Online Resources for Special Education
- Friendship Circle
- Bilingual Special Ed
- Daniela’s Journey to Independence
- Dyslexia My Life
- Mrs. H’s Resource Room
Special education blogs are valuable resources for educators looking for techniques, curriculum and support in their classroom. Approachable, well-researched articles by professionals, parents, and students can offer information that may be unavailable at a teacher’s workplace. Here are a few of the best blogs for educators hoping to improve their classroom outcomes.
1. Friendship Circle Blog
The Friendship Circle is a non-profit organization connected to Lubavitch Foundation of Michigan. Their blog can be found in the “resources” section of the website and includes thousands of posts organized into categories such as parenting, education, advocacy, and therapy tips. While many of the posts are designed for parents, the education posts are well-researched pieces for educators written by professionals in the field of special education. For instance, this piece by Nicole Eredics, an educator with 15 years of experience in special needs classrooms, recommends seven websites with effective special needs curriculums.
2. Bilingual Special Ed
Developed by educator and researcher Dr. Claudia Rinaldi, Bilingual Special Ed provides approachable and evidence-based posts for effective special education for bilingual students. Many of her posts are written to answer emails or questions sent to her by educators and parents. As classrooms increasingly become multi-lingual, this is a valuable resource for helping bilingual special needs students succeed in the classroom. The provided information ranges from helping elementary school students improve their reading skills to raising success rates for bilingual higher education special needs students.
3. Daniela’s Journey to Independence
Daniela’s Journey to Independence is unique in the realm of special education blogs in that it is written from the perspective of a student with disabilities chronicling her education journey. In addition to sharing her own story, Daniela Goldstone offers updates and news in the special education field. Her unique perspective may help educators understand the systems that their students must navigate. It is also an effective resource to share with parents or even students themselves who are charting their own journey through education.
4. Dyslexia My Life
In her informative blog, Sam Sagmiller educates readers on the history and importance of special education through sharing her own research and experiences. This blog is especially focused on specific issues and challenges faced by students with dyslexia. Sagmiller also features posts by guest authors that tackle topics such as Individual Education Programs (IEPs) and the Speech Banana. With detailed tutorials and videos, both educators and parents can find tools to help children with dyslexia thrive at school.
5. Mrs. H’s Resource Room
Mrs. H’s Resource Room is a blog written by a special education teacher for other educators. Kim Hinton is a teacher with experience both as a special education teacher and as an educational and diagnostic consultant. Her approachable blog includes topics like technology in the special needs classroom and tips for helping students transition from elementary school to middle school. Hinton is an active presence on the blog, answering questions posed by readers and posting links to outside resources and videos for educators.
These blogs are only a few examples of the diverse resources available. Special education blogs remain an important source of motivation, information, and techniques for the special education field.
