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Providing Support to Children with Special Needs

As more and more childcare centers are chosen as the least restrictive environment for children with special needs, we need to spread the word about resources available for both childcare providers and parents. Toys and equipment should be chosen so that they can be used by all children, not just children with disabilities. For example, a basket of different types of balls -- rubbery, knotty or squishy -- assures that all children, regardless of their muscle ability, can play with them. Look for toys and props that are universally appealing and usable by all children.

Below are some of my favorites resources:

Child Care plus+ at the Center on Inclusion in Early Childhood at the University of Montana offers technical assistance and training to support programs that include children with medical, physical and developmental disabilities in child care, preschool or other early childhood settings.

Examples of technical assistance include:

• Curriculum adaptations to help children succeed in small group activities and routines
• Sources for particular toys or pieces of equipment needed to allow children to participate
• Specific questions to ask a child's parent, early intervention specialist, or therapist in order to identify how to successfully meet the child's needs in the early childhood program

Resource materials related to a particular disability or teaching strategy.

Telephone consultation and written materials are free. Center staffers are available to offer workshops, conference sessions, seminars and training sessions related to the Child Care Plus Curriculum on Inclusion or other related topics. The website describes center staff expertise, products, resources and training information and includes a newsletter. Go to www.ccplus.org.

Lekotek is about kids -- kids with special needs. Like all kids, children with special needs love to play. Lekotek makes the world of play accessible to children with all types of disabilities through special play and learning centers where they can have fun with traditional toys, adapted toys, books and computers. And while they are playing, Lekotek kids are learning new skills that build the base for literacy, mathematical reasoning and computer use.

Lekotek recognizes that raising a child with special needs is a family affair that puts demands on parents, siblings, caregivers, and extended family members. At Lekotek, families learn fun, creative and healthy ways to play together and to include their children in family and community activities. Children borrow adapted and traditional toys, books and software from Lekotek toy lending libraries for use at home.

Nationwide, there are 36 Lekotek sites that offer family play sessions, toy lending libraries, Compuplay family computer centers, and other innovative community-specific programming. With the focus on what the child with disabilities can do, and with attention to the needs of the entire family system that supports the child, Lekotek plays an important role in helping children with disabilities reach their full potential. Go to www.lekotek.org to find a center near you.

Let's Play, at the Center for Assistive Technology at the University of Buffalo, has information on selecting toys for play, toys for children with disabilities, adapting toys for easier use, locating specially designed toys and other resources to promote play. Go to http://letsplay.buffalo.edu.

The Circle of Inclusion web site is for early childhood service providers and families of young children. This web site offers demonstrations of and information about the effective practices of inclusive educational programs for children from birth through age 8. The site includes great articles, links to other resources, reproducible sample forms and articles about inclusion. Go to http://www.circleofinclusion.org.

Exceptional Parent Magazine's 2003 Annual Toy Review provides articles and toys that work well for children with disabilities. Go to www.eparent.com/toys.

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