Purpose

The Special Education & Disability (SED) Committee aims to create an environment of sharing and learning that is inclusive to all; to foster building bridges between the general and special education communities, that is respectful and affirming to our families, students and staff and reflects our commitment to creating more understanding and acceptance around disabilities and special education.

Contact

Co-Chairs: Kristi De Vadder and Minette Stewart.
Email: SEDSBK8@gmail.com
Join us on Facebook

Meetings

We plan on providing events on the 2nd Monday of each month, and Sip and Chats on the 4th Mondays of each month. Sip and Chats are casual gatherings of parents and SED committee members for community building with open discussion and questions. Look for announcements in the Weekly Bulletin email. 

Resources

Presentations/Parent Education

“Special Education: Ten Tips for Advocating for your Child,” presented by Rachel Nemhauser | Community and Family Support Program Manager from the ARC of King County

This presentation plus a Q and A covers the basics. This is great if you are new to the IEP process or for those who wish to gain some more tips for advocating for their child. Topics covered:

• Understanding the legal basics IEP/504 and the IDEA overview
• Modifications vs. accommodations
• IEP vs. 504 plans
• Evaluations and the IEP process
• Data, goal writing and PLPs (Present Levels of Performance)
• Inclusion and placement decisions
• Challenging behaviors
• Recovery services
• Options for conflict resolutions
• Working with the IEP team

General Info

• ADDitude Magazine: “Since 1998, tens of millions of readers have trusted ADDitude to deliver expert advice and caring support, making us the leading media network for parents and adults living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADDitude is not only the world’s most trusted source of strategies and information about ADHD and related condition such as learning disabilities, anxiety, depression, and oppositional defiant disorder, we are also the voice and advocate of the ADHD community.”
• Lives in the Balance: “Our vision is to foster collaboration and empathy, transform lives, and inspire change for all children (especially the most vulnerable), to heighten awareness of the detrimental and counterproductive effects of punitive interventions, and to address the systemic issues that impede our progress. We provide vital, accessible resources and programs to caregivers of behaviorally challenging kids; address the systemic issues that cause many of these kids to slip through the cracks; and promote parenting and disciplinary practices that foster the better side of human nature in all children.”

Vlogs/YouTube Channels

• Dr. Ross Greene: “Kids do well if they can.” An excellent set of videos explain Dr. Greene’s Collaborative & Proactive Solutions approach to challenging behaviors.
• Dr. Mona Delahooke: author of the book Beyond Behaviors, Dr. Delahooke has dedicated her career to promoting compassionate, relationship-based, neurodevelopmental interventions for children with developmental, behavioral, emotional, and learning differences.
• Seth Perler: Seth’s life’s work is dedicated to helping kids overcome Executive Functioning challenges so they can have great futures, despite our outdated educational systems. Resources include videos, free courses for students, teachers and caregivers, annual TEFOS (The Executive Functioning Online Summit), and more.
• Gretchen Wegner: Gretchen Wegner is an Academic Life Coach who inspires students to uncover their true identities as capable, clever, and creative learners in school and life. She is an internationally recognized expert in how to destressify school by building their executive function skills, teaching teens a unique system for time management, organization and studying called The Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying.™

Podcasts

• Don’t IEP Alone: a treasure trove of resources on the IEP process, advocacy and forums to connect with other parents and advocates.
• TiLT Parenting: “TiLT Parenting was founded in 2016 by Debbie Reber as a podcast and community aimed at helping parents raising differently-wired kids do so from a place of confidence, connection, and joy. Debbie is passionate about the idea that being differently wired isn’t a deficit —it’s a difference. She hopes to change the way difference is perceived and experienced in the world so these exceptional kids, and the parents raising them, can thrive in their schools, in their families, and in their lives.”

The IEP Process/Advocacy

• Seattle Public Schools Special Education PTSA: We assist families of students with disabilities as they navigate the education system, build bridges between the general and special education communities in order to bring increased educational resources and opportunities for all students, and partner with parents and educators as we advocate for improvements in the special education system.
• ARC of King County: The Arc of King County serves all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan: from prenatal diagnosis through end of life care. Our programs include: Information and Family Support for parents, guardians, and siblings; Supported Living Services for adults living in the community; Representative Payee for individuals needing financial management assistance; Homelessness Prevention for families at-risk of losing their housing; and Advocacy for people with developmental disabilities, family members, and community allies seeking to make our community more systemically equitable for all people. We promote and protect the human and civil rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, actively supporting their full inclusion so that they can live, learn, work, and play in the community – making the world a better place for us all.

Books for Kids

• My Day Is Ruined! A Story for Teaching Flexible Thinking by Bryan Smith
• What’s the Difference? Being Different Is Amazing by Doyin Richards
• The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
• The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson (OCD)
• Guts Raina Telgemeier (anxiety, phobias, etc.)
• El Deafo by Cece Bell (hearing issues)
• The War that Saved my Life and the follow-up The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (clubfoot/mobility issues, overcoming emotional trauma)
• Wonder by R. J. Palacio
• A Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (dyslexia)
• Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper (cerebral palsy)
• The Boy with Big Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee (autism)
• Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus (Volume 1) by Dusti Bowling
• Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos (autism)
• Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson
• The Many Mysteries of the Finkel Family by Sarah Kapit (local author)

Books for Families

• Beyond Behaviors by Mona Delahooke
• Lost & Found by Ross Greene
• Lost at School by Ross Greene
• The Explosive Child by Ross Greene
• The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
• Self-Reg by Stuart Shanker
• Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood through Adulthood by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., and John J. Ratey, M.D.
• Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry M. Prizant
• UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World by Dr. Michele Borba (not just for kids with disabilities)
• Kids in the Syndrome Mix of ADHD, LD, Autism Spectrum, Tourette’s, Anxiety and More! by
• Martin L. Kutscher, M.D.
• Bright Kids who Can’t Keep Up by Ellen Braaten, Ph.D., and Brian Willoughby, Ph.D. (slow processing speed)
• Social Thinking and Me: Kids’ Guidebook and Thinksheets to Social Emotional Learning (2-book set) by Michelle Garcia Winner and Linda K. Murphy
• Raising NLD Superstars by Marcia Brown Rubinstien (nonverbal learning disabilities)
• Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Biel, M.A., OTR/L, and Nancy Peske
• Helping a Child with Nonverbal Learning Disorder or Asperger’s Disorder by Kathryn Stewart, Ph.D.
• The Autism Discussion Page by Bill Nason (This is a 3-book series)
• Smart but Scattered Teens by Richard Guare, Peg Dawson, Colin Guare (executive functioning)
• The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida

Films/Videos: