Special Needs

The Loose Parts set of books serve as inspiration with hundreds of beautiful full color photographs illustrating ways children enjoy using everyday items in their play, encouraging their curiosity, giving free reign to their play, and encouraging creativity. Books are available individually.

Every child belongs. Every child is unique. Every child has strengths. Every child has the potential to fly. Inclusion benefits all children! Inclusion--perhaps you believe it is complicated, time-consuming, and expensive. Not true! Jani Kozlowski, experienced trainer and technical-assistance provider on inclusion and disability services, dispels the myths and shows that implementing high-quality inclusive practices in your program is easier than you think! Throughout "Every Child Can Fly," Kozlowski explores the defining features of high-quality inclusion and shows readers how to provide access and support for children with disabilities. Learn how to help them feel included through strong family involvement, peer relationships, individualized teaching practices, collaborative teaming, ongoing evaluation, and staff professional development. Learn why inclusion is important. Unravel the jargon and acronyms. Understand screening, assessment, and referrals. Paperback. 272 pages.

The prevalence of ASD is growing tremendously in early childhood classrooms. This book showcases the diverse capabilities of students with ASD and prepares early childhood educators to work effectively with students ages 3-5 with pervasive developmental disorders. Descriptive examples and interactive activities guide teachers to understand how these disorders affect student progress and how educators can tap into student potential. Each chapter offers several strategies to address specific academic, social, and behavioral needs common to many young children with ASD. The strategies are easy to follow and accompanied by teacher tips, sample resources, and relevant student goals. Paperback. 200 pages.

"Teaching Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder" is a straightforward, easy-to-understand guide to working with children who have autism. It explains the major characteristics associated with autism and helps teachers understand the ways children with autism relate to the world. Each chapter offers specific strategies for teachers to use, including setting up a proactive preschool environment, helping children learn life skills, managing behavior, helping children with autism communicate, encouraging children with autism to play, helping them to get along with others, and working with families. Paperback. 224 pages.

All infants and toddlers need experiences that nurture, support, and teach their home language and culture. Language is a vital component of early experiences well before a child can say his first word. Infants and toddlers whose families come from diverse backgrounds and speak different languages are appearing in all kinds of early care and learning settings in growing numbers. Even the most experienced caregiver can feel a bit unsure about meeting the unique needs of infants and toddlers from different language backgrounds.Many Languages, Building Connections outlines adaptable strategies that caregivers of children younger than the age of three need to feel confident that they know how language develops, how cultural differences can come into play, and how to assess an individual child's situation to provide appropriate support.

When was the last time you got down on your hands and knees to see your classroom from a child's height? Research shows that effective early childhood classroom design begins from the ground up. Classroom design is a crucial component of an effective learning environment. This book brings a new approach to classroom design that begins and ends with the child's viewpoint. Each chapter details how the classroom environment influences children's learning, and the authors provide specific examples of how educators can use the children's perspective to make their classrooms a place of joy and possibility. Paperback. 256 pages.

This book has been written for all teachers and directors who work with infants, toddlers, and twos, including special educators and educators working with typically developing children. It specifically addresses the needs of children with developmental delays, as well as those children at risk for developing special needs. Each chapter includes experiences and activities that are common to settings where infants and toddlers learn. The strategies provided are easy to use and apply to all children. Examples are presented for managing the physical environment to enhance the overall development of infants, toddlers, and twos with special needs. Paperback. 160 pages.

Describes practical ways to adjust centers and classroom routines for children with special needs. Suggestions enable all children to learn by keeping them involved in developmentally appropriate routines and center based activities. Each chapter focuses on either a learning center, such as art or science, or a time of the day, such as snack time or dismissal, with particular attention to the needs of children who are developmentally delayed, orthopedically impaired, have autism/Pervasive Development Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, behavioral issues, motor planning problems, or visual impairments. Age focus: 3 - 6 years. Paperback. 208 pages.

Best-selling, award-winning authors Pam Schiller and Clarissa Willis have teamed up to create this collection of 100 literacy lessons, designed to introduce children ages 3-6 to a variety of literacy concepts and build important literacy skills. Each of these simple, fun lessons offers adaptations for children with special needs, including: visual and hearing impairments, cognitive challenges, motor delays, speech/language delays, and emotional/behavior issues. The first page of each two-page lesson features a learning objective, a literacy activity, extension activities, a daily reflection, and vocabulary. The second page has adaptations specific to the literacy lesson for children with special needs.

Because their vocabularies haven't yet caught up with their thoughts and emotions, young children often struggle to communicate. Sign language can help them express themselves effectively to adults and peers--without the emotional outbursts caused by frustration! This book features the latest research to equip educators and caregivers with the tools and resources to teach young learners how to effectively communicate. Paperback. 208 pages.

Written by Carol Stock Kranowitz, The Out-Of-Sync Child was the first of its kind to explain SPD - Sensory Processing Disorder - and provide parents a drug-free alternative in helping their children grow and adjust in the world. This is the revised addition, offering new sections on hearing and vision, and how this disorder often appears alongside other conditions.