Notice: The information contained and resources recommended on this website are for general information and educational purposes only and in their entirety do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite.  The resources listed here have been found helpful, in parts or in their entirety, by some individuals at times.  They are recommended to be used with discretion and are not a substitute for professional, medical advice, treatment, or diagnosis.  We do not necessarily endorse links listed on some of these recommended websites.

Resources For Teachers

Books

 Educating the Young Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder Michael Abraham
This 64-page book guides teachers through all steps of introducing a student with ASD into the classroom and developing a welcoming classroom, fostering social development and communication, and moving forward with the curriculum. The book also includes a special section for parents.

Empower ADHD Kids! by Becky White
Help children with ADHD in kindergarten through grade 6 be their best! Step-by-step plans that help teachers and parents teach practical strategies for mastering learning and social competencies to children with ADHD. The activities provide a strong working knowledge of the characteristics of ADHD. The book includes goal-setting techniques, strategies to help children focus, problem-solving strategies, and ideas to help children with ADHD realize their strengths.

Scattered Minds by Gabor Mate
In this breakthrough guide to understanding, treating, and healing Attention Deficit Disorder, Dr. Gabor Maté, an adult with ADD and the father of three ADD children, shares information on:
· The external factors that trigger ADD/ADHD
· How to create an environment that promotes health and healing
· Ritalin and other drugs
· ADD adults
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD) has remained a controversial topic in recent years. Whereas other books on the subject describe the condition as inherited, Dr. Maté believes that our social and emotional environments play a key role in both the cause of and cure for this condition.

Sensory Processing 101 by Dayna Abraham, Claire Heffron, Pamela Braley, Lauren Drobnjak 

This easy-to-read guide is your starting point to gain a better understanding of sensory processing and the body’s sensory systems. You may have heard of Sensory Processing Disorder, but this book is designed to help all children – not just those with a sensory disorder. 

Seven Things Children Need John M Drescher
The seven things addressed in this book are significance, security, acceptance, love, praise, discipline, and God.

Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome by David Stein                                                                                    This book examines how the brain of a person with Down syndrome works, how those differences impact behavior, and why bad behavior should not be viewed as a willful act. Governed by this new awareness, parents are in a better position to change and manage their child’s behavior.

Teaching the Hurt Child  Andrea Chatwin
Relationships between trauma, attachment, and learning. Tips on connecting with and teaching the child from a hard place in a school setting.
Available from https://achildssong.ca/

Teaching Tips for Challenging Behaviors  by Kelly Gunzenhauser, Debra W. Kitzmann
Manage and monitor behavior to improve student success using Teaching Tips for Challenging Behaviors for pre-kindergarten– grade 2. This resource includes tips on record-keeping, physical development, language and literacy, attention span, cognitive development, social and emotional development, dealing with parents, and ways to help students monitor their own behavior.

The Connected Child Karyn Purvis
Practical strategies for parenting and teaching children from troubled backgrounds, from other countries and cultures, or with behavioral or emotional needs.

The First Days of School  by Harry K Wong and Rosemary T Wong
Setting a specific schedule and enacting proven procedures in the first few weeks of school are critical in determining how well organized the classroom will be for the rest of the school year. This, in turn, affects how well students will learn all year long. What the teacher does during the first days of school may well determine success or failure. This book contains much good counsel; however, be alert for the techniques or practices that may not be fully in harmony with our beliefs.

The Five Love Languages for Children  by Gary Chapman
Everyone has a primary love language and feels the most loved when people around them “speak” their language

The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz and Lucy Jane Miller
The groundbreaking book that explains Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Offers comprehensive, clear information for parents and professionals–and a drug-free treatment approach for children. This revised edition includes new sections on vision and hearing, picky eaters, and coexisting disorders such as autism and ADHD, among other topics.

The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Kranowitz and Lucy Jane Miller
Carol Stock Kranowitz continues her significant work with this companion volume, which presents more than one hundred playful activities specially designed for kids with SPD. Also very helpful in working with children with other disorders which can affect the sensory systems.
Each activity in this inspiring and practical book is SAFE—Sensory-motor, Appropriate, Fun and Easy—to help develop and organize a child’s brain and body. Whether your child faces challenges with touch, balance, movement, body position, vision, hearing, smell, and taste, motor planning, or other sensory problems, this book presents lively and engaging ways to bring fun and play to everyday situations.

The Whole Brain Child by Dan Seigel
A revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. Cultivating healthy emotional and intellectual development in your children enables them to lead balanced, meaningful, connected lives. The authors explain—and make accessible—the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures.

 Whole Child Reading by Natalie Hale

Discover the keys to teaching children and adults with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities how to read for meaning. Written for today’s busy parents and teachers, this easy-to-use guide explains how to “go in through the heart” to hook beginning and struggling readers with high-interest, individualized materials, flashcards, personal books, and modified trade books. The simple strategies described are designed to “teach to the brain” and are based on research about how we learn most easily and naturally.

Trying Differently Rather Than Harder by Diane Malbin
Excellent resource for parents and teachers of children on the FASD spectrum. Written by a professional who is also a recovering alcoholic and a parent of a child with FASD.
Available from https://fascets.org/

Unless listed otherwise, these books are available from one of the following websites:
https://gospelpublishers.com/canada/
https://www.gospelpublishers.com/usa/
https://www.amazon.com/
https://www.amazon.ca/

Articles

Teaching Children with Different Needs

By Doeteke Jager

God has created all of us as unique individuals with different gifts and capabilities.
Some of God’s children are born with developmental delays, syndromes, physical disabilities, or neurological imbalances. God has made them all perfectly according to His will.

Isaiah: 44:2 Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb……

READ MORE

Websites

https://child.tcu.edu/tbri-for-teachers/#sthash.mYg8ztub.srtugTOf.dpbs
Information on trauma informed classrooms using TBRI methods as researched and taught by Karyn Purvis, author of, The Connected Child. Links are available for other valuable resources on the main website.

https://child.tcu.edu/tbritic/#sthash.NlBNzUyN.dpbs
This course is available for purchase. It has invaluable information on dealing with children from hard places in the classroom, creating a safe place, dealing with behavioral issues and how to stay in control in a loving, sensitive way. The purchase gives access to the course for one year, across three different devices so it could be shared with two other schools if desired.

https://www.understood.org/
A website dedicated to shaping a world where millions of people who learn and think differently can thrive at home, at school and at work.

https://www.additudemag.com/
A trusted website for families and adults living with ADHD and related conditions, and for the professionals who work with them.

https://www.sensorymom.com/
Resources, validation and support for the moms and dads (and teachers) out there navigating the bumpy and bewildering road of a SPD diagnosis and/or many other parenting challenges.

https://childmind.org/
The Child Mind Institute is an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders.

https://www.thestoplightapproach.org/
Troubled by the misbehaviours, of some of her adopted children, the Founder, Cherilyn Orr, sought the advice of trusted, well researched friends who gave her the idea of using the colours of a traffic light (a stoplight) to describe their behaviour and needs. From there, Cherilyn spent thousands of hours researching and practicing different tools and ideas from top scientists and researchers known around the world on child development and behaviour management. The Stoplight Approach’s mission is “to initiate and support transformational change in schools, homes, and communities to create safe places for vulnerable children that lead to optimal development.”