PLUK News feed

Early Childhood Reading Web Resource

Link: GRTR!  Get Ready to Read! (GRTR!) is a national program to build the early literacy skills of preschool-age children. The program  brings research-based strategies to parents, early education professionals, and child care providers to help prepare children to learn to read and write. Our goal is to ensure that all children have opportunities to become successful readers. Get Ready to Read! is an initiative of the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

GRTR!'s program vision is that all preschool children will have the skills they need to learn to read when they enter school. This Web site is a part of NCLD's initiative to provide parents, educators, health-care professional and advocated with information to help build early literacy skills by integrating emergent literacy screening and learning activities into routine early childhood education, child-care and parenting practices.

When her son nearly died, Joan Ryan learned to celebrate him 'as is'

Link: Story  When Joan Ryan of Ross started to write her new book, "The Water Giver," she thought it would be about her son and his near-fatal skateboarding accident. It turned out to be more about her.

Her son Ryan's accident helped her stop fretting over his lifelong learning deficits, where her goal was to "fix him, fix him, fix him," and to celebrate instead his gifts as a person - "his courage, his persistence, his sunny nature." "It's like a second chance to raise him all over again," she said. "What a great gift to see my son in a completely different way."

Son Ryan Tompkins is now 18 and will head off to college next fall. Ryan expects to follow him there - Mitchell College in New London, Conn. - and get an apartment nearby during his first semester to make sure he is taking his medications. But she will no longer try to run his life.

Overcoming Roadblocks to Extended School Year (ESY) Services

Link: Roadblocks  Our 5th grade son, Alex, has high-functioning autism and average cognitive abilities. He has not met his IEP reading goal in over 2 years. The school does not use standardized measures to track his progress and has been giving him average grades. He reads 2 years or more below grade level, yet the school gives him average grades. We were clueless and didn't notice. We Pushed for Significant Change.

Click the "Roadblocks" link above to continue reading A Success Story from Christine.

Sesame Workshop- Resource for Families Experiencing Military Transitions

Link: Military Families In recognition of the contributions made by the United States Armed Forces, Sesame Workshop presents this bilingual educational outreach initiative designed for military families and their young children to share. This bilingual (English and Spanish) multimedia outreach program is designed to support military families with children between the ages of two and five who are experiencing deployment, multiple deployments, or a parent's return home changed due to a combat-related injury.

Taking Time to Focus on You, For Parents of Children with Special Needs

Link: Taking a Break Life with a child with special needs presents constant challenges and stress. Inevitably, you get wrapped up in the stresses and strains of everyday life. Marriage and family relationships are impacted. Communication problems, lack of time and energy for personal, marital, and family activities, and social isolation affect many families. It seems obvious that parents need to refresh and recharge. How does a parent get a break?

philly.com: Autism Affects Three Generations

Link: philly.com
Q:My concern is for the family of my grandson, who let their lives revolve around the him and have little or no life outside of caring for the him, managing his therapy sessions, researching the internet.

parentchild411.com: Helping Parents Help Their Kids

Link: parentchild411.com
Founded by Dr. Lawrence Shapiro, ParentChild411.com carries unique, hard-to-find products for kids, their parents and the professionals who help them. In addition to products, ParentChild411.com has a resource center with up-to-the-minute parenting articles, free downloads, and a searchable online directory to help find National organizations and professionals for your children.

childcareaware.org: Tax Credits For Families

Link: childcareaware.org
April 15 will be here before we know it, and many people will be scrambling to file their 2008 taxes. Do you know what this means for your family? There are many credits taxpayers may take for various life events that often go overlooked. Below are just a few credits specifically for families, taken from the Internal Revenue Service website (www.irs.gov).  

disabilityscoop.com: Scoop Essentials: Your Marriage Questions Answered

Link: disabilityscoop.com
Our disabled son has executive dysfunction and memory disabilities which keep him from safely negotiating the world independently. He is 15. My husband does not always see this deficit in my son, although it is well documented by experts.  Consequently, my spouse and I are not always on the same page when it comes to how to handle my son’s comings and goings.  How can I get him to see the need to protect our son? — Diane K., 56, San Dimas, Calif.

stamfordadvocate.com: Playing power: Child psychologist redesigns Web site aimed at helping parents

Link: stamfordadvocate.com
Shapiro, who recently launched a retooled Web site, ParentChild411.com, aimed at providing literature, toys, products and other services to parents, caregivers and professionals. The products cover hygiene issues to behavioral development and many subjects in between.