TALKING TO KIDS ABOUT THE 

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Kids worry more when they're kept in the dark.

AUTISM-RELATED COVID-19 RESOURCES

FOR FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS

A list of teaching tools, caregiver tips, and advice on social distancing for individuals with Autism.

WHAT IS COVID-19?

A guide with images for parents and students.

CORONAVIRUS SOCIAL STORY

VIA LITTLE PUDDINS

Coronavirus Social Narrative to help alleviate fears and anxiety many children may be experiencing at this time. 

HANDWASHING

VISUAL STEPS

Handwashing Visual Steps vis n2y.

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HANDWASHING:

KEEPING YOUR FAMILY HEALTHY

CDC Handwashing guide for families

COVID-19: WHAT IS

SOCIAL DISTANCING?

How social distancing mitigates the spread of COVID-19

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WHEN KIDS ARE ANXIOUS ABOUT THE

CORONAVIRUS: WHAT TO DO

Anxiety often comes hand in hand with ADHD and other learning differences. Some kids also struggle with managing emotions. That can make it harder for them to think logically about how to cope.

LIVE VIDEO LESSONS:

5 WAYS KIDS STRUGGLE AND HOW TO HELP

With school closures, everyone is trying to adjust to distance learning—that includes teachers, families, and kids. A live video lesson can be a great way for students to stay connected to their classes.

DISTANCE LEARNING:

6 BEST PRACTICES FOR ONLINE LEARNING

Proactively reduce barriers to learning so that all the students in your class can engage. Here are some tips for how to include all students when learning is happening online. 

TEACHERS REFLECT ON

DISTANCE LEARNING

In this video, some of Understood’s Teacher Fellows reflect on what worked during the pandemic.

HOW I REACHED STUDENTS WHO DISAPPEARED DURING DISTANCE LEARNING

A teacher got creative about how to get a response.

HOW I'M LEADING

REMOTE IEP MEETINGS

Here are some of the ways a Special Education Teacher is preparing for and leading remote IEP meetings.

PATTERNS OF STRENGTHS

AND WEAKNESSES

Presentation regarding how the PSW model works in determining special education eligibility under Specific Learning Disability.

UNDERSTANDING

DYSLEXIA

Know the signs, and how to help kids with the most common learning disability.

G: THE MISEDUCATION

OF LARRY P.

Are some ideas so dangerous we shouldn’t even talk about them? That question brought Radiolab’s Pat Walters to a subject that he thought was long gone: the measuring of human intelligence with IQ tests.

WHAT IS

DYSLEXIA?

Dyslexia affects up to 1 in 5 people, but the experience of dyslexia isn't always the same. Kelli Sandman-Hurley urges us to think again and to celebrate the neurodiversity of the human brain.

INFORMATION PROCESSING MODEL:

Sensory, working, and long term memory

Learn about the information processing model of human memory.

THE NEUROSCIENCE

OF MEMORY

Eleanor Maguire draws on evidence from virtual reality, brain imaging and studies of amnesia to show that the consequences of hippocampal damage are even more far-reaching than expected. 

CALIFORNIA DISLEXIA

GUIDELINES

The purpose of these guidelines is to assist regular education teachers, special education teachers, and parents in identifying, assessing, and supporting students with dyslexia.

DYSLEXIA: IS IT ALWAYS

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS?

Orthographic dyslexia occurs when someone has average or above average phonemic awareness, but they can't translate that ability to the written word.

CROSS BATTERY ASSESSMENT: A PSW APPROACH TO  SLD IDENTIFICATION

Overview of CHC Theory and the relations between broad and narrow CHC abilities and
specific academic skills.

25 YEARS AFTER LARRY P.: The California Response to Overrepresentation of African Americans in Special Education

In this article, major laws, regulations, court cases, policies and practices related to intelligence testing of African American students in California are reviewed.

SLD IDENTIFICATION:

EVALUATING COGNITIVE PROCESSES

This webinar provides an overview of an operational definition of specific learning disability with particular emphasis on the evaluation of cognitive processes.

EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE

This article defines and describes Emotional Disturbance.
 

MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM

OF SUPPORT (MTSS)

The California Department of Education's definition of Multi-Tiered System of Support and a comparison between it and Response to Instruction and Intervention.

FERPA: FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS

PRIVACY ACT

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

ADDRESSING CURRENT AND FUTURE

CHALLENGES IN EDUCATION

The International Center for Leadership in Education finds, analyzes, and showcases the nation’s most rapidly improving schools. 

WHAT IS THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE

ENVIRONMENT (LRE)?

A visual presentation regarding the definition of Least Restrictive Environment.
 

ELPAC INFORMATION GUIDE

Information about the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California.
  

STRATEGIES FOR SETTING HIGH-QUALITY ACADEMIC

INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM GOALS

This guide explains how educators can establish IEP goals that are measurable, ambitious, and appropriate in light of the student's circumstances.

INTRODUCTION TO APPLIED

BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS

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HOW ANXIETY LEADS TO

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR

Kids who seem oppositional are often severely anxious.

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FUNCTIONS OF BEHAVIOR

A video that describes the functions of behavior

PBIS RESOURCES: COVID-19

SUPPORTING TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND FAMILIES

A list of resources presented by PBIS for supporting students with interfering behaviors.

PBIS CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS FIELD GUIDE:

Resources for Trainers and Coaches

This field guide outlines an integrated framework to embed equity efforts into school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS).

THE FBA: FUNCTIONAL 

BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT

An FBA is an acronym for Functional Behavior Assessments and is a process that identifies behaviors that are directly interfering with the child’s educational progress

APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS:

A PARENT'S GUIDE

This tool kit is an informational guide to Applied Behavioral Analysis. It is designed to provide you with a better understanding of ABA, how your child can benefit, and where/how you can seek ABA services.

WHY EVERYTHING YOU KNOW

ABOUT AUTISM IS WRONG

Being diagnosed with autism is often seen as a tragedy. But for Jac den Houting, it was the best thing that's ever happened to them.

PREDICTING OVERLOAD:

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Paul Fijal paints a vivid picture of what it’s like to live with autism.

AUTISM: CAUSES, SYMPTOMS, DIAGNOSIS,

TREATMENT, PATHOLOGY

Autism is now referred to as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and encompasses previously defined separate yet similar disorders like Asperger syndrome.

HOW TO CREATE A SENSORY ROOM

FOR YOUR AUTISTIC CHILD

Sensory rooms provide a range of calming and stimulating sensory inputs that can be designed for a group or for a particular individual's needs.

RECIPES FOR DIY SENSORY TOOLS

A practical booklet of DIY sensory tool building ideas, made for parents by parents.

SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM
THROUGH UNCERTAIN TIMES

All children and young adults require support from caregivers during times of stress and uncertainty. Individuals with autism may need additional support to process the news and adapt to the changes.

WHAT IS AUTISM?

There is no one type of autism, but many.

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ADHD & SCHOOL

School can be a challenge for students with ADHD—but here’s how you can help your child or teen succeed in the classroom.

WHAT'S ADHD (AND WHAT'S NOT)

IN THE CLASSROOM

Signs that a child might have the disorder, and other problems that may be confused with ADHD

HOW TO GET YOURSELF

ORGANIZED

Realistic tips for young people, from someone who’s been there

FAILING AT NORMAL:

AN ADHD SUCCESS STORY

Jessica McCabe tells us the story of her life. Once a gifted child with a bright future, who later lives a life of constant failures, because of one thing - her ADHD diagnosis. .

TIPS FOR STUDENTS WITH 

EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING NEEDS

Tips to share with parents of students with executive functioning deficits.

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IDENTIFYING AND TREATING

ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

A resource for home and school.

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SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

Each of us takes the same journey from birth to consciousness—but none of us recalls it. This early stage of life is crucial; what can parents—and other adults— do to further infant well-being?

INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATORS

AND SELF-INJURY

 This website has been developed as a resource for educators. It provides information in a brief format regarding how to recognize, understand, and respond to self-injury.

GRIEF IN THE CLASSROOM:

'SAYING NOTHING SAYS A LOT'

1 in 20 children will lose a parent by the time he or she graduates from high school. So how should educators handle the death of a student's loved one?

SUPPORTING THE GRIEVING

CHILD AND FAMILY

The death of someone close to a child often has a profound and lifelong effect on the child and results in a range of both short- and long-term reactions. 

PARENTING STYLES AND SUICIDAL IDEATION

IN ADOLESCENTS: Mediating Effect of Attachment

This study aims to analyze the role of parenting styles in the development of suicidal ideation in adolescents.

THE TRUTH ABOUT TEEN

DEPRESSION

Through her own story, social activist Megan Shinnick points out the misconceptions and actual importance of depression, as well as the societal flaws responsible for the increase in the illness.

HOW CHILDHOOD TRAUMA

AFFECTS HEALTH ACROSS A LIFETIME

Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain.

INSIDE THE TEENAGE

BRAIN

It’s the mystery of mysteries-especially to parents. Now experts are exploring the recesses of the brain and finding new explanations for why adolescents behave the way they do.

KIDS AND DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES:

FINE MOTOR SKILLS

Normally, children learn to write in Kindergarten, but fine motor skills, which are the foundation of handwriting, begin to develop in infancy. 

SENSORY PROCESSING

DISORDERS

Research indicates that at least 1 in 6 children experiences sensory challenges sufficient to disrupt their academic, social, and/or emotional development.

WHAT IS AN OCCUPATIONAL

THERAPY EVALUATION?

Hereʼs what you need to know about an occupational therapy evaluation.

OT IS SCHOOLS

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School-based occupational therapy is designed to enhance the student's ability to fully access and be successful in the learning environment.

CHILDREN & YOUTH EVIDENCE-BASED

PRACTICE RESOURCES

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is based on the integration of critically appraised research results with the clinical expertise, and the client’s preferences, beliefs and values.

TIPS FOR FAMILIES

DURING COVID-19

Occupational therapists explain that routines and participation in meaningful activities are important for mental and physical wellness during a pandemic.

THE BIRTH OF A WORD

MIT researcher Deb Roy wanted to understand how his infant son learned language -- so he wired up his house with videocameras to catch every moment (with exceptions) of his son's life.

THE ROLE OF SLP

IN SCHOOLS

A Presentation for Teachers, Administrators, Parents, and the Community.

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SPEECH AND LANGUAGE

SERVICES IN SCHOOLS

Communication Problems in School. Effect of Speech and Language Problems on Learning. Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist.

TYPICAL SPEECH AND

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Learn about the difference between speech and language, early identification of speech, language and hearing disorders, charts of speech, language and hearing milestones, and more.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM

SPEECH THERAPY IN SCHOOL?

Your child is starting speech therapy in school. But what exactly does this mean?

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