Have you adopted a special needs child or children? Teaching methods that meet your child’s needs are difficult to find. This is true whether you choose to homeschool your child or utilize special education services through the public school system. You may spend hours formulating and working out the details of your child’s IEP. However, sometimes your child just doesn’t seem to progress. A new resource is available to you free of charge. You just need to use your computer to access the website.

Laura Milligan has put together “The Ultimate Guide to Special Needs Teaching: 100+ Resources and Links.” What is unique about her list is that it specifies teaching resources for students who are blind, deaf, autistic, Down syndrome, and other special needs. If you are a homeschool parent, you may want to utilize some of these resources to help your child learn and succeed. If you are a teacher, you may be able to use some of the resources for your entire class. If you teach a traditional classroom, but you are integrating one or two children with learning differences, these may help. This could be especially true if it is your first time teaching a child with a specific learning disorder or condition.

For example, you may have taught an autistic child in past years, but never a child with Down syndrome or a deaf child. Perhaps you are an adoptive parent and this is your first blind child. If you have adopted internationally, there are even resources listed for teaching a child who does not have English as a first language. If you are adopting a child from another county who is already old enough to talk, why not make the transition easier by having the suggested materials waiting. Personally, I can imagine few things more terrifying than moving to a new country, with complete strangers, where no one speaks my language.

Here is a list of the actual categories offered. They are Blind Students, Deaf Students, ESL Students (English Second Language), Autistic Students, Mentally Challenged Students, Physically Challenged Students, General Materials and Resources for Special Needs Students, Inviting Special Needs Students Into a Traditional Classroom, Technology and Special Needs Students, Terminally Ill Students, and Teacher Support.

Here is the link to the Ultimate Guide to Special Needs Teaching.


Photo Credit: 2006 Julia Fuller.