, students with disabilities, and their parents, can access a wide range of resources. But finding these resources and applying for them can be a bit overwhelming. Below you will find a wide range of scholarships, grants, and tips on how to apply for them.
Source: Pathfinders For Autism

Guidepost for Success (December 2016)
The transition from youth to adulthood is challenging for almost every young person. This is particularly true for young people with disabilities. Yet, it is in those crucial transition-age years that a young person’s future can be determined. The Guideposts can help steer families, institutions, and youth themselves through the transition processes.
Source: Institute for Educational Leadership

Healthy Bodies for Boys – A Parent’s Guide on Puberty for Boys with Disabilities (June 2013)
Puberty can be a stressful and confusing time, especially for you and your son with an Intellectual and/or Developmental Disability (I/DD). In spite of delays in other areas, children with I/DD usually enter puberty around the same time as other children their age. Some boys with I/DD, including those with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, may start puberty early (called precocious puberty). This toolkit gives you resources and tips on how to talk to your son about these sensitive topics.
Source: Vanderbilt Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND)

Healthy Bodies for Girls – A Parent’s Guide on Puberty for Girls with Disabilities (June 2013)
Puberty can be a stressful and confusing time, especially for you and your daughter with an Intellectual and/or Developmental Disability (I/DD). In spite of delays in other areas, children with I/DD usually enter puberty around the same time as other children their age. Some children with I/DD, including children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, may start puberty early (called precocious puberty). This toolkit gives you resources and tips on how to talk to your daughter about these sensitive topics.
Source: Vanderbilt Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND)

Higher Education for Students with Disabilities – Rights, Resources and Accredited Online Schools (April 2021)
The transition from high school to college is a big one no matter who you are. If you’re a student with a disability, however, the additional stresses can be overwhelming. One of the largest changes that you will have to deal with is the substantial difference in scope between the special education services provided at the high school level and those at college.
Source: Accreditedschoolsonline.org

How to Transition Your Young Adult with Asperger’s Into the World (February 2025)
As a parent, your support and perception of your child’s ability matter most during this transition. Here’s how you can help your child unleash his/her innate gifts and form a special bond with a social circle, while successfully managing comorbidities for a successful and stress-free life ahead.
Source: Autism Parenting Magazine

Independent Futures that Work: College Ready, Here We Come! (December 2025)
This checklist is designed to help youth with disabilities identify tasks that need to be completed in order to be ready to attend postsecondary education programs and to be successful in the postsecondary environment.
Source: Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities

It’s My Turn (June 2025)
It’s My Turn training is a self-determination curriculum for students with disabilities in middle school through high school. The training is free and students will learn about themselves, the choices they have, and becoming better self-advocates.
Source: Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities

Job Video Collection
Browse CareerOneStop’s video collection to learn about careers, industries, skills, and abilities, or work options and education levels.
Source: CareerOneStop.org

Life Skills Inventory/ Independent Living Skills Assessment Tool (December 2000)
Source: Developed by the Washington State Department of Social & Health Services

ME! Lessons for Teaching Self-Awareness and Self-Advocacy (2010)
Lessons for teaching self-awareness and self-advocacy.
Source: Transition Tennessee

My IEP Owner’s Manual for Transition-Age Students (March 2021)
Youth can use the manual to learn about the different parts of their IEP that will help them succeed in their plans for life after high school.
Source: PACER Center

National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making (March 2025) 
Supported Decision-Making is just a fancy way of describing how we all make choices. We all need help making decisions, every single day. The National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making (NRC-SDM) helps people with disabilities find information on Supported Decision-Making, connects them with people and organizations that may be able to help, and answers their questions.
Source: National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making

Occupational Outlook Handbook – Bureau of Labor Statistics (April 2021)
Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). The OOH can help you find career information on duties, education, and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

O*NET OnLine
O*NET OnLine has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, developers, researchers, and more! Find, search, or browse across 900+ occupations based on your goals and needs. Then use comprehensive reports to learn about requirements, characteristics, and available opportunities for your selected occupation. Build your future with O*NET OnLine!
Source: O*NET OnLine

Personal Preference Indicators (May 2006)
The Center for Learning and Leadership, Oklahoma’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), developed the Personal Preference Indicators (PPI) tool. The Personal Preference Indicators tool enables the planning team to identify and focus on interests and preferences connected to choice-making activities, person-centered planning, and self-determination instructional efforts.
Source: Center for Learning and Leadership, University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center 

Prep for Adulthood: An Activity Toolkit (July 2025)
How can we help young people prepare for adulthood? Creating and promoting developmental opportunities and supports for young people helps them avoid harmful behaviors and develop the competencies, confidence, values, and social connectedness they need to transition positively to adulthood. This Toolkit for youth work professionals and program planners offers a curated collection of activities, curricula, and other resources aimed at supporting the transition to adulthood.
Source: ACT for Youth, Cornell University

Self-Advocacy Is for Everyone (June 2025) 
Self-advocacy. What is it and how can you start practicing advocating for yourself? The video, Self-Advocacy Is for Everyone by the Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC), illustrates how individuals can learn to speak up for themselves, make informed decisions, and actively participate in shaping their own lives.  Watch the video here.
Source: Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC)

Self-Advocacy Storytelling Toolkit (June 2025)
Another great tool on self-advocacy! The Self-Advocacy Storytelling Toolkit, developed by the Youth Engagement Transition Initiative (YETI), is a guide to empower youth with disabilities in sharing their personal stories effectively.
Source: Youth Engagement Now

Should My Child Have Both an ABLE Account And a Special Needs Trust? (May 2020)
Raising an individual on the autism spectrum comes with its challenges and blessings. Parents have to process the diagnosis and determine what approach to take regarding their child’s health. Learn more about these government benefits that are essential for most individuals with autism, especially as they enter adulthood and leave the educational system.
Source: Autism Parenting Magazine

Social Media Safety for Teens: A Guide to Protecting Teens Online (July 2025)
Today’s teenagers face risks that no other generation has. Social media has brought the social pressures of adolescence into teens’ most private spaces. Meanwhile, the always-on internet can make it feel nearly impossible to get away. In this environment, social media safety for teens is essential. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok can expose young people to inappropriate and potentially dangerous content, from cyberbullying to identity theft. Safety starts with parents, teachers, counselors, and caregivers understanding what teenagers have access to.
Source: Class Action U

Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education (September 2011)
Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities from Ed.gov – Office of Civil Rights.
Source: U.S. Department of Education

Students with Learning Disabilities Find Help in Community Colleges (October 2020)
Community colleges are an excellent stepping stone between high school and a four-year institution, especially for students with learning disabilities. Learn about the support programs available at community colleges that can help students thrive academically, regardless of their disabilities.
Source: Community College Review

Supporting Families of People with Disabilities: Community of Practice
The TN Council and the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD) were selected in 2013 to participate along with 6 other states in a national ‘Community of Practice’ to think, learn and strategize about the next generation of services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

The goal of this 5-year grant and initiative is to build capacity within states to create policies, practices, and systems to better assist and support families that include a member with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan.
Source: University of Missouri-Kansas City, Institute for Human Development

Supporting Students with Disabilities Through Accessible Transportation in Tennessee (December 2025)
Transportation is a vital service for students with disabilities, providing access to education, employment, healthcare, and community activities while encouraging independence and a good quality of life. Although many communities offer private transportation options, this resource focuses specifically on public transit systems funded by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).

Teens and Young Adults with Disabilities: Be Your Own Best Advocate
Becoming an adult and learning to be your own best advocate will make a big difference in your life. Speaking up for yourself will give you more control over your choices and make it easier to stand up for your rights. Advocating for yourself will help those around you better understand what you think, want, and need.
Source: PACER Center

Teen Body Image and Self-Esteem – A Practical Guide for Parents (2020)
Having teenagers isn’t easy. They’re going through a lot of changes very quickly, dealing with new pressures, and growing up in a world you might not be able to relate to. Body image is just one of the issues they’re likely to deal with. This guide will focus on practical advice for improving their self-esteem and supporting them as they grow up.
Source: Freederm

Tennessee Center for Decision-Making Support (June 2021)
The Tennessee Center for Decision–Making Support is a NEW virtual resource center that provides decision–making information, resources, and tools to assist individuals with disabilities, their families, and support providers when planning for their future.
Source: Tennessee’s Center for Decision-Making Support

TN Diploma Decision Guide from TN Dept. of Education (January 2025)
All students should be provided standards-based instruction and have access to the course content that will prepare them for postsecondary success. The State Board of Education’s High School Policy 2.1031, defines Tennessee’s four diploma options, regular diploma, alternative academic diploma, occupational diploma, and special education diploma. Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams must create a transition plan, inclusive of courses of study that will facilitate a student’s movement towards their chosen diploma option. This guide is intended to support teams in determining the most appropriate diploma option for individual students.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tennessee Diploma & Post-Secondary Information Fact Sheet (March 2021)
This resource from TNSTEP gives Tennessee families information on diploma options, requirements, and post-secondary options offered in the state.
Source: A collaborative project of the TN Department of Education and TNSTEP

Tennessee Graduation Requirements
The Tennessee Department of Education has raised standards and aligned graduation requirements to best prepare students for college and the workforce. Following the implementation of the Tennessee Diploma Project in 2009, high school students must complete 22 credits to graduate. They also will be tested in core subject areas with End of Course exams, part of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP. Their performance on these exams will factor into their semester grade for the course. To receive a regular high school diploma, all students enrolled in a Tennessee public school during their eleventh (11th) grade year must take either the ACT or SAT.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tennessee Secondary Transition
The TN Department of Education encourages districts to prepare all students for Career and College Readiness. The programs, resources, and services included in these guidelines demonstrate best practices in serving Students with Disabilities as they transition from secondary to post-secondary activities such as postsecondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment); continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation
Vocational Rehabilitation serves two groups: 1) Tennesseans with disabilities, including middle and high school age students, who are ready to prepare for independence through employment and 2) Tennessee business owners, leaders and operators who are ready to elevate their business(es) into workspaces that welcome customers and workers with disabilities.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tennessee Work-Based Learning
Work-based learning (WBL) is a proactive approach to bridging the gap between high school and high-demand, high-skill careers in Tennessee. Students build on classroom-based instruction to develop employability skills that prepare them for success in postsecondary education and future careers. Through experiences like internships, apprenticeships, and paid work experience, juniors and seniors (16 years or older) may earn high school credit for capstone WBL experiences. WBL coordinators are educators who are trained and certified by the department to coordinate these WBL experiences for students.
Source: TN Department of Education

TennesseeWorks
Transforming the employment landscape for young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the state. Meaningful work. Real pay. Opportunities for every Tennessean with a disability.
Source: TennesseeWorks

Timeline of the Journey into Adulthood (July 2025) 
What happens to Special Education students after high school? For students with disabilities or learning challenges, the journey from high school to adult life can be hard. But there are supports in the school and in the community. This timeline tells you what you can do at each point to help your middle-schooler or high-schooler prepare for what’s next, whether it’s college, a job, or supported living.
Source: Exceptional Lives

Transition Bill of Rights (October 2019)
The Transition Bill of Rights was developed by Transition Tennessee and is intended to give parents information about basic rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Specifically, the information is focused on the rights of young people with disabilities after they turn 14 years old in the state of Tennessee. This document also shares different organizations that can be helpful during the transition process, along with their contact information. We encourage you to widely share this Bill of Rights with all parents of students with disabilities in your district. For more information, contact Transition Tennessee at [email protected].
Source: Transition Tennessee

Transition IEP Factsheet for Parents (June 2022)
The Transition plan is part of the Individualized Education Program (IEP). It is not a separate document, and it is often called the Transition IEP.
Source: PEATC

Transition to College (November 2023)
Students who experience mental health needs can receive assistance from family, friends, or others to support them in moving from high school to post-secondary education. Often, this support is helpful in making important decisions about college.  Here is a great resource from NAMI with helpful tips for easing this transition.
Source: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

Transition to College
Successful college students with learning disabilities, college advisors, and campus Disability Support Services (DSS) staff agree that developing knowledge about the nature of one’s learning disabilities and one’s personal and academic strengths and weaknesses is vital for successful transition to postsecondary education. The vehicle for this understanding is professional documentation of the learning disabilities. A qualified professional, such as a school psychologist or educational diagnostician, provides a written diagnosis of the specific learning disability and makes recommendations for accommodations that will help the student meet with academic success. It is essential that each student have a full and frank discussion about this documentation with the expert who has made the assessment.
Source: LD OnLine

Transition to College: Strategic Planning to Ensure Success for Students with Disabilities (August 2015)
Source: Developed by the National Center for Learning Disabilities

Transition of Students With Disabilities To Postsecondary Education: A Guide for High School Educators (March 2011)
Do you know what is in store for students with disabilities who graduate from your school and head off to postsecondary education? Do you have the information you need to advise them on what to expect in postsecondary education?

For students with disabilities, a big factor in their successful transition from high school to postsecondary education is accurate knowledge about their civil rights. The purpose of this guide is to provide high school educators with answers to questions students with disabilities may have as they get ready to move to the postsecondary education environment.

This guide was developed by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). OCR has enforcement responsibilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), as amended, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, (Title II), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Every school district and nearly every college and university in the United States is subject to one or both of these laws, which have similar requirements.1 Private postsecondary institutions that do not receive federal financial assistance are not subject to Section 504 or Title II. They are, however, subject to Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice and prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by private entities that are not private clubs or religious entities.
Source: U.S. Department of Education

Transition Planning for Youth with Disabilities from the Child Welfare System to Adulthood: A Guide for Professionals (Feb 2024)
This Guide is intended to give professionals working with youth with disabilities in the child welfare system tools to guide their transition planning and information about the resources, benefits, and systems with which these youth need to connect to successfully transition.
Source: Juvenile Law Center and Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council.

Transition Services – A Side-by-Side View (December 2021)
This resource compares side-by-side how Pre-Employment Transition Services, IDEA/school transition services, and “regular” Voc Rehab transition services differ.
Source:  National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT)

Transition Tennessee
Welcome to Tennessee’s online home for training and resources on preparing students with disabilities for life after high school. Our goal is to improve transition outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities by sharing research-based practices and policies.
Source: Transition Tennessee

Transition Toolkit: Enhancing Self Determination for Young Adults Who Are Deaf-Blind (May 2013)
The Transition Toolkit contains all of the resources needed for planning and hosting a Transition Institute that will create a memorable, high-quality learning experience for deaf-blind teens. The Toolkit is a repository of information, tools, and resources that serve as a model for hosting a workshop for deaf-blind teens ages 14-22 and their families.
Source: The Southeast Regional Transition Institute

WAZE to Adulthood Resources and Factsheet
Provides transition information to students, families, and professionals working with students with disabilities who are transitioning from high school to adulthood. The information links below will help make transition planning easier.

• Being Involved in Person-Centered Planning for Students and Young Adults with Disabilities in Foster Kinship or Adoptive Families
• Do You Have It?
• Do You Have It? (Spanish)
• Effective Transition Plans Factsheet
• Independent Living Life Skills Checklist Booklet (English) Interactive
• Independent Living Life Skills Checklist Booklet (Spanish) Interactive
• Parent Transition Survey (Spanish)
• Person-Centered Planning Parent Factsheet
• Person-Centered Planning Youth Factsheet
• Person-Centered Planning Youth Factsheet (Visual)
• Roles Around the IEP – Parent Fact Sheet (Aug. 2022)
• Roles Around the IEP – Parent Fact Sheet (Spanish) (Aug. 2022)
• Self-Advocacy Parent Factsheet – Ways to Speak Up for Yourself
• Self-Advocacy Youth Factsheet – Ways to Speak Up for Yourself
• Self-Advocacy Youth Factsheet (Visual) – Ways to Speak Up for Yourself
• Supported Decision-Making Honoring an Individual Right to Make Choices Factsheet
• Transition IEP
• Transitioning from High School to Adulthood Post-Secondary Services & Resources for Youth with Disabilities Factsheet
• Which Tennessee Diploma Option is Best for You? Factsheet
• Who is On My IEP Team – Student (Aug. 2022)
• Who is On My IEP Team – Student Visual (Aug. 2022)
• Who is On My IEP Team – Student (Spanish) (Aug. 2022)
• Who is On My IEP Team – Student Visual (Spanish) (Aug. 2022)

Source: PEATC in partnership with TNSTEP

What is a Transition Plan? 
Transition planning is an ongoing process. The Transition IEP or Transition Plan is where you, your child, and your child’s IEP team lay out the goals, objectives, activities, and services that will lead to reaching post-high-school goals.
Source: PEATC in partnership with TNSTEP

Which Community College is Best for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder? (October 2019)
For students with an autism spectrum disorder, community colleges across the country can provide excellent higher education support. Learn about how to choose the right community college that specifically meets the needs of ASD students.
Source: Community College Review

Working Independently Here We Come  (September 2025)
Working Independently, Here We Come! is a checklist that provides a listing of skills, under various headings, that youth with disabilities will need to work on in order to work as independently as possible given their unique needs and challenges.
Source: Independent Futures that Work is a project of the Alabama Parent Education Center in conjunction with the Parent Training and Information Centers from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas

Youth Employment Opportunities (YEP Tennessee)
Tennessee’s Youth Employment Program (YEP) links ambitious young adults aged 14-24 with employers in diverse industries across Tennessee. Participants dive into hands-on workforce experiences, gaining invaluable skills and test-driving future careers while earning up to $3,500 along the way. This year-round program from the state of Tennessee offers much more than youth job opportunities — it teaches lifelong and life-changing skills. YEP is THE vibe to thrive in the workforce.
Source: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Continuous Learning Individualized Plan (CLIP) for MNPS 
To identify the mode of how MNPS will implement the services and supports outlined in students’ IEP or 504 plan during virtual learning. The CLIP does not replace the IEP, but rather documents how the services will be implemented during virtual learning. If services, as outlined in an IEP, cannot effectively be implemented in a virtual setting than convene an IEP meeting to discuss options on how we can best meet all services in a virtual setting. The CLIP will be used for the 2020-2021 school year whenever MNPS is required to complete learning virtually.
Source: Metro Nashville Public Schools

Major Differences in IDEA & Section 504 (TDOE)
Source: TN Department of Education

Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools
To facilitate efforts to eliminate discrimination against students with disabilities, OCR offers this resource guide to provide answers to questions that OCR has received and increase understanding among parents and members of the school community of the Federal civil rights laws that protect students with disabilities in public schools, and in particular, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

Section 504: Examples of Disabilities and Accommodations (May 2025)
Accommodations are determined by the Section 504 team and based on the child’s unique needs.
Source: TNSTEP

School Accommodation Ideas for Students Who Receive Section 504 or Special Education Services
Students with disabilities who receive Section 504 or special education services often need accommodations to their educational programs. For special education students, accommodations help a student accomplish Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals, participate and make progress in the general curriculum, participate and be educated with students with and without disabilities, and participate in extracurricular activities. For students with a Section 504 plan, accommodations are used to eliminate barriers to full participation in school activities.
Source: PACER Center

Tennessee Section 504 Resource Manual
Section 504 is a broad, federal civil rights law that prohibits disability-based discrimination in programs and activities that receive federal funds. All LEAs and public charter schools receive federal funds, and therefore must comply with Section 504. This guide is also meant to help parents and advocates understand the requirements of Section 504, so they can better support students with disabilities.
Source: TN Department of Education

Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF)
When your child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D), it can be overwhelming and scary. But you’re not alone. The Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) community is here to support you and your family every step of the way.
Source: Breakthrough T1D

Gentle Caregiver 
Offers support to the self-sacrificing people who devote their lives to give gentle care to people with developmental disabilities.
Source: Gentle Care Resource & Co.

HIE Help Center 
The HIE Help Center provides information and educational materials to families of children with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) to help them navigate the diagnosis.
Source: HIE Help Center

Lifeline Ministries
CPRC – Community Parent Resource Center – Provide support, information, and respite care to families who have a member living with a chronic or temporary medical or educational, physical or mental disability.
Source: LifeLine, Inc.

Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) 
PWSA (USA) was organized in 1975 to provide support for individuals, families, professionals, and organizations and to be a resource for education and information about Prader-Willi syndrome. The organization was first headquartered in Minneapolis, then moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and then found its permanent home in Sarasota, Florida in October of 1997. The association is governed by a national board of directors. The board works in conjunction with the paid and volunteer staff of the national headquarters, and a network of chapters throughout the country to direct the organization’s operations and serve its members.
Source: Prader-Willi Syndrome Association

Tourette Association of America (TAA)
A diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome or a Tic Disorder can feel overwhelming. The TAA is here to help you throughout every step of your journey. The TAA is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive resources and support for all of those in the Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorder community.
Source: Tourette Association of America

ABLE Tennessee 
ABLE TN is a savings program designed to help individuals with disabilities put aside money to pay for qualified expenses. These accounts provide the opportunity to save and invest with tax-free earnings to help participants maintain independence and quality of life.
Source: Tennessee Department of Treasury

Arc Tennessee 
The Arc Tennessee empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families to actively participate in the community throughout their lifetime.
Source: The Arc Tennessee

Autism Society of East TN 
Provide support, services, advocacy, education, and public awareness for all individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families as well as educators and other professional.
Source: Autism Society of East TN

Autism Resources of the Mid-South (ARMS)
Provide resources and support to help improve the lives of people living with Autism and their families here in the Mid-South (Tennessee).
Source: Autism Resources of the Mid-South

Autism Tennessee 
Mission is to enrich the lives and experiences of individuals on the autism spectrum, their families, and their surrounding community through Advocacy, Education, and Support.
Source: Autism Tennessee (ASMT, Inc.)

Blind Early Services Tennessee (BEST)
Blind Early Services TN ensures that families are empowered and equipped through specialized programs of support to provide young children who are blind or low vision their absolute BEST start.
Source: Blind Early Services TN (BEST) 

Bodine School
Bodine School is the only school in Tennessee that is solely committed to teaching children with dyslexia and other reading-related learning differences to read and succeed.
Source: Bodine School

Brain Links Tennessee
Brain Links is a statewide team of brain injury specialists. We equip professionals with current, TBI research-based training and tools to enable them to better serve people with TBI of all ages.
Source: Tennessee Disability Coalition, Brain Links Tennessee

Center for Developmental Disabilities (CDD) – formerly Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities
The BCDD is one of the most comprehensive facilities in the nation dedicated to improving quality of life for children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families.  Offers comprehensive diagnostic evaluations by an interdisciplinary team. In 2021, the Boling Center was renamed the Center on Developmental Disabilities and relocated to the 920 Madison Building on the UTHSC campus in Memphis, TN. Based in the Department of Pediatrics
Source: University of Tennessee Center on Developmental Disabilities

Chattanooga Autism Center
The Chattanooga Autism Center is a nonprofit organization that serves autistic individuals of all ages. The Center promotes inclusion and acceptance of autistic individuals and provides services, resources, and education to the community.
Source: Chattanooga Autism Center

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), Tennessee Chapter
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is a national organization with local chapters. DBSA offers information on support groups and resources for individuals with depression and bipolar disorder. Additional Phone Number: (734) 929-0710. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Source: Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Tennessee

Disability Rights TN (DRT)
Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) is a nonprofit legal services organization that provides free legal advocacy services to protect the rights of Tennesseans with disabilities.
Source: Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT)

Down Syndrome Association of Memphis & the Mid-South 
Promotes the inclusion of all people with Down syndrome by providing families and our communities with up-to-date information and education.
Source: Down Syndrome Association of Memphis & The Mid-South

Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee 
We celebrate and support individuals with something extra. The Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee is a community of parents, grandparents, siblings, physicians, educators, professionals, friends and self-advocates from forty-one counties in Middle Tennessee who celebrate and support individuals with Down syndrome and their families.
Source: Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee 

Down Syndrome Awareness Group of East Tennessee (DSAG)
The Down Syndrome Awareness Group of East Tennessee (DSAG), a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) organization, is a parent-initiated organization developed to provide information and support to families of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) and to raise awareness within the community about the abilities of individuals with DS and the benefits of their inclusion into society.
Source: Down Syndrome Awareness Group of East Tennessee (DSAG)

Empower Tennessee
Is the Middle Tennessee Center for Independent Living. In addition to our Center for Independent Living Core Services, we work with members of our community, partner organizations, and businesses across Middle Tennessee to increase access and inclusion to all the places people live, work, and play.
Source: Empower Tennessee

Epilepsy Foundation of East Tennessee
Support Group Assistance in scheduling neurology visits and diagnostic testing for someone that has epilepsy that does not have health insurance Public education program for businesses, day cares, and schools to train children and adults epilepsy awareness and first aid Literature by mail.
Source: ​Epilepsy Foundation of East Tennessee

Epilepsy Foundation of Southeast Tennessee
At the Epilepsy Foundation SETN, they are committed to helping people in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia affected by seizures and epilepsy. They recognize that a diagnosis of epilepsy is life-changing, and the mission is to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and provide resources to help build a network of support for those impacted by epilepsy as they navigate their journey.
Source: Epilepsy Foundation Southeast Tennessee

Family Engagement in Special Education-Tennessee (FESPED-TN)
Family Engagement in Special Education is a collaborative project of The Arc Tennessee and the Tennessee Department of Education. They help to empower parents and caregivers and increase family engagement in special education.
Source: Family Engagement in Special Education is a partnership between The Arc Tennessee and the TN Department of Education as part of the Tennessee Technical Assistance Network (TN-TAN)

Ignite Dyslexia Awareness
Ignites mission is to build awareness about dyslexia throughout the state of Tennessee and beyond. The goal is to get research-based information to parents and all educators so, we can have the right knowledge and tools that will give dyslexic students the chance to succeed and feel empowered in school.  Providing advocacy, coaching, screening, and tutoring for dyslexics.
Source: Ignite Dyslexia Awareness

Individualized Education Account Program (IEA)
The Individualized Education Account (IEA) Program is a school choice initiative established for eligible K-12 students with qualifying disabilities. This IEA Program supports Tennessee families by providing funds for approved education expenses tailored to meet each student’s unique learning needs. These funds can be used for various purposes such as scholarships to attend certain non-public schools, participation in umbrella home school programs, or being independently home schooled.
Source: TN Department of Education

KidCentral TN
A one-stop shop for Tennessee families to raise healthy and happy kids. Visit us at kidcentraltn.com to find resources for Tennessee families.
Source: KidCentral TN

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital is one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals, featuring expert physicians and staff, state-of-the-art technology and family-friendly resources. Located in Memphis, TN.
Source: Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

NAMI Tennessee 
The mission of NAMI Tennessee is to improve the quality of life for individuals with mental illness, their families, and communities.
Source: NAMI Tennessee

Memphis Oral School for the Deaf (MOSD) 
The Memphis Oral School for the Deaf works to empower deaf children to listen, learn, and talk. At MOSD, no sign language is used. Instead, the school uses speech and language therapies, audiological services and preschool classes to help profoundly deaf and hard-of-hearing children ages birth to 6 years old. These specialized techniques help the children develop the necessary listening and spoken language skills to become a part of, rather than apart from, a world of sound.
Source: Memphis Oral School for the Deaf

Porter-Leath
Empowering children and families to achieve a healthy, optimal, and independent lifestyle.
Source: Porter-Leath

Quick Guide to Parent Rights and Responsibilities in Special Education
This Quick Guide to Parent Rights and Responsibilities in Special Education is an overview of some of the provisions of special education. It is designed to assist families in understanding their rights and responsibilities in the special education process. Parents of children who receive or may be eligible for special education services have rights under both the TN Rule 0520-01-09 and The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA 2014). An important part of these laws provides parents with the right to participate in their children’s education.
Source: A collaborative project of the TN Department of Education and TNSTEP

SCORE – State Collaborative on Reforming Education
The SCORE Sheet is the online conversation on public education reform in Tennessee and is hosted by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE).
Source: SCORE

Sisken Children’s Institute
A non-profit organization based in Chattanooga, Tennessee that helps children with special needs, families, and professionals through four areas of focus: education, outreach, health care, and research.
Source: Siskin Children’s Institute

SPARK Independence Through Technology (Formerly ETTAC)
The mission of Spark is to connect people with disabilities in East Tennessee with the adaptive tools and technology needed to live life with maximum independence and dignity. Spark does this by providing medical equipment to children and adults with disabilities, providing tech and tech assistance to people with disabilities or low-income, adapting equipment and toys for children with disabilities, and providing additional resources to anyone who comes through our doors.
Source: SPARK

STAR Center Orientation and Mobility Services
For over 35 years, The STAR Center has been dedicated to making Tennessee a place where people with disabilities can make their dreams a reality. The mission of The STAR Center is to help any person with any disability to realize their potential. They provide services for education, employment, and quality of life for all ages and needs.
Source: STAR Center, Inc.

Tennessee Advocacy Services Guide (August 2025)
Numerous agencies and organizations provide support, information, training, and assistance in advocating for individuals with disabilities in Tennessee. The following are a few of these organizations that provide services at no cost. A more extensive list of service organizations can be accessed via Tennessee Disability Pathfinder.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tennessee Brighter Futures Systems of Support (February 2025)
Currently these Systems have active resource pages: ACEs, Mental Health, Brain Injury, Substance Use Disorder, Domestic Violence, Juvenile Justice, Criminal Legal, Homelessness, Chronic Pain and Rural Health Systems.
Source:  Tennessee Disability Coalition

Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia
The Center is dedicated to unraveling the puzzle of dyslexia. It is a model for the organization and delivery of professional services to students with dyslexia, to psychologists and teachers who identify and instruct them, and to schools that must orchestrate a broad range of factors that will enable these students to achieve their potential.
Source: Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia

Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities
Provides leadership to ensure independence, productivity, integration, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the community through the promotion of systems change.
Source: Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities

Tennessee DeafBlind Project (TNDB)
Deafblindness is a rare condition consisting of combined hearing and vision loss. Individuals typically have some degree of hearing and/or vision. They may face unique challenges in communication, learning and mobility.
Source: Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Tennessee DeafBlind Project (TNDB)

Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS)
Promoting safety, permanency, and well-being for, children and families in Tennessee by providing high-quality prevention and support services. Services provided for foster care, adoption, juvenile justice and reporting child abuse.
Source: TN Department of Children’s Services

Tennessee Department of Education, Division of Special Education and Intervention Programs
The Department of Education believes that all students are capable of achieving academic growth. To this end, we work with districts and schools across the state to provide various educational opportunities for students who need additional support.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tennessee Disability Coalition 
An alliance of organizations and individuals who have joined to promote the full and equal participation of men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life.
Source: Tennessee Disability Coalition

Tennessee Disability Pathfinder’s Statewide Support Group Search
Tennessee Disability Pathfinder (“Pathfinder”) helps people with disabilities, their family members, the community, and professional support partners find and access resources, services, and support to meet their needs. Explore our directory of services, community calendar, and trainings for the disability community.
Source: Tennessee Disability Pathfinder

Tennessee Early Intervention Systems (TEIS)
Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) is a voluntary program that offers therapy and other services to families of infants and young children with developmental delays or disabilities. Services are provided at no cost to families. TEIS is critically important to supporting the development of Tennessee children with disabilities and developmental delays as they prepare for school.
Source: TN Department of Disability and Aging

Tennessee Eligibility Standards and Informational Resources 
If you suspect that your child may have one of the following disabilities that is impacting his or her education, you may request in writing a comprehensive evaluation. An initial evaluation for eligibility must be completed within 60 calendar days of the local education agency’s receipt of informed written consent.
Source: TN Department of Education

Tennessee Housing Development Agency 
The new web portal brings landlords, property owners, and families together in one convenient location.
Source: Tennessee Housing Development Agency

Tennessee Mental Health Consumers’ Association (TMHCA) 
The Tennessee Mental Health Consumers’ Association (TMHCA) is Tennessee’s only statewide consumer-owned and operated organization (and one of the only national 501(C)3 organizations) with a board of directors and staff who are 100% mental health consumers who work for and on behalf of adults with mental illness.
Source: Tennessee Mental Health Consumers’ Association (TMHCA) 

Tennessee School for the Blind
Tennessee School for the Blind is a K-12 public school that strives to provide free, appropriate, and individualized educational services to eligible students in a safe environment that will promote independence and a positive self-image, as well as provide information and technical assistance to families, schools, and agencies serving all Tennessee children who are visually challenged.
Source: Tennessee School for the Blind

Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation
Vocational Rehabilitation serves two groups: 1) Tennesseans with disabilities, including middle and high school age students, who are ready to prepare for independence through employment and 2) Tennessee business owners, leaders and operators who are ready to elevate their business(es) into workspaces that welcome customers and workers with disabilities.
Source: TN Department of Human Services, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program

Tennessee Voices for Children (TVC)
Tennessee Voices for Children, Inc. (also known as TN Voices) was formally organized in 1990 by Tipper Gore as a statewide coalition of individuals, agencies and organizations working together as a Steering Council to promote children’s health and education services. TN Voices (TNV) has progressed to become a statewide and national source of referral, support, and advocacy for families and the systems that serve them. Through the Statewide Family Network and its other ten main programs, our organization has informed, supported, and assisted parents and providers across the state.
Source: TN Voices

TennesseeWorks 
Transforming the employment landscape for young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the state. Meaningful work. Real pay. Opportunities for every Tennessean with a disability.
Source: TennesseeWorks

Timelines in Special Education in Tennessee
Tennessee timelines for special education evaluations and Individualized Education Program (IEP) Development.
Source: Tennessee Dept. of Education

Traumatic Brain Injury Program (TN Department of Health)
The Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program was established by the Tennessee General Assembly to address the needs of those individuals who have sustained a brain injury, their families and caregivers. TBI Program staff are available to respond to questions, make referrals and provide education and training. Initial contact with the TBI Program can be the first link in a chain of support for people with brain injury and their families.
Source: TN Department of Health, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program 

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, which provides community outreach programs, technical assistance, interdisciplinary training, dissemination and information & referral services, and research.
Source: Vanderbilt Kennedy Center