As you may know, the Wrightslaw website is one of my favorite resources for parents of children with special needs.  Their most recent newsletter contains a quiz:  How's your Special Ed Vocabulary?  You can take the quiz here. 

By the way, after the quiz there's an article on a school in Stafford County, VA where a 10-year-old boy was denied the right to bring his service dog to school.  School officials argued in court that "public schools are not public entities." HELLO!?!  There's more - but I'll let you read the article for yourself! 

And if you don't already receive the free Wrightslaw newsletter, sign up today!  It's always packed with highly useful info on Special Ed Law, presented in a way that's easy to understand for us parents who don't want to have to get a law degree to understand our children's rights in the Special Ed system.

Here are some online resources I found recently to help you plan a happy, safe, and memorable trip with your child with special needs.

A thorough and thoughtful explanation of what to expect at the airport when traveling with a child with special needs.
www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1572.shtm

Not just about babies, this section of babycenter.com contains helpful info and links on traveling with children with special needs.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_travel-resources-for-children-with-special-needs_6985.bc

A wealth of helpful tips and lots of great links, particularly on accessible vacation planning.
www.gimponthego.com

Tell us your favorite resources for traveling with your child with special needs -- post a comment!

In last month's newsletter, I mentioned conversation cards as a great way to spark some fun and meaningful interaction at dinnertime.  Some readers asked for more details.  Here's the info.  Most of these my kids and I use and like.  Enjoy!

Namits - I keep these in my purse for those times when we find ourselves waiting in line or stuck in traffic.  They also come in handy at restaurants when the meals are taking longer than usual to arrive!  Available at www.Hearthsong.com and search on "Namits" -- the product page appears right away (the direct product link was too long to include here.)

Conversations To Go - This is a nice set of little conversation cards with interesting questions, packaged cutely in a Chinese-takeout shaped box.  Available at http://www.moonjar.com/store/ .  We keep these on our kitchen table, and when mealtime starts to get a little out of control, I casually reach into the box and pull out a question.  Works like magic!  

Social Smart Kids Discussion Cards - Each of these cards has a multiple choice question related to common social situations that kids find themselves in.  They are written in a style that's lighthearted and at times even funny.  I love these cards because they help me start discussions about social challenges with my son, in a way that's much easier than "having a talk."  Available at www.SocialSmartKids.com.

Conversation Starters - There's a whole series of these, including: Everyday Conversation, School, Home and Family, Things I Like To Do, and more.  Available at www.SpecialNeedsProject.com .  I haven't used these myself but they look great - very simple and easy to use with younger and older children alike. 

Do you know of any more conversation cards?  Post a comment and let us know!

Homeschooling your child with special needs can be a challenge - but the rewards often far surpass all the hard work that goes into educating your child at home.

I sometimes get calls and emails from parents who are either considering or are already homeschooling their children. Here are some thoughts and resources for homeschoolers that I often share with these parents:

First, try to connect with other families near you who are also either homeschooling or raising a child with special needs. The support and friendship you can gain from getting together with other families is invaluable.

Second, there are support forums online for parents of children with special needs who are homeschooling their kids. Forums like this are a goldmine of information and ideas.

One website I’ve heard is good is www.home-school.com. If you go to their website and click on “Homeschool Forums,” it will bring you to a page that shows all their main topics. Click on “Special Needs Homeschooling,” and it will show you a list of questions and discussion topics that people are currently posting on.

There are many other online discussion groups for parents of children with special needs who are homeschooling their kids. I tried a google search on “homeschooling children with special needs” and another search on “special needs homeschooling forums,” with what looked like some good results.

Explore and enjoy -- and if you find -- or already know of -- any good websites or other resources for moms and dads who are homeschooling their children with special needs, please post a comment and let us all know!.

Wow, I just discovered an amazing resource, The Special Needs Project Bookstore.  It's online at

www.specialneeds.com

If you're looking for books on any kind of disability or special need, start your search here!  There's even a section on parenting -- and they have a great sale section too!  I even found a book that I'd been looking for that's unavailable anywhere else, including Amazon and the author's own website -- on sale for 44% off. 

This website fills a real need for us moms and dads of children with special needs.  We are constantly on the lookout for any info we can get our hands on related to our children's special needs and disabilities.  When we put on our "researcher hat," The Special Needs Project Bookstore will make our job so much easier.  Enjoy!