Resources for Supporting Young Children with Disabilities
STAR NET Region II and VI Resource List
Our Resource List is organized into categories and cross-categorized to serve both families and professionals.
Categories include:
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Anxiety is a common mental illness that affects not only adults but also children. According to data on children’s mental health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 5.8 million children in America struggle with diagnosed anxiety. And, for students, anxiety disorders don’t only show up as feelings or nervousness on the first day of school; anxiety can also hinder a child’s self-esteem, academic performance and overall well-being.
Teaching for Change provides teachers and parents with the tools to create schools where students learn to read, write, and change the world.
By drawing direct connections to real world issues, Teaching for Change encourages teachers and students to question and re-think the world inside and outside their classrooms, build a more equitable, multicultural society, and become active global citizens. Our professional development, publications, and parent organizing programs serve teachers, other school staff, and parents. Our main focus is national and we have dedicated programs in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, StopBullying.gov provides information and resources for families and professionals about what bullying and cyberbullying are, who is at risk, and how to prevent and respond to bullying.
Our complete library listing of books and videos.
Formed in 2016 from a merger of two longstanding organizations: SPD Foundation and STAR Center. STAR Institute provides treatment, education, and research for children, adolescents, and adults with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), including feeding disorders and other disorders with sensory issues such as autism and ADHD.
Special Recreation Associations (SRAs) are cooperatives formed by 2 or more park districts or municipalities who have joined together to provide recreation for their residents with disabilities. Most SRAs serve individuals of all ages and abilities. To find the SRA in your area contact your local park district, or visit the SRANI website for an alphabetical listing of towns and their corresponding SRA. Click on Find My Services on the left side bar.
The Illinois State Board of Education partners with school districts to provide programs and services for students with specialized educational needs. Special Education Services assures that these programs and services meet state and federal requirements. This involves both compliance and technical assistance functions. Compliance functions include monitoring least restrictive environment compliance, administering due process system, providing mediation services, conducting complaint investigations, approving policies and procedures, conducting focused and comprehensive reviews and approving nonpublic special education facilities. Technical assistance functions involve providing information and guidance on promising practices in educating students with disabilities, including the operation of numerous statewide training and technical assistance initiatives, administering the comprehensive system of personnel development for special education and management of grant programs to schools for special education service delivery.
Provided by the Social Security Administration to eligible individuals with disabilities. Complete information can be found on the official website of the Social Security Administration.
Information about applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) child disability benefits. A fact sheet answering frequently asked questions, the definition of disability, a checklist to gather needed documents, and a worksheet to prepare for the disability interview.
S.I.B.S. champions siblings of people with disabilities in Illinois, through Sibshops, sibling support groups, and relevant resources to enhance the quality of life for siblings and families alike.
Looking for Pre-Recorded Videos?
STAR NET Region II and VI recorded webinar library.
Both Parents and Professionals will find videos on useful topics, such as Inclusion, Transitioning from EI to ECSE and more!
PLEASE NOTE: STAR NET Region II and VI is unable to award CEs for watching these recordings.