The following resources have been recommended by parents and professionals in the field.  This list is for reference only and is not all inclusive.

The district’s SEPAC’s lending library is a separate list which will be added to this website in the near future.

ADD/ADHD

BOOKS

1. Davis, Leslie, M.Ed. and Sirotowitz, Sandi, M.Ed.

Study Strategies Made Easy. Specialty Press, Plantation, FL, 1996.

This book can be used with or without its accompanying video. It shows how to help children with organization, reading comprehension, learning styles, communication, note-taking, homework, stress management, memorization, and test-taking.

VIDEOS

1.  Barkley, Russel A.

ADHD in the Classroom: Strategies for Teachers. 39 minutes, accompanied by a booklet.

This video shows a 4 step program to help teachers create an environment in the classroom that is beneficial to both children with ADHD and their classmates, using a behavior management system and through the integration of social skills into the curriculum.

2. Davis, Leslie, M. Ed. and Sirotowitz, Sandi, M. Ed.

Study Strategies Made Easy: A Practical Plan for School Success Grades 6-12. 44 minutes.

This video shows parents and teachers important study strategies for kids with ADHD, including improvement of reading comprehension, organization, communication, vocabulary, studying for tests, and time management. The Specialty Press of the ADD Warehouse produces the video and its accompanying 150+ page book.

3. Hallowell, Ned, M.D. and Ratey, John, M.D.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder in Children. Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 1995.

This program shows how a diagnosis of ADD is made and what treatments are working. The program follows children at home and at school, with medication and without. An innovative private school specializing in children with ADD is profiled, and the program explains how best to structure school and home environments.

4. Phelan, Thomas, Ph.D., and Bloomberg, Jonathan, M.D.

Medication for Attention Deficit Disorder.

80 minutes.

In this video, these 2 experts on ADD talk of the many medications available for treatment of the condition, of the instances when medications are warranted, side effects, benefits, and dosage adjustment. This video was made shortly before the marketing of the long lasting one-daily stimulants, such as Concerta, so these medications are not discussed in the video.

5. Rief, Sandra, M.A. How to Help Your Child Succeed in School. 56 minutes.

In this video, a resource specialist gives practical strategies to help your child with learning disabilities or ADHD succeed in school. These include building organizational and study skills, helping with math, writing, and reading skills, and how to support the child without damaging your relationship with your child. The strategies described are most useful for children at elementary to middle school levels.

(Many children with ADHD also have learning disabilities, so the resources in that section may be helpful also.)

AUTISM

BOOKS

Andis, Kim et al.

1. Teaching Community Skills and Behaviors to Students with Autism or RelatedProblems of Communication and Social Interaction. Indiana Resource Center for Autism.

This booklet shows how to develop goals and objectives for successful community integration for people with autism.

2. Dalrymple, Nancy Justin.

Helping People with Autism Manage Their Behavior. Indiana Resource Center for Autism.

This booklet describes behavioral techniques that can be used to help autistic people improve their behavior.

VIDEOS

1. Davis, Kim. Developing Friendships: Wonderful People to Get to Know. 12 min.

In this video, high functioning people with autism discuss the various social difficulties the experience, such as being bullied, missing subtle social cues, and following and maintaining conversations. Strategies for supporting social interactions are highlighted.

2. Davis, Kim. Finding out What Works: Creating Environments Where All Can Learn. 22 min. 30 sec.  Attending school can be a tremendous challenge for individuals with Asperger’s or autism. These individuals offer suggestions as to how to improve the school environment for them by telling which educational situations were the most or least supportive for them. Specific accommodations such as visual supports, instructional modifications, and other important strategies are highlighted.

3. Davis, Kim. Untapped Talents: Pursuing Employment. 19 min. 13 sec.

This video highlights the various issues surrounding employment of autistic individuals, and presents practical information about accommodating and supporting autistic individuals in job settings, including the social aspects of the job setting.

4. Davis, Kim. We’ve Climbed Mountains: Increasing Our Understanding of Autistic Spectrum Disorder. 16 min. 37 sec.  To help us understand what it truly means to have an autism spectrum disorder, it is important to listen to individuals with this diagnosis. This video provides general information about autism spectrum disorders with the hope of increasing overall awareness, especially about those with high functioning autism/Asperger’s. Specific topics addressed include sensory challenges, social understanding, and responses to the diagnosis.

DISABILITIES (GENERAL)

BOOKS

1.  Baroff, George.

Mental Retardation: Nature, Cause, and Management. Hemisphere Publishing, New York. 1986.  This book covers the causes of mental retardation, how it affects the child’s development andbehavior, and ways in which it is treated.

2.  Batshaw, Mark, M.D. and Perret, Yvonne, M.S.W.

Children with Disabilities: A Medical Primer.

Paul H. Brookes Publishing, Baltimore, 1992.  This medically oriented book deals with the causes and treatments of most of the major causes of disability in children, including chromosome problems, medically fragile conditions, learning disabilities, ADHD, cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, spina bifida, autism, mental retardation, chronic illness, and vision or hearing problems, among others.

2. Federation for Children with Special Needs and Massachusetts Department of Education. A Parent’s Guide to Special Education.  This booklet describes the special education process, including referral and IEP development. Also available in Spanish and Portuguese, and on the Federation website at fcsn.org.

DOWN SYNDROME

BOOKS

1.  Kingsley, Jason, and Levitz, Mitchell.

Count us In: Growing Up With Down Syndrome. Harcourt Brace and Co, New York, 1994. This book is authored by 2 young men with Down Syndrome. They tell of various aspects of their lives and areas of interest to them, including school, religion, girls, marriage, and their futures.

IEP

VIDEOS

1. Schultz, Jerome, Ph.D., Meeting with Success: Tips for a Successful IEP. Produced by Learning Disabilities Association of Massachusetts. 16 min. 40 sec.

This video shows techniques for having a positive, successful, non-adversarial IEP process.

LEARNING DISABILITIES

BOOKS

1.  Armstrong, Thomas, Ph.D.

In Their Own Way, Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc. Los Angeles, 1987.

This book describes the different learning styles, or “intelligences”, that children have and how children learn according to their learning styles.

2.  Citro, Theresa, editor.

The Experts Speak: Parenting the Child with Learning Disabilities, Learning, Disabilities Association of Massachusetts, 1998.  Robert Brooks, Rick Lavioe and other LD experts present a series of articles on the various aspects of learning disabilities, including academic, psychological, social, and family issues. Also available in Spanish.

3. Citro, Theresa, editor.

Successful Lifetime Management: Adults with Learning Disabilities, Learning Disabilities Association of Massachusetts, 1999.  This book’s numerous expert authors deal with many aspects of concern to adults with learning disabilities, including diagnosis and understanding of LD’s; the impact of LD’s on college, work, and social life; legal issues for LD adults; and communication skills for LD adults.

4. Citro, Theresa, editor. Transitional Skills for Post Secondary Success: Reflections for Students with Learning Disabilities. Learning Disabilities Association of Massachusetts, 2001.Expert authors describe how parents can help learning disabled sons and daughters succeed in college. Topics include parents’ roles, preparing students for college, questions to consider when choosing a college, financial aid, and more.

VIDEOS

1. Bright Solutions for Dyslexia. Dyslexia: Testing and Teaching. Approx. 60 minutes.

This video explains development of reading programs for children with dyslexia, and promotes the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading to children with dyslexia.

2. Brooks, Robert, Ph.D. Look What You’ve Done! 66 minutes.

This video tells of some of the self-esteem problems faced by children with learning disabilities, and how to foster hope and resilience in these children. The emphasis is on finding the child’s “islands of competence” and building on those strengths.

3. Goldberg, Leslie. Planning for Success: the College Application Process for Students with Learning Disabilities 14 minutes.  This video reviews how to choose a college and how to succeed in college, for high school students with learning disabilities. Sponsored by the Learning Disabilities Association of Massachusetts.

4. Lavoie, Richard. How Difficult Can this Be?  A F.A.T. City Workshop. 70 minutes.

In this excellent video, Mr. Lavoie addresses a group of adults (teachers, therapists, and

parents) who work with learning disabled children, and takes them through various activities that simulate what it is like to be a learning disabled child. The goal is to build sensitivity for the Frustration, Anxiety, and Tension faced by learning disabled children.

5. Lavoie, Richard. Last One Picked, First One Picked On: Learning Disabilities and Social Skills. 62 minutes.  Mr. Lavoie speaks in this video about the social difficulties experienced by children with learning disabilities, and some of the ways of addressing them.

6. Lavoie, Richard. When the Chips are Down. 63 minutes.

Mr. Lavoie explains the behavioral problems experienced by children with learning disabilities, and gives advice on how to manage these behavioral problems while preserving the child’s self-esteem.

7. Schultz, Jerome, Ph.D. Einstein and Me: Talking About Learning Disabilities. 32 min.  In this video, children talk about their learning disabilities. They talk of how they learned about their disabilities, about the people and policies that helped them or made life difficult for them, and about their strengths, talents, and their futures.

8. Rief, Sandra, M.A. How to Help Your Child Succeed in School. 56 minutes.

In this video, a resource specialist gives practical strategies to help your child with learning disabilities or ADHD succeed in school. These include building organizational and study skills, helping with math, writing, and reading skills, and how to support the child without damaging your relationship with your child. The strategies described are most useful for children at elementary to middle school levels.

9. Riley, Maureen. Pathways to Success. Approx. 30 min.

College students with learning disabilities share strategies that have brought them success in college at the undergraduate and graduate levels. They talk about the differences between college and high school as far as academic demands and the level of support available from the school. This tape is presented by the Learning Disability Association of Massachusetts.

10. Rothenberg, Stephen, Psy. D., Stop and Go Ahead with Success, produced by Learning Disabilities Association of Massachusetts. 21 min. 30 sec.

This video shows techniques to help children learn to identify and control their emotions and how to understand how other children react to their behavior. The video shows how adults can coach children to learn these skills.

11. Silver, Larry, M.D. Portraits of Success: Fostering Hope and Resilience in Individuals with Learning Disabilities. Approx. 30 minutes.

Dr. Silver and psychologist Dr. Robert Brooks talk to successful adults with learning disabilities.

12. Silver, Larry, M.D. Profiles of Success: Successful Adults Achieving with learning Disabilities.  31 minutes

Dr. Silver interviews adults with learning disabilities who have achieved success. Hear how they overcame obstacles and chose careers that emphasized their strengths. Dr. Silver then discusses LD’s and tells parents and teachers how they can help students with LD’s.

OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER

VIDEOS

1. Robin, Arthur, Ph.D. and Weiss, Sharon, M.Ed. Managing Oppositional Youth. 53 min.  The experts in this video talk about the behaviors that characterize ODD, and milder degrees of oppositional behavior, and show some strategies for dealing with these children and teens.