Learning Support Links

The MS Trust is a UK charity, providing information for anyone affected by multiple sclerosis, education programmes for health professionals, funding for practical research and campaigning for specialist multiple sclerosis services.

All Kinds of Minds

All Kinds of Minds say that they,

"undertake applied research, product development, program design, and professional training to foster the understanding and optimal care of children with differences in learning."

Eddie Carron's Reading Deficit Recovery System.

This is the website for The Reading Deficit Recovery System which claims (with evidence) that ,

"This is an approach which is virtually guaranteed to resolve any child's reading difficulty quickly and permanently."

Very worth a closer look. Recommended

CALL centre

The CALL Centre (Communication Aids for Language and Learning) provides specialist expertise in technology for children who have speech, communication and/or writing difficulties, in schools across Scotland.

CECP (Centre for Effective Collaboration & Practice)

This U.S. site's mission statement says,

"It is the mission of the Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice to support and promote a reoriented national preparedness to foster the development and the adjustment of children with or at risk of developing serious emotional disturbance."

There are lots of very good resources and ideas on this site especially for teachers and parents of students with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Worth a look.

Recommended

Child Development Institute

The U.S. Child Development Institute was founded by Robert Myers, Ph.D. Dr. Myers is a Clinical Child Psychologist with 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents, families and parents. It provides a rich child development resource for parents, teachers and other professionals in the child development field.

Recommended

Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education

. . . is a British independent educational charity, a national centre funded mainly by donations from trusts and foundations.

It gives information and advice about inclusive education and related issues. The Centre, which was set up in 1982, is fully committed to working towards an end to segregated education. Inclusion means all. This commitment is based on human rights principles.

Classroom Assistant

A website for classroom assistants, teaching assistants, learning support assistants and classroom aides.

Closing the Gap

Closing The Gap, Inc. is a U.S. organization that focuses on computer technology for people with special needs through its bi-monthly newspaper, annual international conference and extensive web site.

Disability

Run by the Disability Unit, in the UK's Department of Work and Pensions.

Functional Behavioural Assessment

Part of the CECP site, functional behavioural assessment "is generally considered to be a problem-solving process for addressing student problem behaviour." Lots of detailed advice and strategies. Useful. Access via the CECP home page if link not working.

Include

INCLUDE’s mission is "to secure the inclusion of all children and young people in mainstream education and training, to enable them to participate as full members of their communities."

Of particular interest is the report they commissioned on the reintegration of permanently excluded young people in England.

Click here to download the .pdf file but do check their website for other information.

Inclusion

An NGfL / BECTa-run site, Inclusion is . . .

"a free catalogue of resources for teaching professionals, learners, parents and carers. Resources include publications, software, hardware, guidance and links to other organisations to aid independent living and learning."

Inclusive Science and Special Educational Needs

This is a collaboration between ASE (Association for Science Education) and NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs), which is being funded by DfES through the SEN Small Programmes Fund.

The site aims to encourage the sharing of resources for supporting this area of education.

The site is relevant, crisply-designed and although only recently "live" is already of use to practising teachers.

Recommended

IPSEA (Independent Panel for Special Education Advice)

"IPSEA is a volunteer-based organisation which offers free and independent advice on Local Education Authorities' legal duties to assess and provide for children with special educational needs.

IPSEA feels that the assessment and statementing process is complex and disadvantages many parents noting that often it is children from better-off families who get special education help more easily.

IPSEA provides a comprehensive service to meet the needs of those parents most in need of support."

Recommended

ld online

A U.S. site, LD online bills itself as "the interactive guide to learning disabilities for parents, teachers and children."

The site has a clean, crisp appearance which makes it easy to navigate. Have a look.

Lawson Large print

A web site dedicated to the access needs of children with visual impairment. From a qualified teacher of the visually impaired.

This site seems to have disappeared now. 18/05/05

The Learning Base

The stated goal of The Learning Base is "to provide insights into the learning challenges that students face, in an effort to help parents, teachers, and clinicians pinpoint the sources of a student's difficulties and create a plan for strengthening skills and increasing success."
Many useful ideas. Part of the All Kinds of Minds site.

NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs)

The National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN), formed in 1992, is "the leading organisation in the UK which aims to promote the education, training, advancement and development of all those with special educational needs."

This is their website.

Nurture Group Network (UK)

Lots of really useful information about and characteristics of Nurture Groups. Do have a look.

Scottish Mentoring Network

This website says that it "contains the most comprehensive on-line library of mentoring information in Scotland. The idea is that we save you time by gathering all the information, resources and contacts you need in one place."

And it does.

SERI (Special Education Resources on the Net)

The U.S.-based Special Education Resources on the Internet (SERI) is a collection of Internet accessible information resources of interest to those involved in the fields related to Special Education. The coverage is vast with hundreds of links - not just in the U.S.

Senco-Forum (Mailing list)

Run by NGfL / BECTa, this very active list,

"is for Special Needs Co-ordinators, those in local authority services and others involved in supporting pupils with special educational needs. It is also for institutions of higher education, LEAs and other agencies providing initial and further professional development involved in special education.

The list aims to provide an opportunity to discuss issues and provide a practical information-sharing forum for matters of interest to special needs co-ordinators. This encapsulates areas such as support for pupils and the development of ideas and practice in special needs provision."

Senco-forum archives here.

Recommended

Senit (Mailing list)

Like Senco-Forum above, run by NGfL / BECTa, this list is,

"for teachers, advisers, and others working within education to share practical advice about how ICT can be used to support pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities. There are currently about 400 members."

Archives here.

Recommended

Special Educational Needs Resources

Created and run by Dianne Davies this site provides,

"Ideas and resources for all teachers, child support assistants, parents and other adults involved in the education of children with Special Educational Needs."

The resource section contains loads of freely downloadable and useful games and worksheets.

Highly Recommended

Speech Teach

Speech Teach has been developed

"to provide teaching resources for parents and professionals supporting children with speech and learning difficulties for example dyspraxia, apraxia and autism. Other areas of articulation, literacy and late speaking are also covered together with links and reviews for other websites specialising in these areas."

This new site, March 2001, was created by Vanessa and David Jones to share resources they have created / used working with their own daughter.

Worth a careful look.

Talking Point

Talking Point say it is "your first stop on the internet for information about speech, language and communication difficulties in children. Talking Point was developed by I CAN, RCSLT and Afasic and is supported by BT and additionally by the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales."

TeacherNet SEN

TeacherNet SEN Resources
SEN Resources from the UK's DfES.

THRASS (Teaching Handwriting Reading and Spelling Skills)

This is the THRASS website. THRASS say,

"THRASS is an acronym for Teaching Handwriting Reading And Spelling Skills. There are, at present, thirty or so THRASS resources. Our printed, audio, video and software resources are used by teachers in over 8,000 schools worldwide, though mostly in Australia and the UK, for their Word Level Teaching of English."