An educational advocate, also known as a parent advocate, child advocate, student advocate, or independent advocate, assists parents of students with disabilities in navigating the complex world of special education. This brief guide will help parents: (1) ask interview questions that will help get an understanding of an advocate's approach to…

"Autism at-a-Glance" is a series of practitioner and family-friendly documents created by the Center on Secondary Education for Students with ASD (CSESA) designed for high school staff members supporting students on the autism spectrum, as well as family members of adolescents with ASD. The purpose of the "Autism at-a-Glance"…

In this article, the author presents questions that can help parents determine: (1) whether or not their child's school has a special program for gifted and talented (GT) students; (2) how valid it is; and (3) whether or not it's appropriate for their high-potential child. Each question is direct, to the point, and intended to help parents find…

Parents are generally less involved in their children's science education (as compared to reading and mathematics) due to low self-efficacy and a lack of home-school communication. This study examined parental interest and attitudes in science as well as the nature of parent-to-child questioning during an interactive home, school, and community…

This book is a comprehensive guide for parents, teachers, and all caretakers on the often overlooked but pervasive issue of bullying in American culture. Written by a school counselor, who has worked with parents and teachers, this issue first-hand, and her daughter, who still remembers her own days of experiencing and witnessing bullying; the…

Parents are their child's first and most important teacher. This booklet introduces parents to techniques for helping their preschoolers learn to read. Included is a story about how one mother and father encourage their children to read, a sample reading activity, and a checklist for parents of preschoolers. This brochure is based on "A Child…

With the encouragement of parents and teachers, many young people would raise more questions than they typically do about nature. Examples of questions about animals which might lead to creative, thought-provoking discussions and explorations are offered. (CB)

Intended for parents of blind children, the booklet presents guidelines regarding potential difficulties in blind children's language development. The first section focuses on repetitions and offers suggestions on dealing with and responding to those repetitions. Section 2 considers reasons for blind children's questions, including attention,…

Increasingly, teaching assistants and parents are engaging with children across the curriculum in group-led activities. However, whereas in literacy and numeracy the outcome of activities is predetermined and the same objectives and teaching points are reinforced over a week or a fortnight, in science things can be very different. Helpers often…

The article lists questions parents can use to evaluate the quality of educational services for children with learning disabilities. Questions are grouped into the following categories: services, agency and staff, residential or special schools, camps. (DB)

These guidelines for parent/child conversations focus on television viewing as an opportunity to share perceptions, learn from one another, and develop moral values. Highlights include specific questions parents can ask while watching almost any television program and the kinds of issues that can be considered. (MBR)

This guide begins with a story about the parents of twin kindergartners. The story models ways in which the parents of Mike and Chris help them learn to read, such as reading the newspaper together with them and asking them questions about the books they are reading. Included is another short story parents can read with their child, and a list of…

This paper presents an outline for a three-part workshop for parents who want to help their children become better readers. The paper provides lists of materials, the overheads, and the handouts for each of the three parts of the workshop. The parts of the workshop described in the paper discuss: (1) word recognition and questioning strategies;…

A companion to "The Reading Environment," this book is concerned with getting groups of children to talk openly and confidently about their readings of particular books. Using a generous selection of transcripts of classroom discussions, the book shows how children can be encouraged to share their enthusiasms and difficulties and the…

Intended for use by parents of children and youth with handicaps, this guide offers guidelines for choosing a physician and communicating with him/her concerning the needs of the handicapped child. The question-answer format addresses the following issues: how do families choose a doctor for their child?; what about the child who has a…