Cerebral Palsy

• A very thorough overview of the illness including tips for teachers and parents.: Cerebral palsy--also known as CP--is a condition caused by injury to the parts of the brain that control our ability to use our muscles and bodies. Cerebral means having to do with the brain.

Charter Schools

• Information about charter schools, locate in your area, updates on the topic of these innovative schools, incentives, learn about programs, how to start a charter school, special links for parents, grants.: From US Charter Schools Association.
• Charter Schools Development Center: Has workshops, services, grants, studies and research of and for charter schools.

Provides:

• Technical Assistance for Setting up a Charter School
• New York State Charter School Law
• Charter School Applications
• Charter Schools Operating in New York State
• Public Per Pupil Aid to Charter Schools
• This site provides for a search charter schools From the Arizona Department of Education
• This site informs you about the laws and issues surrounding charter schools and how they rate in different states.: From the Center for Education Reform
• This site explains what this organization does in terms of charter schools. It describes the curriculum under national and state standards, and has other information that is useful for getting familiar with the charter school system.: From Charter Schools USA.

Child Abuse and Neglect - Awareness and Reporting Responsibilities - Click Here

Child Study Teams

• Prereferral-Child Study Team: The purpose of the prereferral process is to ensure your child tries reasonable accommodations and modifications before she's referred for special education assessment.

Children's Literature and Disability

• Children's Literature and Disability: This list of Resources You Can Use is intended to help parents and professionals identify books that are written about or include characters who have a disability. The list is grouped according to disability or issue
• Race, Gender, and Disability in Today's Children's Literature: Author highlights the importance of integrating into children's literature, all the diversities of disability, race, gender, culture, and exposes their paucity in today's publications for children.
• A Guide to Children's Literature and Disability: This is a bibliography intended to help professionals and parents identify books that are about, or include,  characters having disabilities. The list is grouped according to a large variety of disabilities.
• Internet resources on literature for children with learning disabilities: Shows booklists, audio/video sources, and other literary media resources designed for those with disabilities.
• This site provides information on a text dealing with disabilities, illness, and children's literature: helpful for early childhood, elementary general education, and special education teachers.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a disabling disease characterized by severe overwhelming fatigue that cannot be explained by any underlying medical condition. Individuals have four or more of the following symptoms: post-exertional fatigue ("malaise") characterized by the loss of both physical and mental stamina; unrefreshing sleep; lack of cognitive focus ("brain fog"); chronic joint/muscle pains and aches; and headaches of new onset or severity, swollen glands and sore throat.

Many individuals also develop new allergies or have a change in the status of old ones. Fatigue usually worsens with physical and/or mental activity but does not improve with rest. Symptoms can change daily and are unpredictable from day to day, week to week.

Autonomic symptoms generally include orthostatic intolerance in which a change from the supine position to an upright (standing) position can result in the student becoming light-headed; having blood pool in the feet; and/or passing out. Dizziness, light-headedness and extreme pallor are also characteristic in many patients with CFS. Endocrine symptoms also include heat and/or cold intolerance.

Neurological and cognitive symptoms often labeled 'brain fog' include confusion, difficulty with concentration and processing information, short-term memory issues and impaired word retrieval. All symptoms can be exacerbated by mental and/or physical stress or exertion and include a loss of adaptability and tolerance for stress. Many individuals also have a hypersensitivity to light and/or noise.

CFS is difficult to diagnose because it is an exclusionary illness, with no single test to confirm the diagnosis. Although there is no known cause of CFS, there is considerable ongoing research much of which is focused on the XMRV virus. Other viruses associated with CFS include Epstein-Barr, HHV-6, cytomegalovirus, Ross River virus and others. However, individuals can also have a gradual onset of CFS.

There is no single treatment for CFS. As a result, treatment is for symptoms only, and that differs from individual to individual. Treatment regimens currently being used include medications to treat orthostatic intolerance (flourineff and metradine); beta-blockers; anti-virals (valgancyclovir); amino acids (melatonin); and nutrition-based therapies. Some physicians also use light therapy to restore natural diurnal rhythms.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Links-

• The CFIDS Association of America's (http://www.cfids.org/default.asp) strategy is to stimulate research aimed at the early detection, objective diagnosis and effective treatment of CFS through expanded public, private and commercial investment.
• International Association for CFS/ME (http://iacfsme.org/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx) is dedicated to the providing education, treatment and finding a cure for CFS/ME.
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/) focuses on providing general information, publications, news and highlights of CFS.

Classroom Management

• Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder
• Children with Autism
• Children with Emotional Disturbance
• Children with Hearing Impairments
• Children with Learning Disabilities
• Children with Mental Retardation
• Children with Orthopedic  Impairments
• Children with Other Health Impairments
• Speech and Language Impairments
• Children with Traumatic Brain Injury
• Children with Visual Impairments

Communicating Test Results to Parents

Computer Software for Special Education

• Products for persons with special needs: Offers AT software, devices, services and workshops, special software, games, adaptive parts for furniture, and miscellaneous items adapted for many disabilities.
• Family Village computer software: Provides links for computer peripherals, communication aids, and assistive technology devices for a host of physical and other disability challenges.
• Closing the Gap: This is newspaper, resource directory, conference listing, AT solutions, and forum.
• LAB Resources:This site has products you can purchase and offers training classes and tutorials on how to use assistive technology software.
• Horizon Software: This site offers special education management software products.

Curriculum Activities for Children with Disabilities

• Early Childhood Research Institute: Storybook activities for young children with disabilities and their families, and teachers.
• Selected Internet Resources for the Arts and Disabilities: A worthwhile site to links such as the American Arts Therapy Association, American Dance therapy Asociation, American Music Therapy Association and much more.
• Sports and Recreational Activities for Children with Physical Disabilities: Has numerours url links to organizations who hold the various athletic events for disabled children, with articles, websites, names, addresses, and phone numbers, government links, and long lists of sports accommodating the disabled, and all contact information included.
• Topics include numerous sites on multicultural education:issues covered: Multicultural education articles, multicultural activities for children, multicultural education curriculum.
• Art for children and adults with disabilities: This site offers lesson plans and activities in art for people with disabilities and advice on how to go about teaching them.

Curriculum Adaptation-See individual disability categories under Exceptional Children and Disability Information

Curriculum Based Assessment (CBA)

• Definitions of Curriculum based assessment

Curriculum-Factors Affecting Success