Would any of your children enjoy being able to write into an interactive story along with other special needs children? I've made a Story Book For Special Needs Children especially for the kids. A story book for the parents can be found HERE. There is a link to mail me on the page if you find any inappropiate entries, please mail me so that I can edit it out as soon as possible!

Special Needs Chat

There is a chat room in Talk City for parents of special needs children. Talk City is a family oriented, and monitored IRC. Here is the information on how to get there with your chat client (pIRCh or mIRC):

Please make sure to copy this information exactly as shown into your chat client (program). You may also get there by Talk City's EZ Lite Java Chat by clicking here, and entering in the channel (room name) listed above into the box stating "Already know where you want to chat?" and then pressing "go" after entering in the channel (room name). You will be listed as a guest in the chat, unless you register with Talk City first.

WebTV'ers, Talk City is your default IRC and I do not know how to tell you how to get there *sorry*, maybe some nice parent will mail me in the instructions for me to post here *hint hint*.

Amicus

Amicus for Children, Inc (AFC) is a non-profit organization formed in 1999 by two moms – one an educator and the other an attorney. AFC provides free services to parents of special needs children to help them be their children's "first and best advocate."

Examples of AFC services include: providing information on special education law and best practices in special education, helping families navigate the maze of special services, helping families become active participants in their children's educational and treatment planning, providing families with feedback on IEP's & behavior plans, and helping families connect with appropriate services. AFC does not provide direct legal representation to families. AFC is funded by grants & donations and serves families from all over the United States. An on-line service request form can be found on the Amicus website at www.amicusforchildren.org.

Special Needs Parents Intranet

Parents of Special Needs Children Intranet is an Intranet, meaning that only people invited are allowed to enter. As a parent of a special needs child, you are invited. Just click on the link and look for the registration button towards the bottom. Then when it asks you for the special code, put in specneeds Now you are will be able to enter in your username and your own password.

I have configured it so that anyone can make an announcement, add to the calendar (hey put your kids and your birthdays in there!), use the forum, enter in your webpages, and many other things as well. If any inappropiate entries are made (maybe by spammers, who knows), I will delete them as I find them, so if you find one, please notify me, OK? Hope this turns out to be fun and supportive and feel free to invite any other special needs parents you are friends with!

Special Needs Education

Do parents of special needs children, the children themselves, adults that have special needs wish to share, teach, or tell anything to special needs educators such as teachers and teacher assistants? It is my understanding that many spec need educators choose their career because of having persons in their family that had special needs. But, not all have this personal experience, and may benefit from what you have to say in this forum.

Also, this forum is open to educators because maybe there's something that most parents that are just learning about the special needs world need to know to make the transition easier. (As a nurse, I have experienced numerous cases of patient disappointment when their 'fantasies of what a hospitalization should be like' have met head on with reality. I can just imagine that this happens quite often in the education area's of special needs.) Let's all work together for the sake of the kids.

Special Needs Education Forum

Chromosomal Disorders

Chromosome 19 is the chromosome that caused my son's condition. I have made a page about this so that any other people with loved ones having it may learn about it. The page also has lots of general chromosomal links. Researching chromosomal disorders is HARD, belive me! So, hopefully these links will be a good starting point, I did not include any super high tech stuff that only doctors would understand, but even then some of it is a bit difficult. There is a Chromosomal Disorder Forum that I started specifically for chromosomal disorders, as well as a SiteRing for Chromosomal Disorders. I know eventually someone will need this information, the more people that are webpage designers that have chromosomal disorders pages that join the ring will eventually make it easier for those just beginning their searches.

Numerous people write to me all the time for assistance with various requests regarding special needs. Here is a copy of an email that I recieved. Daren has given his permission for this letter to be posted here:

Hi,
My name is Daren and I'm working for an agency that will be providing homes for children with special needs. The agency is trying to get off the ground, however, funding for this type of service is difficult. If you know of any grants out there that we could apply for, please let me know.

God Bless,
Daren K. Taylor
platodkt@aol.com

If anyone has experience with this type of endeavor, please contact Daren at the above email address.

DISCLAIMER: I have not had prior contact with Daren, and therefore can not give a reference. This does NOT mean that I have any reservations about Daren or what he and his group are striving to accomplish. All it means is that I believe in CMT (covering my tushie). Please contact Daren to find out more information. Thank you and God Bless.

I recently recieved an email from 'S', who is a mother that has an autistic son. She describes him as being 9 years old physically, but 4 years old mentally. She had to make the decision to place him in a home, as it was in his best interest. She seems quite torn up over her decision, despite reassurances that it's the best for her son. She wants to know if there are any other parents in similiar circumstances. I am going to start up a board for parents that have had to place their children in homes; for them to support one another in their very difficult situation. Click here for the support board (in guestbook format).

Spina Bifida Central

The club is called Spina Bifida Central, Club and Chat room. It has over 1000 members and have a very active message board and scheduled chats; so anyone looking for support regarding spina bifida, support is here for you. This club is run in a mature manner and is monitored closely by the founder and co-founders.

Spina Bifida Central

Smile Quilts

Smile Quilts, a site that offers free personalized virtual quilts for sick children. We are looking for children to make the quilts for; you can visit our site and see our quilts so you will know what we offer.

Smile Quilts

The Chromosome SiteRing This site owned by Shreela

Links

Make sure and check out my extensive links page!

Have you ever wondered why you were not given a Perfect Child? Author unknown

Have you ever felt like Screaming? By Pat Linkhorn

Is being handicapped a handicap? Or might it be a blessing?

Read about Janis's Special Olympics Trophies. Way to go Janis!!!!

Poetry for parents of special needs children.

Webrings for special needs children.