Community Resources for Your Child

Special Education Services Issue

We have primarily focused on the services provided by your child’s school to support their educational outcomes. Families can, however, always pursue services outside of the school if they are willing to pay for them themselves or have private insurance coverage. For example, you might want to access additional emotional behavioral therapy services not provided at your school or perhaps a particular therapeutic perspective or technique.

Sharing information from health providers seen outside of the school setting can be helpful to the school team. For example, sharing information that your child is seeing a therapist or getting cochlear implants can be helpful information for your child’s IEP team. You also may want to share medical reports or doctor’s notes with your child’s IEP team to help ensure that everyone is on the same page.

It also is important to explore the local, state, and national groups that support your child’s specific disability. This includes organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Federation of Families, and National Autism Association. These groups can be incredibly helpful in connecting your family to a community of people who understand your experiences and can assist you and your child. These family support groups also are essential for aiding parents if they struggle with their own self-care needs while advocating for their child. While some support groups have in-person meetings, many also have online support groups via members-only Facebook pages so parents can easily connect to similar families from home.

These local advocacy groups often have youth support and activity groups your child may be interested in joining. Your child might enjoy talking with other children with similar experiences and learning healthy ways to advocate for themselves.

There are many ways to connect to support in your community. Your school and child’s healthcare providers are great places to start the process. Below, you will find other tips for ways to get connected to your community.