1st Edition
Supporting Your Child with Special Needs 50 Fundamental Tools for Families
Supporting Your Child with Special Needs offers practical activities and strategies to help you prepare your children for school success and best connect with school personnel to meet your child's unique needs. Each of the ten chapters includes key themes supported by research as well as activities for you to complete with your children to bond with and build them up. Rachel Jorgensen's guidance will help you both understand and tackle the real-world situations you'll encounter as a parent navigating the special education system. You will find yourself better equipped to support your child in the school setting and better able to prepare your child for a path to greater independence in adulthood.
Part I: Connecting with School 1. The Foundational Relationship 2. Navigating the Special Education System 3. Communication and Advocacy Tools Part II: Connecting with Your Child 4. Cultivating Connection 5. Redefine Success 6. Thriving through Challenges 7. We're in this Together Part III: Connecting with Yourself 8. Beyond Self-Care to Self-Nourishment 9. Help! I’m Overwhelmed 10. Gratitude, Acceptance, and Purpose
Biography
Rachel R. Jorgensen is a special educator, college instructor, and educational writer with a special interest in empowering learners with special needs. She has spent nearly 20 years in the special education classroom and continues to enjoy her daily work with her students. She is also the owner of Learn & Thrive Consulting, an organization dedicated to supporting special educators and families.
'This book helped take the stress out of the special education process and helped me communicate better with my son’s school. I love how it focuses on the whole child instead of the labels which are a part of the special education process. I also appreciated the tools I could use for my own self-care and health as a parent.'
Carrie Chang, Parent
'All three sections of this book helped me a great deal. I feel better able to connect with the school system, connect with my child, and connect with myself thanks to the tools and ideas in these pages. I tried many of the tools and found them to be highly valuable.'
Kevin Matheson, Parent
'I appreciated the fact that this book was written by a teacher within the special education system. I felt as if I got an ‘insider’s look’ at the system and it made it easier to understand. I now feel better equipped to participate in the Individual Education Planning process for my child.'
Angelina Hernandez, Parent
'As an educator and the parent of a student with Autism, I enjoyed the perspectives in this book. The author’s tone is positive and welcoming, which encourages comfort with the special education process. Special education programming can be confusing, and this book helps to take the ‘mystery’ out of the process.'
David Edinger, Educator and Parent
