RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL
NEEDS
Support organizations
Abilities United (Formerly CAR)-- www.AbilitiesUnited.org
Autism Education Network -- www.autismeducation.net
CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder)
Mid-peninsula 650-949-5472 www.chadd.org
Children’s Health Council—650-326-9960—offers assessment, psychology and more
Citizen’s Alliance to Uphold Special Education (CAUSE)
www.causeonline.org
FCSN(Friends of Children with special needs)-offers various recreation/activity groups;
trains volunteers to be disability friendly http://www.fcsn1996.org/programs.html
Joni and Friends
Website: http://www.joniandfriends.org/
Kitty Petty ADD/LD Institute: 410 Sheridan Ave, Suite 339
Palo Alto 94306
408-329-9443
Website: www.kpinst.org
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities(NICHCY)
Website: http://www.nichcy.org/
National Organization on Disability:
Website: http://www.nod.org/
Organization of Special Needs Families
Website: http://home.kimo.com.tw/osfamilies/
Parents Helping Parents(PHP)—offers support, advocacy, resources, lending library
Parenting classes, support groups, assistive
technology evaluations, early childhood
Programs and more
Website:
www.php.com
Phone: 408-727-5775
Address:3041 Olcott St. Santa Clara
San Andreas Regional Center
1-800-404-5900 for children under 3
years
408-374-9960 for children over
3
Will help children
with disabilities that originated before they turn 18, such as
Mental
retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism
Selpa I CAC—offers
courses for parents, resource lists, help phone line
1229 Bryant Ave Mountain View 94940
Best CAC contact:
CAC warmline:
Parent Support Groups
Green Pastures—Debbie—650-965-2333 –will help facilitate support groups if
Interested
Kitty Petty ADD/LD Institute—information, referrals, seminars and monthly support
Groups
www.kpinst.org
MUMS—National parent-to-parent organization for parents/care providers of a child
with any disability;
matches parents with other parents in similar situation;
877-336-5333 wwww.netnet.net/mums
OUR KIDS (online support group)-- http://www.our-kids.org/
Parents Helping Parents—408-727-5775 Facilitates parent and
sibling support groups
Parents 2 Parents—408-354-6119
Calvary Church of Los Gatos—offers a bi-monthly support group for moms (408) 356-5126
Autism Resources:
Autism Education Network -- www.autismeducation.net
The Morgan Center
: operates a school, community education, resources…. http://www.morgancenter.org
Wings Learning Center resource list www.wingslearningcenter.org/resources_4.html
Beyond Autism parent webpage with incredible links http://www.members.tripod.com/trainland/index.htm
The Gray Center
for Social Learning and Understanding—Social Stories for kids with communication delays
www.thegraycenter.org/Social_Stories.htm
The Autism Book—Answers to your Most Pressing Questions by S. Jhoanna Robledo and Dawn Ham-Kucharski
Untangle Autism website (includes IEP resources) www.untangleautism.org
Tony Attwood’s resource list: http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/
Autism resources webpage: http://www.autism-resources.com/
Cure Autism Now: http://www.cureautismnow.org/site/c.bhLOK2PILuF/b.1021889/k.BFD8/Home.htm
Autism Santa Cruz: http://www.mykland.com/autism/Autism_Santa_x.html
Autism Speaks: http://www.autismspeaks.org/sponsoredevents/autism_every_day.php
Bay School Frequently Asked Questions about Autism: http://www.thebayschool.org/faqs/faqs.html
Parenting Classes:
Foothill College—offers parenting classes on topics such as the Psychological Aspects
of Disability, Disability
and the Law, ADD for Educators www.foothill.edu
Parenting the Child with Behaviors That are Challenging—YWCA, 375
Third St.
San
Jose 408-295-4011
Parents Helping Parents (see above)
Recreational/Enrichment programs-local/year-round
Absolute Vibrations, San
Francisco They also conduct one-on-one music therapy sessions at
a San Jose location, which is on San Tomas and Hamilton Avenue. Sessions are typically 1 hour. Charges are approx
$65 for 1 hour. Contact Brian at 415-820 3900.
AYSO V.I.P. Soccer
Region 44
Region 64-408-255-9679
vipsoccer@attbi.com
Baseball—Free coed program for special needs kids ages 5-18
Patty Hurley 949-1926 pahurley@pacbell.net
Betty Wright Swim Center,
Palo Alto--650-295-0228
BOK Ranch, Redwood City—650-366-2265--horseback
riding
Bowling—at several locations through Special Olympics www.sonc.org/regions/siliconvalley
Boy Scouts: Troop 35 has 50% kids with special needs, ages 11-17 Cliff 650-255-5235
California Parks and Recreation Society, district II (follow links to therapeutic): http://districtivcprs.org
City Recreation Departments with Therapeutic Services:
San Jose (contact Dan Greeley—408-251-4449)
Santa Clara
Sunnyvale
Community Association for Rehabilitation (CAR)—creative recreation, gardening,
Infant development and more
CAR Betty Wright Swim
Center—650-494-2480
Dance Attack—408-356-6456
Friendsmart—650-494-1396—offers social skills classes
Girl Scouts—contact Karen Mueller—650-964-3689
Gymnastics: City of Cupertino
Parks & Recreation dept holds basic gymnastics
skills programs for special-needs children ages 5-12. Conducted at the Monta Vista Recreation Club at 22601, Voss (at Foothill Blvd). The program is once a week for 1 hour. Fees: $64
if you live in Cupertino; $70 otherwise. Phone 408-777 3120
Lighthouse Project 408-882-0100
OT, social skills classes, camps for autism
www.thelighthouseproject.com
NCEFT-hippotherapy
(horseback therapy)—650-851-2271
City of Santa
Clara Therapeutic recreation program
Easter Seals Swim Center, San
Jose—408-295-0228
Shared Adventures—831-459-7120 /Annual day at the beach in Santa Cruz
featuring
Surfing, kayaking, scuba, paddling…Also offers
art classes, sailing, bowling and
More for kids all kids with
disabilities;yoga for the blind and visually impared
www.sharedadventures.com
Southbay Wheelchair
Athletic Program (408)267-0200 http://www.califmall.com/SP_WC02.html
Southwest YMCA “Physability”—408-370-1877 www.scvy
Special Olympics—408-392-0170—offers
skill activities and team experiences in
many sports
Special Skaters,
Redwood City—650-462-0772 eroberts@sbcglobal.net
Stars Dance, mountain view 650-961-7827 dance for children with behavioral and
attention difficulties
Westwind Riding
Stables—650-947-8680
Winterlodge Ice
Skating—
Young Life Capernaum
Project—408-286-3207—middle school, high school and young
adult youth group activities
Zohar, Palo Alto—650-494-8221 dance
for autistic and other children with special needs
Recreational Programs—camps
BOK Ranch (therapeutic camping)--RedwoodBarns
Camp Costanoan 408-243-7861
Camp Chickasaw—559-355-2382 YMCA camp in Sequoia Kings Canyon Nat’l Park
Camp Harmon—Easter Seals camp in Santa Cruz
mountains 831-684-2380
Camp Krem 510-222-6662 www.campingunlimited.com-- Boulder Creek
Camp Lotsafun (stateline) http://www.camplotsafun.com/ 1-888-825-2267 toll
free
Camp Taylor www.kidsheartcamp.org 209-545-4715 (kids with heart disease)
Disabled Sports USA
:530-581-4161 –offers skiing, biking, watersports, etc. at
Lake Tahoe
Enchanted Hills Camp 415-431-1481
www.lighthouse-sf.org/ehc Napa
camp for kids
with visual or auditory impairments
Mt Cross—high school students are matched with kids with disabilities for one week
408-336-5179
http://www.mtcross.org/prog-smrcamp.php
SOAR Wilderness Camp—828-456-3435 for AD/HD and LD youth
Office of Therapeutic Services (OTS),
City of San Jose-offers summer and vacation camps for kids with disabilities Call Dan Greeley at 408-251-4449
Westminster Woods—camp for young adults with disabilities
http://www.westminsterwoods.org/friendship_camp.php
Pamplets
The Selpa I CAC Parent Handbook—gereat information about identification,
laws
concerning schools and disabilities, resource lists……Should be given to you at
your
first IEP meeting, or contact CAC for a copy
Magazines
ADDitude
www.additudemad.com
Attention! www.chadd.org
Autism/Aspergers Digest Magazine www.aspergerdigest.com
Exceptional Parent
www.eparent.com
Sports and Spokes http://www.pvamagazines.com/sns/
Videos
Down Syndrome: The first 18 months—available at PHP
Websites with Excellent Resource Lists (many topics)
Family Village Resource Page: http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/index.htmlx
Joni and Friends Resource List: http://www.joniandfriends.org/resource_listing.php
Parents Helping Parents Resource List: http://www.php.com/include/agency/
The SELPA/CAC Website: www.selpa1cac.org/resourceshtm
The Bay School
links: http://www.thebayschool.org/links/links.html
California Parent Outreach http://www.parentoutreach.org/
Additional Helpful Websites:
Alex’s Page (pre-maturity and autism) http://www.jeffslife.net/eow.html
Beach Center on Disability: http://www.beachcenter.org/
California Children’s Services: http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/pcfh/cms/ccs/
Canine Companions for Independence: www.caninecompanions.org
Department of Justice ADA homepage: www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm
Disabled World.com http://www.disabled-world.com/
Disability Rights Advocates: www.dralegal.org
Dreamms for Kids, Inc: www.dreamms.org assistive technology
Insight for Living Resource Page: http://www.insight.org/CDA/ToolsforGrowth/special/default.asp
Joni and Friends: http://www.joniandfriends.org/
LD online: www.ldonline.com
National Arts and Disability Center http://nadc.ucla.edu/
Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights: www.pacer.org
Parents Helping Parents(PHP): http://www.php.com/
Parents with Disabilities Online: http://www.disabledparents.net/
Protection & Advocay, Inc. www.pai-ca.org
Schwab online resources: www.schwablearning.org helpful research including assistive
Tech.
Special Child: http://www.specialchild.com/index.html
Special Needs Family Fun Resource Page: http://www.family-friendly-fun.com/links/index.htm
TALC (The Advocacy and Learning Center) http://pages.zdnet.com/ourorhskids/
WOW! Online: http://www.wowusa.com/
Articles of Interest:
