Three Great Websites for Special Needs Parents

Here are three websites that have good resources for parents of children with special needs. I like them because they are easy to use, feature practical tips and are not full of ads. Take a look and let me know what you think.

1.     Family Education

FamilyEducation is easy to navigate and full of practical tips on a lot of topics. The website is not designed specifically for families who have children with special needs, but it does provide lots of information relevant to special needs parents.

There is a huge amount of information on this website. Some of the subjects covered are:

• Pregnancy
• School and education
• Behavior and discipline
• Home schooling
• Recipes 
• Arts and crafts
• Family relationships
• Study skills
• Child development
• Finances

A section called Learning Differences includes specific information about autism, ADHD and other special needs.  In addition, FamilyEducation has a community section with message boards on many topics.

This is US-based website, but much of the information is relevant to parents everywhere.

2.     NetBuddy

This is a UK-based website that pools together information and tips from all over the internet for people with disabilities and special needs. Users can search for tips by topic and can add tips of their own.  NetBuddy is simple to use and provides tips on issues such as:

• Dressing
• Challenging behaviour
• Adapted clothing
• Relationships
• Taking medications
• Hygiene
• Hospital stays 
• Making friends
• Equipment and aids
• Independence

NetBuddy also has a large selection of information packs you can download. Some of the topics covered in the information packs are:

• iPad apps
• Siblings of children with a disability
• Hearing loss
• Sexuality
• Job seeking

NetBuddy has a large online community forum that includes "community advisors" who answer questions from forum users. The thrust of the community is that people affected by disability or special needs help each other.  Even though the site is based in the UK, it has plenty of information relevant to special needs parents anywhere.

3.     AbilityPath

This US-based website is designed for the special needs community. AbilityPath is easy to use and has lots of useful information on topics such as:  

• Child development – typical milestones
• Bullying
• Education and inclusion
• Stress relief for parents
• Gift guides
• Social skills
• Augmentative and alternative Communication
• Transition to adulthood
• Learning styles
• Bedtime routines

It also has detailed reports on The Journey to Life After High School and Walk a Mile in His Shoes on Bullying. In addition, AbilityPath has a forum where users can find support and information.

Do you know about any great web resources for special needs parents? 

If so, please share in the comments.