TIPS & TOOLS FOR YOUR PROGRAM

• During recreational activities, using larger and lighter balls reduces the speed of the activity and allows more children to participate.
• Using the words “a child with autism” instead of “an autistic child” emphasizes the person instead of the disability.
• Sending a description of an activity home with a child or youth allows them the option of practicing in privacy before having to participate in front of their peers.
                         For more tips, see the links below…

THE SNIP INCLUSION TOOL KIT

The SNIP Inclusion Tool Kit was developed by the SNIP Interagency Council as a resource for agencies who are striving to more effectively include children and youth with disabilities into their programs. The tool kit is divided into sections corresponding to the SNIP Inclusion Standards to make it easier to find the specific resources you need to effectively meet each standard.
Inclusion Tool Kit (pdf)

OTHER RESOURCES

Here are some other interesting resources (articles, links, etc) we found useful:

General Inclusion

• Accommodating All Children in the Early Childhood Classroom
• Example of a portfolio for a child with a disability
• Lifestyle Information Network (links to excellent articles about inclusive therapeutic recreation)
• Inclusive Schooling (strategies that work in all settings: including students with communication differences, making relationships a priority, creating personal portfolios)
• National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities: provides comprehensive resource for disability/inclusion information in english and spanish.

Assistive Technology

• How Technology Can Help Your Child Be More Active

Person First Language

• Person First Language
• Removing Bias in Language

Curriculum Adaptations

• Nine types of Adaptations
• Rule Modification example
• Inclusion: Finding the Way (PDF) (adaptations for recreational settings)

Activities for Everyone

• Creating an Accessible Community Event
• Circle of Inclusion (good articles on facilitating communication, social interactions and adaptations)
• Let’s Play! Project (provides families with a way to play through the use of assistive technology; gives information about choosing appropriate toys)
• Parental Roles in Facilitating and Supporting an Active Lifestyle for a Child with a Disability from the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability

Dealing with Challenging Behaviors

• Challenging Behavior in Children is an excellent site by PBS.org
• Child Behavior Disorders/Acting Out
• Early Childhood Behavior Project (positive behavioral supports for young children who engage in challenging behaviors)
• Fighting and Biting (article from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
• Helping the Child Who is Expressing Anger - tips for parents that are also useful to providers

Working with Families

• Helping parents deal more effectively with inclusion

Emergency Preparedness

• National Service Inclusion Project paper on emergency preparedness and people with disabilities
• Preparing for Disaster for People with Disabilities and other Special Needs
• Tips for First Responders(pdf) is an excellent resource addressing the safety needs of people with specific disabilities.