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Two tech-savvy families connected on the Internet and created a therapy tracking tool for their children with autism. ChARM or Children's Autism Recovery Map allows parents to keep logs of their child's interventions, therapies, and diet in a central location online. In addition, the information is available to share with other family members. The software is free to families, however, medical providers must purchase a professional version.

The authors note that parents really need therapies for their children that work. This review article describes two fad autism therapies: sensory integration therapy and Relationship Development Intervention (RDI). They define fad treatments as treatments that do not have quality research showing that they work. Fad treatments cost money, can be hard on the emotions of the parents, and give false hope. Many parents turn to fad treatments because they want to do as much as they can for their child as fast as they can.

This review article describes the guidelines of ABA therapy and looks to see how ABA is being used in the schools. ABA can be used to help teachers study the classroom and predict the behavior of the child with autism in response to the classroom. People who practice ABA are guided by five documents that describe the ethics of ABA therapy. ABA methods have been used in education, health, and parenting. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) in the United States requires that schools provide ABA therapy to students who need it.

BraunAbility is teaming up with Toyota, Great Clips & Braun Racing to give away this one-of-a-kind wheelchair van! Entrants must require the use of a wheelchair for their daily activities.

JW goes everywhere with the slick touch-screen mp3 player strapped to his arm. It lets him touch icons that voice basic comments or questions, such as, "I want Grandma's cookies" or "I'm angry - here's why." He uses his "talker" to communicate with everyone - including his service dog, Roscoe, who listens to voice commands through the tiny speakers.

Use this website as an easy source for researching products, finding play ideas and learning ways to adapt toys to the very special abilities of every child. This free, independent resource allows you to really know the value of a play product before you buy, and offers easy purchasing options.

Communication Services for the Deaf (CSD), in partnership with the National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH, the National Association of the Deaf, the Hearing Loss Association of America and a representative of the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT), has developed a survey to address captioning issues following the nationwide conversion to digital television (DTV). CSD will compile the data and submit it to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for their review.

Experts answer questions from parents and educators of deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) assists state and local workforce development systems to better serve all youth, including youth with disabilities and other vulnerable youth. The NCWD/Youth, created in 2001, is composed of partners with expertise in education, youth development, disability, employment, workforce development and family issues. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the NCWD/Youth is housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C. NCWD/Youth offers a range of technical assistance services to state and local workforce investment boards, youth councils and other workforce development system youth programs.

Children enrolled before they are six months old in a home-based program that teaches language skills to the deaf or hard of hearing are not only able to achieve appropriate language skills but also to maintain them over time, according to a new study.

Connect: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge, an initiative of the FPG Child Development Institute, is working with the early childhood community to create a series of web-based resources that respond to challenges faced by those working with young children with disabilities and their families. CONNECT recently released a new 12-minute video, entitled Foundations of Inclusion Birth to Five, which includes highlights from the recently released DEC/NAEYC Joint Position Statement on Early Childhood Inclusion. The video also addresses questions many teachers and families have about inclusion, such as: What is inclusion? Is there research to support it? What are characteristics of high quality inclusive settings?

In This Issue: ● Work Experiences and Paid Employment ● Making the Most of Each Work Experience ● Emerging Leader Perspective: How I Prepared for Life After School ● Tips for Job Coaches

Handcuffs, tape and isolation are tools used on children with behavioral disorders in some classrooms. Restraint and isolation techniques are sometimes necessary to prevent students from harming themselves and others. But some educators argue for emphasizing prevention.

By studying what parts of the brain are used to control impulses, a professor at Michigan State University in East Lansing is hoping to better understand why children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) respond differently to positive and negative feedback.

IN THIS ISSUE NICHCY June Highlights It All Starts in Families and Communities The Little Ones: Early Intervention/Early Childhood Schools, K-12 State and System Tools Special Focus: Summer Fun

New Spanish Content on AFB's Web Sites With 2.3 million Hispanic/Latino Americans (ages 18 and older) experiencing vision loss, there is a real, present need for more information to be available in Spanish. To reach this growing population, AFB has added updated content on its web sites to include more Spanish sections.

Work as a team! Coaching kids with LD and AD/HD in sports involves challenges and rewards for parents and coaches alike.

The Campaign for Disability Employment is looking for videos showing positive images of people with disabilities at work. The maker of the winning video will receive a prize worth $1,500 and several of the best videos will be featured on the campaign's Web site.

Researchers are looking for 1,200 pregnant women who already have a child with autism to participate in one of the largest studies ever conducted to identify early risk factors of autism spectrum disorders.

Dealing with one individualized education plan (IEP) is enough to make just about anyone's head spin. But that's nothing for Donnalyn Jaque-Antón. As associate superintendent for the division of special education at the Los Angeles Unified School District, Jaque-Antón oversees more than 82,000 special education students.