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Online Courses

CREATE COPING SKILLS CHAMPIONS AT HOME

from CoPing Skills for Kids

Play Support

If you need ideas for good toys, check out toy-ideas.com. Toy-ideas.com (instagram: @toy_ideas) is run by a Pediatric Occupational Therapist who shares her ideas for better toys for parents to choose for their kids. She also offers personalized toy recommendations, try it out!

Special Playdate

Special Playdate is a service that connects parents with other parents looking for playdate opportunities for their children. It’s for children with or without special needs so anyone can join and start connecting. They offer in person services to support playdates in the NY area, and they are looking to expand that service to other areas.

Lekotek

Lekotek provides play based family time for families who have children with disabilities. Families can come in once a month and play together with the variety of games in the center. Lekotek provides Family Play Specialists to help support and assist families in learning to play together. There are groups all over the United States, in Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota and Pennsylvania.

Kinnecting

This is a playdate app that connects local parents based on mutual friends, interests and children of similar age.

Social Groups

Alison Ratner Mayer, LICSW

Alison has been working with children and families in therapy in Georgia for years and recently moved to Massachusetts. She has a particular talent for working with children in groups. She is doing amazing work in Needham & Westborough, helping kids connect and learn how to interact with one another. She offers lots of groups for children and young adults ages 4-22 and support for their siblings and families. She’s even started Music Therapy classes! If you’re in the Eastern Massachusetts area, check out her website, childtherapyinboston.com and contact her.

Peter Pan Center - Boxborough, MA

Simply Social Kids - Tyngsboro, MA

Boston Sensory Solutions - Milton, MA

Camps

TimberNook

Timbernook is a nature based outdoor camp program that runs year round. TimberNook was founded in New Hampshire by Angela Hanscom, a Pediatric OT by training and a mom. Here’s a listing of where they will have camps by the end of 2015:

San Francisco, CA*
Southern Pines, CA
Lakes Region, NH
Barrington, NH*
Madbury, NH*
Brentwood, NH*
San Luis Obispo, CA
Atlanta, Georgia
Charlotte, North Carolina*
Miami, Florida*
Cleveland, Ohio*
New Zealand*
Cape Cod, MA
Long Island, NY

FIDDLEHEADS CAMP in Petaluma, Ca

A camp that focuses on building the social and emotional skills of their campers through play.

Connect to Other Families/Caregivers

FACEBOOK GROUPS

The World's Okayest Parent

Raising Poppies

Support for Sensory Needs

The Neighborhood, Imperfect Families

Coping Skills for Kids Group

Highly Sensitive Kids Group

Podcasts

Bringing Up BEtty

Interviews with special needs parents about the struggles and joys of raising children with special needs. Love it!!

We Turned Out Okay

What a great podcast with down to earth advice. Sometimes she interviews guests and other times, she does a shorter podcast talking directly to listeners with some good snippets of information. She also just published a book - Positive Discipline Ninja Tactics!

Family Confidential

This is a resource I found very early on while doing research for Encourage Play. Annie is always interviewing experts on a wide range of topics that relate to parenting, school, bullying, and mental health and disability issues.

The Coffee Klatch

They have great interviews with lots of interesting experts covering a wide variety of topics. They've interviewed Temple Grandin, Russell A. Barkley, PhD, John Elder Robinson and Michelle Garcia Winner.

Extremely Good Parenting Podcast

I recently listened to the episode where one of my favorite bloggers, Dayna from Lemon Lime Adventures, was talking about kids melting down in Target parking lots. I have been there, and I totally relate to that!

Parenting In the Rain

Another great podcast with helpful information for parents who have kids with different needs.

Resources to Help Get You Organized

Room to Play

This resource is especially for my Canadian friends in British Columbia. Room to play offers help reorganizing your home, school or office. The owners have over 30 years of experience in schools, organizing materials, toys and games. What a creative and useful service! Learn more at roomtoplay.ca

Other Resources

SightWords.com

An online educational resource for parents. They have a great curriculum for teaching phonemic awareness. It can also be tailored to work with children who have special needs. The website is a wonderful support too.

Courtsystem.org

This resource was brought to my attention by one of my readers. This site has listings for all emergency, legal and law enforcement government offices in the United States. and I wanted to make sure it was included on this page.