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Journal Article Workers with a disability have higher unemployment rates and job insecurity when compared to their peers without a disability, but supervisors often lack the expertise to successfully guide these employees. This study looked at a training designed to help supervisors improve their daily guidance and concluded that employees with a work disability were very satisfied with the guidance of supervisors who followed the training. The authors recommend that training of supervisors should focus more on ensuring adequate work conditions; improving their skills regarding appreciation, attitude, and…
Children with disabilities are two to five times more likely to be killed in pedestrian accidents than their peers. This article goes over strategies to instill street safety skills for children with a disability, including role modeling, the use of simulation games like red light/green light, and media resources.
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Journal Article Parte de nuestro énfasis es el de construir una comunidad consciente del autismo y brindar ayuda a esas familias afectadas por el mismo. Hemos encontrado que, para familias que reciben un diagnóstico de autismo referente a un ser querido, el tener un padre con experiencia para guiarlos a navegar “el sistema” (que a veces suele ser complicado y puede causar mucha frustración para los padres) es muy beneficioso. Nuestra labor es la de ofrecerle a nuestras familias la información necesaria para que puedan tomar ACCIÓN rápidamente y así poder comenzar a ayudar a su niño a superarse. Aquí …
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Journal Article TACA provides education, support, and hope to families living with autism. The goal is to speed up the cycle time from the autism diagnosis to effective treatments. Local chapters across the United States are organized and run by parent volunteers. Activities include family events, educational seminars, and support meetings known as "Coffee Talks." This resource provides information about TACA’s Parent Mentoring program and explains how their experienced parent mentors guide new parents on the autism journey.
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Parents with disabilities and their children encounter significant economic hardships, including unstable housing, food insecurity, and difficulty paying their bills. This study outlines ways that researchers, policymakers, and program coordinators can develop programs and supports for low-income parents with disabilities and their families.
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This webpage offers advice from parents with disabilities for professionals who work with parents on the autism spectrum, parents with intellectual disabilities, mothers with disabilities, and pregnant women with disabilities.
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This online resource provides an overview of developmental disabilities, along with guides for tracking developmental milestones in children and tips for what actions to take if you are concerned about your child’s development.
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If you are a family member who cares for someone with a disability, whether a child or an adult, combining personal, caregiving, and everyday needs can be challenging. This webpage provides information to help family caregivers, and those they care for, stay safe and healthy.
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This toolkit offers information to parents with disabilities around various aspects of parenting including tips for navigating the child welfare system, adoption and foster care, and child custody.
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Preparation is essential for disclosing your disability. Effective disclosure requires that you discuss your needs and that you provide practical suggestions for reasonable job accommodations if they are needed. One way to become comfortable with discussing your disability is to find someone you trust and practice the disclosure discussion with that person. The two of you can put together a disclosure script. It should contain relevant disability information and weave in your strengths. Always keep it positive! Continue reading for additional tips about disclosing your disability status at…
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Transitions are tough. As many schools make plans to shift from distance learning to in-person instruction, families, students, and educators face an adjustment period. That’s especially true for students with autism spectrum disorder because transitions can be particularly stressful and challenging for them. This article contains tips and resources to help children with autism return to the classroom.
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Journal Article
Research with fathers of children with the label of autism has not reflected diversity amongst fathers, families and children, nor how societal changes have shaped fatherhood and fathering.
Research with fathers of children with the label of autism can move beyond essentialism by considering the nature of power and oppression, and the contextual and individual factors which shape male parenting and the relationships between fathers and children.
Intersectionality is a feminist theory which can help to recognise these complexities and their impact on social…
The interest in fathers as active parents has increased dramatically over the past 30 years among researchers and the popular press with considerable attention given to direct child-rearing activities; however, mothers continue to be the most likely participants in early intervention (EI) services. Using thematic analysis, we explored providers’ perceptions (n = 511) of father involvement in EI regarding (a) the impact of increased father involvement, (b) how father involvement could be increased, and (c) the role of culture in father involvement. Providers believed more involvement was…
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Training Materials About 1 in every 5 U.S. households with children includes at least one special needs child . That means most fatherhood programs can expect to work with fathers who have children with special needs. This webinar, a follow up to a 2008 webinar on Working with Fathers of Special Needs Children, will focus on issues faced by fathers and families with children of special needs and provide useful information and resources for practitioners and fathers.
Goals of Webinar: After this training webinar, participants will improve their knowledge and understanding of:
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Journal Article Literature in developmental psychology suggests that mothers and fathers both play unique and important roles in their children’s development. However, research investigating the unique contributions and psychological functioning of fathers of youth with developmental disabilities, and the role that fathers play in effective intervention, remains limited. Whereas evidence suggests that parent-mediated interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can lead to increased engagement from parents, and reduced stress and psychopathology commonly experienced by parents of youth with…
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Journal Article Scant research disentangles the relationship between parenting competence, early intervention (EI) services, the family environment and informal support among fathers of children with developmental disabilities (DD). This study aims to: (1) Determine the trajectory of parental competence for fathers of children with DD from age 3 to age 15; (2) Controlling for child and family characteristics, determine the main effects of the family environment, informal support, and EI services on paternal competence when their child with a developmental disability was age 3; and (3) Determine whether…
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Training Materials Get Right With Your Taxes is a new FREE tax educational package created and distributed by IRS Wage & Investment, Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC). It contains information individuals need to know about their tax responsibilities. The products were developed to be used by/in prisoner re-entry programs within various organizations, agencies and correctional institutions nationwide including prison officials, halfway houses, and community organizations.As taxpayers, everyone can benefit from this information. While it is geared to a specific "prisoner"…
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The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) has developed this research brief to help fatherhood practitioners increase their awareness and understanding of the experiences of fathers of children with special needs. The brief explains several of the more common special needs, describes challenges that fathers of children with special needs may face, and provides tips to help fatherhood programs better support these fathers. Because most research on the experience of parents of children with special needs has focused on mothers, we draw from both published research and interviews…
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The research reported here focused on fathers withlearning disabilities to hear their own experiences ofbeing fathers and their experiences of adult socialcare services. To understand some of the issuesrelated to practice, we also spoke to practitioners inadult learning disability services about working withfathers. (Author abstract modified)
Where and when during childhood and adolescence do people acquire the foundations of financial capability? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) researched the childhood origins of financial capability and well-being to identify those roots and to find promising practices and strategies to support their development. Our new report, “Building Blocks to Help Youth Achieve Financial Capability: A New Model and Recommendations,” illuminates critical attributes, abilities, and opportunities acquired during the years spanning preschool through young adulthood that support the development…
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Training Materials The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the LEAD Center published training materials to help create a Customized Employment program for individuals with disabilities. These trainings use a Guided Group Discovery approach, which helps jobseekers find employment that would matches both their skills and interests and an employer’s needs. The materials available include a facilitator manual, a PowerPoint introduction and course, and a participant workbook. (Author abstract modified)
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Training Materials The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the LEAD Center published training materials to help create a Customized Employment program for individuals with disabilities. These trainings use a Guided Group Discovery approach, which helps jobseekers find employment that would matches both their skills and interests and an employer’s needs. The materials available include a facilitator manual, a PowerPoint introduction and course, and a participant workbook. (Author abstract modified)
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Training Materials The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the LEAD Center published training materials to help create a Customized Employment program for individuals with disabilities. These trainings use a Guided Group Discovery approach, which helps jobseekers find employment that would matches both their skills and interests and an employer’s needs. The materials available include a facilitator manual, a PowerPoint introduction and course, and a participant workbook. (Author abstract modified)
This guide is intended to help both family members and healthcare professionals who are working together to improve care for children with special healthcare needs. Joining together in multi-disciplinary teams, family members and providers are increasingly working as equal partners to improve care. Collaborating as equals may be new for family members and providers. This guide includes information and guidance on how to get the most out of this potentially powerful partnership. (Author abstract)
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Training Materials This care notebook template is designed to assist caregivers of children with special health care needs to maintain a record of their child's care, services, providers, and notes. Families and caregivers should bring their child's care notebook to all medical appointments, therapies, conferences, and vacations. The care notebook can be used to ensure that care is comprehensive, coordinated, and family-centered. Each link on the Web page allows the download of a compressed file (ZIP) containing a collection of customizable documents that make up a care notebook. (Author abstract modified)
While in middle school, your student with a disability has been working on many of the skills he or she will need to function in high school. Your student has met new people, changed classes every period, navigated the hallways, worked with multiple teachers, and used a locker. In high school, your child may encounter additional new situations, such as: choosing elective classes, meeting graduation requirements, developing self-advocacy skills, dating, becoming a legal adult, and planning for employment or continued education after graduation. Some families may be concerned about their child’…
Every parent has hopes and dreams for their child, even if those dreams aren’t always openly expressed. When parents have a child with a disability, goals might need to be modified. This doesn’t mean expecting less of your child, but it may mean expecting something different than what you had envisioned. It’s important to understand the critical influence of having “high expectations” for your child. You need to instill those expectations in your youth and advocate for those expectations throughout the public school elementary and secondary transition process. (Author Abstract)
Many youth with disabilities have difficulty understanding social situations or navigating interpersonal events such as speaking in front of a class or doing job interviews. They may benefit from building and practicing social skills. These skills allow a person to interact appropriately with other people and handle difficult situations. It is important that youth have the opportunity to identify and practice these skills because they can significantly impact employment, relationships, and how well they are connected in the community as adults. Families, educators, and youth themselves can…
It is important to identify, discuss, and include accommodations and modifications necessary to meet the specific needs of a student in an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Students who receive services under a 504 Plan also need the same kind of individual attention to their plans for accommodations and modifications. The following checklist might be a good starting point for you and your child to think about his or her individual needs to include in the IEP or 504 Plan. Check the ones you believe would be most helpful. (Author abstract)
When the world talks about rearing children, the tone is decidedly feminine. Despite the growing number of fathers in traditional or single parent families who participate in child-care, resources specifically focusing on fathers are often missing. It is especially true for fathers of children with disabilities. Three Twin Cities men recently acknowledged the lack of materials targeted toward fathers. They offered suggestions, based on their experiences, about how fathers can become more involved in the lives of their children with disabilities. (Author abstract)
Every parent dreams of having a happy, healthy child. What happens when these dreams are shattered by a physical or cognitive disability? A Different Kind of Perfect offers comfort, consolation, and wisdom from parents who have been there—and are finding their way through. The writings collected here are grouped into chapters reflecting the progressive stages of many parents' emotional journeys, starting with grief, denial, and anger and moving towards acceptance, empowerment, laughter, and even joy. Each chapter opens with an introduction by Neil Nicoll, a child and family psychologist who…
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Families with a child who has a disability have special concerns and often need a great deal of information: information about the disability of their child, about early intervention (for babies and toddlers), school services (for school-aged children), therapy, local policies, transportation, and much more. Fortunately, there’s help available, because every State has at least one Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) to offer families just this kind of information. Many States also have a Community Parent Resource Center (CPRC), which offers the same type of support and training to…
Unpublished Paper
Although research on Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) is increasing, minimal documentation has been produced on their fathers as a subgroup. This paper emphasizes the need for targeted funding, updating federal and state policies, and assimilation and dissemination of promising practices on fatherhood to serve the field of practitioners and emerging fatherhood networks. Research aimed at fathers with children with special needs is thankfully on the rise as the father’s role in child development has moved closer to center stage. However, the research acquired…
This chapter reviews research findings, theoretical developments, and clinical interventions relating to fathers of children with developmental disabilities. Specific research findings on fathers of children with autism and research on fathers of children with other specific genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability are discussed, and clinical and research implications are explored. Numerous references.
Webinar
This Webinar discusses challenges faced by fathers of special needs children and resources available to fathers and programs to help address those needs. (Author abstract)
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This article provides foster/adoptive parents, who may have some valid concerns about sexual abuse and about meeting the special needs of children who have been sexually abused, with some basic information about child sexual abuse as well as some special considerations to help them feel more confident in taking on the challenges and rewards of fostering or adopting these children.
This brief begins by explaining the goals of the Infants and Toddler with Disabilities Program of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to enhance the development of infants and toddlers with disabilities, minimize potential developmental delay, and reduce educational costs by minimizing the need for special education services as children with disabilities reach school age. It discusses the need to intervene early to strengthen cognitive development through positive early experiences, why services are essential, and the unmet needs of infants and toddlers with disabilities. 26…
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Intended for California parents with children with disabilities, this guide discusses the higher risk of child abuse faced by children with disabilities, the types of abuse that can happen at school, the signs of abuse, perpetrators of abuse, and types of support services for children with disabilities who have been abused and their families. Strategies for preventing a child from being hurt while away from home are discussed, and a list of additional resources for parents is included.
This fact sheet explores results of the 2009/2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) and compares and contrasts the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s six outcomes for South Dakota and the nation. It begins with background information on the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the Maternal and Child Health Services Black Grant, and the six core outcomes that describe what families should expect for the service system. The six care areas are: partnering with families in shared decision-making for child’s optimal health; coordinated, ongoing, comprehensive care…
Adoption professionals and those in the marriage and relationship education (MRE) field are becoming more aware of the special issues adoptive couples face in their marriages. Practitioners from both disciplines may want to consider ways to bridge these two fields together by offering MRE classes in adoptive-parent training at both public and private adoption agencies or by offering them through post-adoption services. Those who are working with couples may be unaware of how much a marriage can be impacted by the special needs of adopted children. This Tip Sheet highlights common issues…
One of the most challenging goals for welfare reformers has been improving the collection of child support payments from noncustodial parents, usually fathers. Often vilified as "deadbeats" who have dropped out of their children's lives, these fathers have been the target of largely punitive enforcement policies that give little consideration to the complex circumstances of these men's lives. Fathers' Fair Share presents an alternative to these measures with an in-depth study of the Parents' Fair Share program. A multi-state intervention run by the Manpower Demonstration Research…
The Alabama Department of Child Abuse Prevention (DCAP) -- The Children's Trust Fund (CTF) has a more than 25 year history as the only state agency explicitly focused on educating our communities about child abuse and neglect and providing prevention programs. DCAP is focused on supporting family-strengthening community programs andinvesting upfront in efforts to enhance the chance that children in our state grow up in a nurturing and supportive home. A 2007 study by the Universityof Alabama revealed that child abuse and neglect costs taxpayers $520,800,290 every year.In Project Year 2007-…
This factsheet explores the relationship between father involvement and child disability. It reviews findings from research studies that indicate having a child with a disability may have important implications for fathers' well-being and involvement with their children. Research is cited that indicates having a child with a disability has adverse effects on fathers' well-being, while other studies are cited that have failed to support the idea that fathers of children with disabilities have lower levels of well-being than do fathers of typical children, and suggest that fathers may derive…
Raising children with developmental, emotional, behavioral or medical special needs inarguably impacts a marriage. The manner in which it changes, however, is not determined by the nature or severity of the child's disorder nor even by the number of children with disabilities in a family; the impact is determined by the manner in which the couple handles intensive child-rearing demands and related stressors. Juggling the seemingly endless logistical and emotional issues associated with parenting children with special needs can cause couples to make their relationship much less of a…
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In the U.S., 1 in 68 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In fact, almost every school and university in the country has students with autism. While the diagnosis is common, public understanding of autism is not. The lack of understanding around the condition contributes to discrimination, verbal abuse, even physical violence. A recent study reveals that children with autism are five times more likely to be bullied than their peers—treatment no child should endure. While the differences between people with autism and their peers may seem significant, children share…
This edition of South Dakota Kids Count Quarterly examines results of the 2009/2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN). More specifically, it compares and contrasts six outcomes identified by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau for Native Americans/Alaskan Natives in seven States: Arizona, Alaska, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. Data on 40,242 children were obtained from the Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health. Six State outcomes are discussed and data compared in the following core outcomes: families are…
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Money Habitudes is a simple but powerful tool to help people talk about money. The award-winning decks of cards are easy to use and provide new insights in a fun, game-like format. They can be used by professionals and non-professionals when working with individuals, couples or groups. Often used as an introductory exercise or icebreaker, they also work well as a standalone activity or as a module within a larger program. Used for sessions between 15 minutes and 2 hours, the cards are frequently included as part of programs that include: pre-marital, marriage enrichment, couples counseling,…
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La versión en español de Money Habititudes es una herramienta simple pero poderosa para ayudar a las personas a hablar sobre el dinero. Las barajas de cartas galardonadas son fáciles de usar y brindan nuevos conocimientos en un formato divertido y similar al de un juego. Pueden ser utilizados por profesionales y no profesionales cuando se trabaja con individuos, parejas o grupos. A menudo se utilizan como ejercicio introductorio o para romper el hielo, pero también funcionan bien como actividad independiente o como módulo dentro de un programa más amplio. Utilizadas para sesiones de entre…
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Money Habitudes II is a simple but powerful tool to help young adults talk about money. This version is geared towards people age 18-25 and is typically used with the military, college students and young adults starting work and living more independently. The award-winning decks of cards are easy to use and provide new insights in a fun, game-like format. They can be used by professionals and non-professionals when working with individuals, couples or groups. Often used as an introductory exercise or icebreaker, they also work well as a standalone activity or as a module within a larger…
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Money Habitudes for Teens is a simple but powerful tool to help teens (high school) talk about money. The award-winning decks of cards are easy to use and provide new insights in a fun, game-like format. They can be used by professionals and non-professionals when working with individuals, couples or groups. Often used as an introductory exercise or icebreaker, they also work well as a standalone activity or as a module within a larger program. Used for sessions between 15 minutes and 2 hours, the cards are frequently included as part of programs that include: pre-marital, marriage enrichment…
