Video: Special Kids, Special Dads: Fathers of Children with Disabilities.
(24 min.)

This program looks at what a father experiences when his child has a disabling condition or chronic illness, why he generally feels quite isolated and what types of support he needs to develop his relationship with his child and deal with the ongoing stresses that exist in his family. The father of a child with special needs is often misunderstood. Because a child typically receives educational and medical services during a father's working hours, a dad frequently lacks knowledge about the disability/illness and the interventions available to assist a child's developmental growth. Fathers are too rarely seen in the classroom, in conferences or support programs. Yet research reveals that a father often sets the tone for the family in coping with a special needs child. Thus it is imperative we find means for increased involvement of fathers in all areas of their children's lives. Fathers' need opportunities to show their feelings, to share their despair and hope, sorrow and joy, anger and love, panic and control as well as responsibility and freedom. This video was produced for all fathers of children with special needs and professionals in the fields of developmental disabilities, chronic illness and family support.

Available From:
James May
National Fathers' Network
Kindering Center
16120 N.E. 8th Street
Bellevue, WA 98008-3937
Tel. 206-747-4004, ext. 216. Fax 206-747-1069 .
$80 plus shipping and handling

Room at the Table: Meeting Children's Special Needs at Mealtime

This video was developed by WestEd as a part of the "Shaping Healthy Food Choices in Child Care and Development Programs" campaign of the California Department of Education. It offers some basic information for child care providers of children with special needs by focusing on one of the most important times of the day: mealtimes. Nutritious meals and snacks presented in a pleasant atmosphere contribute significantly to children’s development and learning.

For children who must deal with health or learning issues, it’s particularly important to get the benefits of good nutrition. The video discusses what foods to offer and how to adapt them to children’s individual needs and abilities through texture modification, the creation of peaceful eating environments and predictable routines. Specific mealtime techniques are discussed by a group of caregivers and specialists: supporting a good position, waking up the mouth muscles, strengthening chewing and lip closure, and adapting utensils.

Available from:
California Department of Education
Bureau of Publications, Sales Unit
P.O. Box 271
Sacramento, CA 95812-0271
Telephone: (916) 445-1260

Video: Family-Guided Activity-Based Intervention for Infants & Toddlers.
Produced by Juliann J. Woods.
(20 min., 1995)

Folding laundry, playing with toys, drinking from a bottle--daily routines and activities like these provide an ideal context in which infants and toddlers can develop critical life skills. This illuminating video gives early childhood professionals a firsthand look at family-guided activity-based intervention--powerful strategies that enable parents and other caregivers to take advantage of children's natural learning opportunities. Viewers will enter the homes of very young children with special needs to see exactly how this process can help families maintain their togetherness, maximize their time, improve their levels of confidence, enhance their child's cognitive and motor development, and address their child's IFSP goals. This video is essential for professionals interested in improving child learning and development through family interactions. With this program early childhood professionals can help families of infants and toddlers implement positive activity-based teaching methods.

Available From:
Child Development Media, Inc.
5632 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 286
Van Nuys, CA 91401. Tel. 800-405-8942, FAX: 818-994-0153.
$40 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: The First Steps/Early Learning Package.
(1995. Training facilitation materials included.)

The First Steps Early Language Program presents the basics for supporting language development of all infants and toddlers, those developing typically and those with delays or disorders. First Steps begins at the beginning, noting that children are acquiring language from birth. Newborns communicate through gestures, facial expressions and body movement, all critical elements that later, for most children, will be accompanied by spoken language. Children do not always send clear messages. As they grow, their repertoire for communicating with us increases to include syllables and more precise gestures. But these cues, singly or in combination, are often difficult to decipher. To support each child, participants will learn basic techniques that encourage conversational interactions with young children, interactions that are the foundation for language learning. These techniques help adults learn how to talk about a child's interests, how to follow the child's lead, how to provide information without pressuring a child to respond and how to limit questions that are conversation stoppers. Each one of the four 30 min. First Step videos contains a 15-20 minute program presenting core concepts about early language learning. Following the program are a series of short segments that reinforce core concepts, stimulate discussion and provide opportunities for practice. Programs in this series include: Step 1, Beginning Language Connections; Step 2, Reading the Child's Message; Step 3, Talking with Young Children and Step 4, Building Conversations.

Available From:
Educational Productions
7412 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, #210
Portland, OR 97225
Tel. 800-950-4949.
$1,360 for the four-tape program.

Video: Families of Young Children with Special Needs: A Video Series.
(1996)

For years the focus of early intervention programs was on the disabled child, the emphasis being almost solely on what parents, siblings, and professionals could do to promote the child's development. Somewhere in this process, however, the other family members were overlooked, often resulting in serious and long-lasting repercussions. Discerning educators saw the need to redirect the focus of early intervention programs away from the disabled child and onto the family as a whole.

Family Crisis. (27 min.) This program follows two families as each learns that their children have special needs. Supportive techniques are illustrated for revealing a diagnosis with possible parental reaction described and discussed. Three overlapping and concurrent crisis_diagnostic crisis, values crisis and reality crisis--are explored. The tape examines the roles of professionals in helping families through their crises and the value of support offered by other parents of children with special needs.

Understanding Families. (24 min.) This program, featuring nationally known educator Ann Turnbull, illustrates the contemporary view of early intervention using the family systems approach. Discusses the components of this approach which include family characteristics, family interaction, family functions and the family life cycle. Three factors are examined - attitude, belonging and sharing of information - that professionals can use to help influence the family's sense of empowerment.

Available From:
Concept Media
P.O. Box 19542
Irvine, CA 92623-9542
Tel. 800-233-7078. Fax 714-660-0206.
$280 each tape (plus shipping and handling).

Video: Pediatric Massage.
Developed by Kathy Fleming Drehobl and Mary Gengler Fuhr.
(One tape, 58 min. English and 58 min. Spanish with Viewer's Guide 54 pages, 1993)

This video is presented as an introduction to massage for children with special needs. Tactile intervention has long been a successful way to normalize sensory systems. Massage is a method of intervention that can facilitate developmentally appropriate adaptive responses as well as promote parent-infant interaction. Massage introduces many physical, social and somatosensory benefits for children. It is best used as a supplement to existing team-oriented therapeutic and educational programming. The massage program is highly individualized according to the child's tone, reflex activity, behavior, modulation of sensory input and the goals of the family. In the video the following topics are discussed: general benefits of therapeutic massage; benefits of massage for children with special needs; signs and symptoms of overstimulation; medical considerations; getting started; massage strokes; and resources. As is always the case when children with special needs are involved, it is important to consult with medical personnel to assure that massage will be a safe and therapeutic intervention. This video is a companion to the book Pediatric Massage: For the Child with Special Needs, which offers more in-depth information.

Available From:
Communication/Therapy Skill Builders
555 Academic Court
San Antonio, TX 78204-2498
Tel. 800-228-0752. Fax 800-232-1223
$99 (plus shipping and handling)

Video and guide: Pathways in Early Intervention Service Coordination (with video guide and companion training manual, Pathways: A Training and Resource Guide for Enhancing Skills in Early Intervention Service Coordination, 215 pages).
Pathways Service Coordination Inservice Project, Waisman Center, Madison, WI.
(30 min., 1996).

Service coordination is a new and challenging role for many family members and service providers in early intervention. To meet these challenges, service coordinators need knowledge and skills related to the laws, the IFSP process, services, resources and personal skills involving communication, conflict management, decision making, problem solving and stress reduction. These personal skills are at a the heart of the partnerships developed between family or other team members, agency personnel and community members. Carrying out the many tasks and responsibilities in service coordination takes different skills. These tasks may be divided into four clusters of activities including: Choosing the Pathway - getting started in the IFSP Process; The Journey - providing follow along to families in implementing and monitoring the IFSP; Detours Along the Way - facing unexpected, immediate needs or crises; and Changing Pathways - facilitating transitions. This video illustrates some personal challenges faced in the provision of early intervention service coordination. Four scenarios are presented that coincide with the four clusters of service coordination activities. Each scenario targets one of the clusters of activities and highlights important handouts.skills.

In each vignette, one or more unresolved dilemmas are depicted. A problem solving format is used to acknowledge that there are NO ready solutions to these dilemmas. Following each scenario questions to guide discussion appear on-screen. Viewers are asked to respond to the questions, to generate solutions and solve problems that are viable from their perspective and community context. Detailed information about the complex issues raised on the videotape is provided in the comprehensive training guide, Pathways: A Training and Resource Guide for Enhancing Skills in Early Intervention Service Coordination. The training guide, developed for inservice and preservice training, also includes activities, practical resources, overheads and handouts.

Available From:
Child Development Media, Inc.
5632 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 286
Van Nuys, CA 91401.
Tel. 800-405-8942. Fax 818-994-0153.
$150 for the set.