This book, often referred to as the ‘CASE Book,’ contains questions and answers about all of the processes and procedures associated with California’s special education system. This book is highly recommended, as it clearly states the rights and responsibilities of parents and school districts in the special education process. This book may be downloaded from the internet at www.pai-ca.org.

Bell Nancy, Visualizing and Verbalizing: For Language Comprehension and Thinking, Revised Edition. Gander Education Publishing, San Luis Obispo, CA 1991.

This program, developed by Nancy Bell with Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes, provides a framework for increasing language comprehension by facilitating visualization of concepts. Visualizing concepts is an important part of reading comprehension, and it is often deficient skill in children with learning disabilities. This program is especially helpful for children with autism. This book and the accompanying materials may be purchased through the Lindamood-Bell website.

Garcia Joseph, Ph. D. Sign with you Baby: How to Communicate with Infants before they can Speak. Sign2Me, Seattle, WA: 2005.

Dr. Garcia has adapted many America Sign Language Signs for use with babies and toddlers. He has shown that many infants can communicate via sign language as early as 10 months of age. This program is very useful for children with language and/or speech delays.

Greenspan Stanley I., MD, Serena Weider, Ph. D., Robin Simons. The Child with Special Needs: Encouraging Intellectual and Emotional Growth. Perseus Books, Reading, MA 1998.

Dr. Greenspan is a pioneer in the field of child psychiatry and presents his comprehensive, relationship-based treatment program for children with autistic spectrum disorders in this book. His approach respects the child’s emotional wellbeing and uses the child’s personal motivations as the foundation for learning. This unique and effective approach is a humane alternative to the strict, questionably researched discrete trial programs often thought of as the ‘gold standard’ for treating autism. However, some of his concepts are easy to incorporate into any existing treatment program.

Kranowitz, Carol Stock, MA. The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Integration Dysfunction. The Berkley Publishing Group New York, NY , 1998.

Written by a teacher, for teachers and parents, this book puts the complicated concepts associated with sensory integration into layman’s terms. The Out-of-Sync Child is the perfect introduction to sensory integration.

Kranowitz, Carol Stock, MA. The Out-of-Sync Child has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Integration Dysfunction. The Berkeley Publishing Group, New York, NY: 2003.

This sequel to The Out-of-Sync Child is filled with activities developed by parents and therapists for addressing sensory integration problems. It is an excellent reference book and many activities can be adapted for any child.

Levine, Mel, MD. A Mind At A Time. Simon & Schuster, New York, NY 2002.

As an expert in neurodevelopmental disabilities, and the founder of the All Kinds of Minds Institute, Dr. Mel Levine has helped many parents and professionals understand the complex process of learning and how to help children with learning difficulties. His book, A Mind At A Time, presents valuable information about how to structure education to fit the child, rather than forcing the child to fit the educational process. This book is highly recommended for parents of children with Attention Deficit Disorder and/or other learning disabilities.

Liddle, Tara Losquadro, M.P.T., and Laura Yorke. Why Motor Skills Matter: Improve Your Child’s Physical Development to Enhance Learning and Self-Esteem. Contemporary Books, Chicago, IL 2004.

In addition to providing useful information about the developmental sequence of motor skills in children ages zero to five years, this book provides an explanation of why motor skills are so important for learning. Written by a pediatric physical therapist, this book is an excellent reference for parents and teachers of young children.