Blue Ridge Academy

Video Trainings

We are excited to announce our partnership with the Learning Ally, a national nonprofit organization that provides audiobooks and textbooks for students and adults with print disabilities, like dyslexia. Learning Ally’s online library includes a huge selection of human-narrated textbooks and literature for readers of all ages that can be downloaded and listened to on most computers, smartphones, and tablets.

In this presentation, we are discussing 3 techniques that can help your child in learning more effectively: organizing your child's learning space, implementing a daily schedule and creating a set of routines/expectations.

In this presentation, we are discussing the information on Dyslexia presented in the California Dyslexia Guidelines. The presentation contains practical tips and recommendations on how to support students of various ages affected by Dyslexia.

In this presentation, one of our staff school psychologists is discussing the difference between medical and school-based eligibilities and services.

In this presentation, one of our staff school psychologists is discussing the special education assessment process and what to expect during the assessment process.

Learn about the Extended School Year services from this informative document.

The primary goal of accommodations and modifications is for a child to best access information and then demonstrate his understanding of what he has learned. Accommodations and modifications are tools used by a child’s IEP team to help level the playing field for kids with learning difficulties. This presentation addresses the differences between accommodations and modifications as well as what the options are for both. Please also see this following accompanying document on 9 Types of Curriculum Adaptations.

In this presentation, our school psychologist is discussing ways to support students' mental health in the home setting including suicide prevention and provides helpful tips related to mental health.

In this presentation, our school psychologist is discussing Educationally Related Mental Health Services.

This video provides information on why taking the state assessments is important to understanding student progress.

General Special Education Resourses

The mission of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is to improve the lives of insectioniduals with disabilities through educational success. As a professional organization, CEC’s website offers extensive information on policy and advocacy initiatives, opportunities for professional development in the field of special education, and additional resources that cover everything from podcasts and a career center to guidelines for families and caregivers.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Insectioniduals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) website, which brings together IDEA information and resources from the Department and their grantees.

The National Down Syndrome Society is the leading human rights organization for all insectioniduals with Down syndrome. The mission of the National Down Syndrome Society is to be the national advocate for the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. NDSS is focused on four areas of programming: community support programs, the NDSS National Policy Center, public awareness initiatives and the National Buddy Walk® Program.

The National Association of Parents with Children in Special Education(NAPCSE) is a national membership organization dedicated to rendering all possible support and assistance to parents whose children receive special education services, both in and outside of school. NAPCSE was founded for parents with children with special needs to promote a sense of community and provide a national forum for their ideas.

The California Department of Education, Special Education sectionision provides information and resources to serve the unique needs of persons with disabilities so that each person will meet or exceed high standards of achievement in academic and nonacademic skills.

A comprehensive, free nonprofit resource which mission is to help parents of children with learning and attention issues. Understood’s mission is to help parents understand these issues and support them with strategies that can enable their children to go from simply coping to truly thriving in school and in life.

Intervention Central provides teachers with free intervention and assessment resources to help struggling learners in grades K-12. The website includes articles on effective academic and behavioral intervention practices and interactive tools to create assessment and other materials.

The American Council of the Blind is a national membership organization formed by people who are blind to promote the independence, dignity, and advancement of people with blindness and visual impairment. Members are blind, visually impaired or fully sighted people, from all walks of life, and ranging in age from teens to seniors.

El Dorado Charter SELPA National Resource List for Families.

El Dorado Charter SELPA State Resource List for Families.

Abilities.com enlightens and entertains with articles, videos, contests and information on disability products, adaptive sports, assistive technology, community heroes, inclusive recreation and more!

Exceptional Lives is an independent non-profit organization. The company provides free, trustworthy, easy-to-follow information for parents and caregivers of children and young adults with disabilities. Their mission is to close the information gap and ensure that every family has the information they need to help their exceptional child thrive.

Technology can be a powerful tool to assist students with special needs or any sort of learning challenge. In particular, the Chrome web browser allows users to install a wide variety of web extensions that provide tools that can help all learners, regardless of ability level.

Zoom

This presentation covers Zoom classrom tools and how to use them in the live educational session.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

The Autism NOW Center provides high quality resources and information in core areas across the lifespan to insectioniduals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities, their families, caregivers, and professionals in the field.

The Autism Society of America has been improving the lives of all affected by autism for over 50 years and envisions a world where insectioniduals and families living with autism are able to maximize their quality of life, are treated with the highest level of dignity, and live in a society in which their talents and skills are appreciated and valued. We provide advocacy, education, information and referral, support, and community at national, state and local levels through our strong nationwide network of Affiliates.

Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the life span, for the needs of insectioniduals with autism and their families through advocacy and support; increasing understanding and acceptance of people with autism spectrum disorder; and advancing research into causes and better interventions for autism spectrum disorder and related conditions.

Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to educating, empowering and supporting families affected by autism. TACA’s website provides in-depth, comprehensive information for parents regarding the autism journey.

The National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice (NCAEP) is conducting a systematic review of the current intervention literature targeting insectioniduals on the autism spectrum. The literature is expanding rapidly so we plan to establish an active yearly review that will provide families, practitioners, and researchers with more timely updates. In the future, NCAEP hopes to expand this important work to identify EBPs for adults on the autism spectrum and to include pharmaceutical interventions.

Amid the proliferation of advice about treatment options for autism, the ability to access accurate information about research-validated approaches is critically important to those seeking effective treatment. The National Autism Center’s mission is to provide leadership and comprehensive evidence-based resources to families, practitioners, and policymakers, to programs and organizations, and to the national community.

UC Davis MIND Institute provides a free ADEPT (Autism Distance Education Parent Training) Interactive Learning training. An original MIND Institute 10-lesson interactive, self-paced, online learning module provides parents with tools and training to more effectively teach their child with autism and other related neurodevelopmental disorders functional skills using applied behavior analysis (ABA) techniques.

Autism Apps is a comprehensive list of apps (many are free) that are being used with and by people diagnosed with autism, Down syndrome, and other special needs. It also includes links to any available information that can be found for each app. The Apps are also separated into over 30 categories, and the descriptions are all searchable, so any type of app is easy to find and download. Autism Apps links to extensive reviews of the apps written by parents, specialists, and other users usually from first-hand experience. Autism Apps also has links to video demonstrations or video reviews of the apps when they are available.

Specific Learning Disabilities

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a non-profit education and advocacy organization devoted to issues surrounding dyslexia. The IDA provides information about dyslexia on its website, publishes a peer-reviewed scientific journal (Annals of Dyslexia), publishes newsletter updates to members; provides referral services to insectioniduals and professionals; advocates for the rights of insectioniduals with dyslexia.

The mission of NCLD is to improve the lives of the 1 in 5 children and adults nationwide with learning and attention issues—by empowering parents and young adults, transforming schools and advocating for equal rights and opportunities. We’re working to create a society in which every insectionidual possesses the academic, social and emotional skills needed to succeed in school, at work and in life.

Reading

Featured on PBS, Reading Rockets is a David M. Rubenstein Prize-winning website devoted to providing research-based activities that help struggling readers. There is an extensive library of lessons centered on fluency, oral language, phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, and other literacy skills. Children can also incite their passion for reading with themed booklists, such "Young Detectives."

Published by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Storyline Online is an excellent resource for children with learning disabilities like dyslexia. This website records free videos of narrators, and sometimes well-known actors like Eva Longoria, reading children’s books aloud. Students develop their literacy skills by following along with the text as the literature comes alive.

The Wisconsin Media Lab created the Into the Book! website to provide engaging reading comprehension activities in English and Spanish. Elementary children with learning disabilities will benefit from dissecting books, such as The Wolf Who Cried Boy and A Pirate’s Life. Short, 15-minute videos are included to teach important reading strategies like visualization and summarizing.

Starfall is a free educational website with an optional low-cost membership program that teaches phonics. Young children diagnosed with learning disabilities will learn fun activity lessons from letter recognition to reading full-length books. Students can also download swinging sing-alongs, including “Wheels on the Bus,” for fine-motor coordination.

Trusted by over 150,000 teachers, AdaptedMind was established by Stanford graduates for exercises that adapt to exceptional children’s needs. From first through eighth grade, students will discover hundreds of amusing reading and math activities illustrated by goofy monsters. Children will start with a quick pretest before engaging in video lessons and taking a confidence-boosting progress assessment.

In 2000, abcteach entered the Internet world as a free educational website for teachers. Each month, over two million people from around the world visit abcteach for PreK - 8 materials and creative activities for students and educators. The website has over 6,500 free documents available, including printable worksheets, interactive activities, theme units, and much more.

The Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities, founded at Rhode Island College in 1993, is a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). Click on the picture for is a list of Adapted Literature available through the Sherlock Center Resource Library. These resources are provided for educators to help students with severe disabilities participate in the general curriculum. Some titles are available in electronic format and can be downloaded directly from this website. Stories adapted to PowerPoint include sounds/music and allow a student to "click" along using a computer and mouse/switch.

CommonLit's adaptive reading toolbar makes the text accessible for students at a variety of reading levels and language abilities. Every passage -- printed in PDF format or accessed online -- includes footnotes with vocabulary words and essential background information that is critical for kids to understand when reading a passage. The included discussion questions get students thinking critically about text during independent reading and beyond. Thinking about reading is further encouraged by text-dependent questions that are included with each passage.

ReadTheory is a K-12 online reading comprehension program that assesses reading ability and builds reading comprehension by providing texts for students to read at a "just right" level. Over 1,000 informational and narrative passages are leveled by grade and Lexile level. ReadTheory's algorithm senses student performance and is able to adapt to fit reading needs. It's web-based and usable on both desktop and mobile devices, so students can access their accounts wherever they are.

Tween Tribune is a free reading resource from the Smithsonian Institute that features topics about animals, fashion, entertainment, school, science, technology, national and world news written by kids and professional journalists.

DOGO News is a superb reading resource that offers a variety of content covering current events, sports, science, technology and more. Each article is kid friendly and contains links to definitions of words students may find complicated as well as text to speech function. Content is free to view. Premium access is also available for worksheets, activities and more that accompany articles.

Science News for Students is an online publication from the Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about science. This magazine includes current events for middle and high school readers, focused on STEM fields like physics, biology, and math. Each article also includes a list of Power Words in accordance with Common Core standards, as well as a readability score.

Sightwords.com is a comprehensive sequence of teaching activities, techniques, and materials for one of the building blocks of child literacy. The site combines the latest literacy research with decades of teaching experience to bring you the best methods of instruction to make teaching easier, more effective and more fun. This website includes a detailed curriculum outline to give you an overview of how the insectionidual lessons fit together. It provides detailed instructions and techniques to show you how to teach the material and how to help a child overcome common roadblocks. It also includes free teaching aids, games, and other materials that you can download and use with your lessons.

Math

Trusted by over 150,000 teachers, AdaptedMind was established by Stanford graduates for exercises that adapt to exceptional children’s needs. From first through eighth grade, students will discover hundreds of amusing reading and math activities illustrated by goofy monsters. Children will start with a quick pretest before engaging in video lessons and taking a confidence-boosting progress assessment.

Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. The website tackles math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more. The Academy math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. We've also partnered with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content.

In 2000, abcteach entered the Internet world as a free educational website for teachers. Each month, over two million people from around the world visit abcteach for PreK - 8 materials and creative activities for students and educators. The website has over 6,500 free documents available, including printable worksheets, interactive activities, theme units, and much more.

Webmath is a math-help web site that generates answers to specific math questions and problems, as entered by a user, at any particular moment. The math answers are generated and displayed real-time, at the moment a web user types in their math problem and click "solve." In addition to the answers, Webmath also shows the student how to arrive at the answer.

Math Playground is a popular learning site filled with math games, logic puzzles and a variety of problem-solving activities. A favorite of parents and teachers, Math Playground provides a safe place for children to learn and explore math concepts at their own pace.

Splash Math is an educational program that provides comprehensive coverage of the curriculum with over 300 skills for Grades K-5. Over 10 million kids and 70,000 teachers use Splash Math to practice math. The use of animations, graphics and games make children master the basic math concepts like Addition, Subtraction, sectionision, Multiplication, Algebra and Geometry in a fun and interactive way.

NRICH is a website featuring activities to challenge and engage kids with math problems, games, and projects set in relevant contexts. Problems for younger kids involve numbers and operations, shape, position, data, and measurement with algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and statistics (added as they get older). Problems are presented with text and some video, so there’s quite a bit of reading. They’re printable and can always be read aloud. The site is an excellent learning companion that can be implemented quickly with little adjustment and a high probability of success.

ModMath is the first free math iPad app to help kids with dysgraphia. Students use the touchscreen and keypad to set up and solve math problems without ever picking up a pencil. In addition to basic math problems, Mod Math handles complex algebraic equations—from multiplication and long sectionision to variables and quadratic equations.

The Math Learning Center offers free math apps in 10 domains of mathematics. For example, Math Vocabulary Cards help students deepen their conceptual understanding of key terms in mathematics while Number Pieces helps students develop a deeper understanding of place value while building their computation skills with multi-digit numbers.

GeoGebra is a free dynamic mathematics software for all levels of education that brings together geometry, algebra, spreadsheets, graphing, statistics and calculus in one easy-to-use package. GeoGebra Math Apps are free online math tools for graphing, geometry, 3D, and more! Find over 1 million free activities, simulations, exercises, lessons, and games for math & science.

XtraMath ® is a Math Facts fluency program. By logging in each day for a short period of time your child is able to practice math facts. As a parent you receive progress reports via email and detailed reports can be accessed online any time. ExtraMath does not display advertisement and signing up is free and easy.

Writing

In 2000, abcteach entered the Internet world as a free educational website for teachers. Each month, over two million people from around the world visit abcteach for PreK - 8 materials and creative activities for students and educators. The website has over 6,500 free documents available, including printable worksheets, interactive activities, theme units, and much more.

Quill provides instant access to various grammar lessons including authentic writing with relevant subject matter targeting a specific Common Core-aligned concept. With Quill, the icing on top is that the lessons are adaptive; students get immediate, instructive feedback as they work through the application. Feedback alerts students to both correct and incorrect examples of usage as it relates to a variety of Common Core-aligned skills and concepts.

Use the bright, colorful activities to get students creating and learning in all subjects. Students show what they are thinking by building and organizing diagrams. Built-in symbol library supports creativity and comprehension. This tool helps students in building strong reading, writing and thinking skills. Watch this quick tutorial on how to create a basic map.

Mental Health

Resources for psychological and mental health issues, including coping with tragedy, crisis intervention and prevention, school psychology, and suicide prevention.

ACMH provides information, support, resources, referral and advocacy for children and youth with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders and their families.

The AACAP widely distributes information in an effort to promote an understanding of mental illnesses and remove the stigma associated with them; advance efforts in prevention of mental illnesses, and assure proper treatment and access to services for children and adolescents.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) was created to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for children and families who experience or witness traumatic events. This unique network of frontline providers, family members, researchers, and national partners is committed to changing the course of children’s lives by improving their care and moving scientific gains quickly into practice across the U.S.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death.

Behavior

Setting up your Daily Learning Schedule is simple! Click on the image to learn how.

A ‘Sensory Corner’ is a space which allows students to use tools to calm & regulate their senses & emotions. Click on the image to learn how.

PBIS World is a website containing links to hundreds of interventions, supports, resources, and data collection tools, all of which are organized into tier 1 through 3 frameworks. It is designed to help guide users through the PBIS (positive behavior interventions and supports) implementation process, starting with behavior identification and offering suggestions for interventions and data collection tools.

If your child has ADHD, you know that standard parenting strategies don’t always work. Here, learn ADD-tested discipline tips, positive parenting techniques, how to manage treatment, school and learning resources, and more.

Resources

Video Trainings

General Special Education Resourses

Zoom

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Specific Learning Disabilities

Reading

Math

Writing

Mental Health

Behavior

Organization

Video Trainings

General Special Education Resourses

Zoom

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Specific Learning Disabilities

Reading

Math

Writing

Mental Health

Behavior

Organization