Welcome to the SSEPAC Site
This page is often updated with many more links to be added. So please check back often.
These listings are being provided as an information service to our members - listing of a link does not constitute an endorsement by SSEPAC.
General
Massachusetts State Government. This site provides Information about special education services. Mass Gov
Massachusetts Department of Education Mass DOE
Office of Special Education And Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of Education OSERS
Massachusetts Association of Special Education Parent Advisory Councils MassPac
Federation for Children with Special Needs FCSN
Special Education Advocacy Wrightslaw
Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC)'s model policy for special education classroom observations. Class Observe
Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC) - Special Education Mass Advocates
Massachusetts Department of Education Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Search. How do I know if my child is making "effective progress"? First you need to understand The Curriculum Frameworks which are the general curriculum for all Massachusetts students. Here is a new search function for the curriculm. Search Mass DOE Curriculum
Education Advocates Lists
Special Needs Advocacy Network (SPAN) statewide advocacy list. This lists advocate qualifications, specialties and regions where available to work. SPAN
Special Needs Mass Advocates List SPAL
Wrightslaw Massachusetts yellow pages for kids. This alphabetical listing includes special education advocates (and lawyers). Yellow Pages
The Federation for Children with Special Needs maintains a database of advocates who have taken our advocacy training and completed 50 hours of volunteer advocacy. By contacting the FCSN office at 617-236-7210 and asking to speak with an information specialist, you can obtain the names of up to three advocates (at a time) who could help. In addition, their information specialists offer information and resources at no charge, Monday - Friday during business hours. There is also information available as to pro bono advocates.
For Educators
Transition Coalition. Providing online information, support, and professional development on topics related to the transition from school to adult life for youth with disabilities. Transition
Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC). Resources about bullying and cyberbullying. They provide services for schools and conferences and workshops for educators. MARC
SchoolBehavior.com. This site was created to help educators learn about neurobehavioral disorders -- the "hidden" disabilities that can impair a student's academic, behavioral, and social-emotional functioning and that can occasionally create chaos in your classroom. SchoolBehavior.com
Legal
Massachusetts Special Education Laws and Regulations Mass Laws
A Guide to Disability Rights Laws published by the United States Department of Justice Civil Right Division. This publication contains reference to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, General sources of Disabilities Rights Information etc. Disability Rights
Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries Mass Law Libraries
Cornell University Law School Cornell
The Disability Policy Consortium, Inc. is an organization of volunteer disability rights activists who share a common goal of equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities in Massachusetts. The DPC
Other
Massachusetts Family Ties Mass Family Ties
Massachusetts Family Voices Mass Family Voices
SPED Child and Teen lists disability services and events in Massachusetts. The site has an impressive selection of current conferences, programs and resource listings. SPED Child Mass
Information about Special Needs Children About.com
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children MSPCC
Peter Pan Center resource for families Peter Pan
Center for the Improvement for Child Caring. CICC , offers a web site of numerous programs and materials to help parents become more effective and numerous continuing education programs and materials for professionals who work with children and families.
Special Education Activism SPED Watch
Special Needs Parent Coaching Special Needs Coaching
Special Needs Answers provided by the Academy of Special Needs Planners. SN Answers
Here are a couple of great articles provided by the Academy. The first article explains a special needs trust and how one that is set up properly will allow the beneficiary to still receive government benefits. What is a Special Needs Trust?
The second article explains what is involved in representing a special needs person (such as your son or daughter) in terms of receiving and administering their SSI and SSDI payments.
Representative Payee - Not a Job to be Taken Lightly
The Bridge Center. This organization provides support to families by providing children opportunities to build social, emotional and physical skills. Bridge Center
Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC). Free resources about bullying and cyberbullying. They also conduct workshops for a small fee. MARC
Friendship Circle. This program extends a helping hand to families who have children with special needs, involving them in a full range of social and Judaic programs. Friendship Circle
House of Possibilities. Mission... To provide support to families having children, youth, or adults living with developmental challenges by providing high quality programming and weekend respite services in a state-of-the-art home. HOPe
Other Special Education PACs
Here are a few links to other towns special education parent advisory council. The Concord site has many links to a great deal of information. The Brookline site has a list of great resources from previous workshops and events.
Concord Special Education PAC Concord SEPAC
Brookline Special Education PAC Brookline SEPAC
Parent Special Education Information
Massachusetts Department of Education Parent Information Mass DOE Parent Info
Massachusetts Department of Education Special Education Eligibility Initial and Re-evaluation Determination Mass DOE Eligibility
Federation for Children with Special Needs: A Parent’s Guide to Special Education FCSN Parent Guide
Massachusetts Coordinated Program Review (CPR) Mass CPR
Articles containing information about Special Education About.com
Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE)'s guidance on classroom observations. DESE Class Observe
Wrightslaw reference section on Response to Intervention (RTI). RTI
Transition Coalition. Providing online information, support, and professional development on topics related to the transition from school to adult life for youth with disabilities. Transition
Special Education Resources on the Internet (SERI). Providing web links for topics within special education. SERI
Massachusetts evaluation rates set for TEAM Evaluation Services. Rates
Massachusetts Parent Information & Resource Center. Mass PIRC
Parent Support Information
Want to attend a conference? Need funding assistance? Check the requirements and get the application form at this link for the Massachusetts Council Empowerment Funds Program.
Assistance
Mass FamilyTies listing of various parent support groups - most of the local listings are found in the metrowest region guide for some reason not the greater boston region.
Support
Mass.gov Community Support Line offers information, technical assistance and referral for families with children with special health needs.
Community Support
Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change (MFOFC). A statewide grassroots coalition dedicated to individual and family supoort.
MFOFC Support
Parents of ADD/ADHD Kids. Parent Support Group for parents and guardians of ADHD kids in the area of southeast massachusetts. Generally meetings are the second Wednesday of every month at the the Church of Emmanuel (Christian and Missionary Alliance) at 106 Central Street (Route 140) in Foxboro, MA , from 10:00 am to noon.
Parents ADHD Kids
The MetroWest Satellite of CHADD Support Group for ADHD in Newton MetroWest CHADD Support.
Parents Supporting Parents (PSP). The Parents Supporting Parents mission is to simply create a safe, confidential forum for parents to share their concerns they have for their children with differences, their siblings and their families. Our hope is to create a system for learning new, useful strategies to help with our daily challenges.
The group typically meets the first Wednesday of every month at the Fiske Public Library (Randall Road, Wrentham).
PSP Yahoo Group
Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PPAL). The Massachusetts Family Voice For Children's Mental Health. Affiliated Parent and Youth Support Groups. PPAL
Social Skills Training Programs
Integrated Center for Child Development Services. Saturday Enrichment Programs - Social Skills Program. Located in Canton, MA. ICCD
Learning Solutions LLC. Social Skill & Strategy Groups. Located in Norwood, MA. Learning Solutions LLC
Social Thinking. Social Thinking® is required prior to the development of social skills. Successful social thinkers consider the points of view, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, prior knowledge and intentions of others (this is often called perspective-taking - considering the perspectives of others). A Challenge for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome, High-Functioning Autism, ADHD, Nonverbal Learning Disorders and Other Social and Communicative Challenges. Social Thinking
The Bridge Center. The mission of The Bridge Center is to support families by providing children with opportunities to build social, emotional, & physical skills so they may participate fully in their communities. The Bridge Center
Massachusetts General Hospital YouthCare. YouthCare is a highly successful therapeutically-based program that focuses on helping children, teens and young adults with Asperger’s syndrome and related profiles to make social connections and develop independence, leading to an improved quality of life. YouthCare's approach is to teach social skills, life skills and other behavioral strategies within a group setting. We therefore, offer therapeutic support through group participation in recreational, social and educational activities. MGH YouthCare
Skills For Living. Real Life Coaching for Real Kids Skills For Living
Catherine Sargent. Behavior, Development, and Autism Spectrum Disorders Catherine Sargent
The Price Center - ASCEND program. Afternoon Social Club Encouraging Networking and Transition. ASCEND
House of Possibilities. HOPe's Snack 'n' Chat. This group is for young adults (ages 13-18) with Asperger Syndrome, High Functioning Autism and others with similar diagnoses. Snack 'n' Chat fosters social skills and builds friendships at the same time. HOPe's Snack 'n' Chat
The Drama-Play Connection. Summer Social Skills Program. Drama-Play
Specific Disabilities
National Disability Rights Network Disability Rights
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities National Disability
Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC) Helpful Links and Other Resources MDDC
Helpful links on various disabilities and topics such as: ADD/ADHD, Autism, Bipolar, Deafness, Diabetes, OCD, ODD, Mental Health, Pierre Robin Syndrome, PTSD, RAD, Spina Bifida, Tourette Syndrome, Traumatic brain injury are found at Special Kids links. SK Links
Children's Disabilities Information. Articles and resources empowering parents of children with disabilities and special needs. SCNARC
PBS Parents. Education Struggling to Learn. Disability Information PBS Parents
NICHQ. The National Initiative for Children's HealthCare Quality. This site contains information for children with special healthcare needs with sections on ADHD, the pediatric home for children with chronic health issues and more.
Autism and Asperger's
May Institute. Autism Spectrum Disorders, Developmental Disabilities, Brain Injury and Mental Health. May Institute
South Norfolk County ARC SNCARC
AutismLink. Linking Parents Together for over a Decade. This link gives a list of service providers in Massachusette. AutismLink
Asperger's Association of New England. AANE
The New England Center for Children a school for Autism treatment and education. NECC
Autism resources found at the Developmental Delay Resources. Dev Delay Autism Resources
Talk about Curing Autism Now Massachusetts Chapter. TACANOW - MA
Community Autism Resources is an autism support center committed to providing free and valuable services to individuals on the autism spectrum in the Southeastern Massachusetts region. Community
Autism Speaks. Provides information on Autism, advocacy, family resources and research. A Speaks
National Autism Center. NAC.
To download a copy of A Parent’s Guide to Evidence-Based Practice and Autism!A Parent's Guide
Autism Society of America. Improving the lives of all affected by autism. ASA.
Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, Helping families along the way. Doug Flutie
ADHD
CHADD. Web site for Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) CHADD.
The MetroWest Satellite of CHADD MetroWest CHADD.
View their treatment options guide at options.
National Resource Center on AD/HD - A Program of CHADDAD/HD Resource Center.
The Hallowell Center. Web site for Treating Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) as well as emotional and mental health issues. Locations in Massachusetts are Sudbury and Needham.
Hallowell ADD/ADHD
Russell Barkley. Internationally recognized ADHD authority. Barkley ADHD
National Institute of Mental Health ADHD. A detailed booklet that describes ADHD symptoms, causes, and treatments, with information on getting help and coping. ADHD booklet
ADDitude Living Well with Attention Deficit ADDitude
ADHD at Psych Central ADHD
Learning Disabilities and ADHD LD and ADHD online.
Numerous links to ADHD resources found at the Special Kids Links Page. ADD Special Kids.
ADD/ADHD Help Center. ADD/ADHD Help
Children's Hospital - ADHD Children's ADHD
Executive Function
Explaining Executive Function. Exec Function Article1 Exec Function Article2
Executive Dysfunction (EDF). Good articles, and overview of EDF, transitions(switching tasks), time management etc.. This site is good for parents and teachers. EDF
The Center for Excecutive Function Skill Development. Holds several workshops on executive function. Exec Function Skill
Executive Functioning coaching in your home by Thinking Outside the Classroom Think Outside.
Emotional/Mental Health
The Parents' How-To Guide to Children's Mental Health Services in Massachusetts written by the Boston Bar Association in association with Childrens Hospital. How-To
The Massachusetts Mental Health Parity Law explained. Mental Health Law
What should I look for in a doctor to do Neuropsychological testing? Neuropsych guide
Commonwealth Learning Center CLC - offers educational, psychological, and speech and language assessments and provides one-to-one teaching using a customized plan to meet the needs of each student. CLC
Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children and Adolescents NESCA - provides evaluation and treatment services for children with special needs related to learning, emotional or developmental challenges. NESCA
Integrated Center for Child Development ICCD is a multi-disciplinary center offering neuropsychological, behavioral, medical and educational assessments and services. ICCD
The Learning and Emotional Assessment Program (LEAP) at Mass General Hospital assess children with learning disabilities, psychological and developmental disorders. LEAP
Children's Hospital Neuropsychology Department providing clinical assessments. Children's
Gateway to resources for enhancing mental health in schools. Gateway
Center for Collaborative Problem Solving resource for families. Center for CPS
Dr. Ross Greene, author of The Explosive Child, using the model of care he originated, called Collaborative Problem Solving on blog talk radio. Dr. Ross Greene Radio
Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice. This site is dedicated to improving services to children and youth with emotional and behavioral problems.CECP
Think:Kids an evidence based approach to helping kids with behavorial challenges. Think:Kids
National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI. NAMI
National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI of Massachusetts NAMI Mass
National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health. NFFCMH
National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health - State Chapter. PPAL
National Institute for Mental Health. NIMH
National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH). Treatment of Children with Mental Illness NIMH children
Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PPAL). The Massachusetts Family Voice For Children's Mental Health. PPAL
Healthy Place.com America's Mental Health Channel.Healthy Place.
Anxiety
The Child Anxiety Network. Child Anxiety
Anxiety Disorders Association of America. ADAA
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Anxiety Disorder Resource Center Anxiety
National Institute of Mental Health - Anxiety Disorders NIMH - Anxiety
Article on Anxiety titled Anxiety in Children: How Parents Can Help Parents help Anxiety
The Health Center - Anxiety THC - Anxiety
Worry Wise Kids Children’s and Adult Center for OCD and Anxiety WW - Anxiety
Easing Anxiety - a therapy based website to provide support to children and adults working to overcome anxietyEasing Anxiety
Learning Disabilities
Learning Disability OnLine. Web site for learning disabilities and ADHD. LD
NLDLine. Web site for Non Verbal Learning Disorders. NLD
National Center for Learning Disabilities. NCLD
Learning Disabilities Association of America. LDAA
Dyslexia
National Institute of Health's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH NIND) - Dyslexia. NINDS NIH
The International Dyslexia Association . International Dyslexia
Dyslexia Teacher. Dyslexia information and resources for helping dyslexic children and teens Dyslexia Teacher
Davis Dyslexia Association International. Davis Dyslexia
Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia org a global resource for Math learning Disability. Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia causes, symptoms, strategies and resources for this Math learning Disability. Dyscalculia WVU
Dyscalculia explained at About.com About.com Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia Forum D Forum
Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia USA Dyspraxia USA
National Center for Learning Disabilities dyspraxia. NCLD dyspraxia
National Institue of Neurological Disorders (NIND). Developmental Dyspraxia. NIND dyspraxia
The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association North America (CASANA). Apraxia Kids
Sensory Processing
Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation. Sensory Processing Disorder is sometimes referred to as SI sensory integration. SI
Sensory Processing Disorder Resource Center SPD Resource.
View the SPD companion guide for sensory integrative OT
SI OT
Sensory Processng Institue for Research and Learning SPIRAL Foundation.
Ideas for parents of kids with sensory processing issues found at Sensory Smart Parent. Sensory Smart Parent
Physical
The Arthritis Foundation. Arthritis
United Cerebral Palsy. UCP
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. CFF
Cystic Fibrosis dot com a resource for cystic fibrosis resources CF.com
Cystic Fibrosis genetics home reference CF genetics
Spina Bifoda Association Spina Bifoda
National Down Syndrome Society DS society
National Association for Down Syndrome Ntl Assoc DS
Downsyndrome.com - A Place for Friends Downsyndrome.com
Association for Children with Down Syndrome ACDS
American Diabetes Association ADA
Sensory Impairment: Hearing/Vision/Deaf-Blind 
The Carroll Center for the Blind. Carroll Center
Perkins School for the Blind. Perkins
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. Web site for Building Bridges Between Print Disabilities and Educational Success. RFB&D
FamilyConnect for parents of children with visual impairments. FamilyConnect
Auditory Processing Disorder referred to as APD or CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder). The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders APD
An article on auditory processing disorder in the New York Times. NYTimes on APD
