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6 Educational Games for Special Needs Kids and Adults

Whether you're everyone's favorite special ed teacher or you have a loved one with special needs, you're always on the lookout for games that make learning a blast. But what do you do when you've played every game in the universe?

Fear not! We've got your back with a treasure trove of games and fun activities for special education students of all ages. We've handpicked some of our absolute favorite special needs games to share with you right here. Let's dive in!

The Power of Games for Special Needs Students

Who says learning can't be a barrel of laughs? Games for special needs kids and adults aren't just about having fun - they can also work wonders for their development . These games can boost self-confidence, foster independence, and unlock a whole range of valuable skills.

For example, group activities for adults with intellectual disabilities are a great way to learn communication, cooperation, critical thinking, and conflict resolution. Prefer to avoid group settings? No problem! Individual special needs games can enhance problem-solving skills and boost their independence. Whatever type of special education game you choose, the benefits are endless (and not to mention, fun!).

The 6 Best Games for Special Needs Kids and Adults that Teach Essential Skills

Ready to find the perfect game? Whether you're looking for activities for special needs adults or you're homeschooling your child, we've got an awesome lineup of games for special needs students of all ages. Keep scrolling for more!

This delightful game is packed with learning opportunities. As players embark on a digging adventure, they'll not only have a blast but also develop essential skills. By matching shapes, identifying colors, and counting up to 50, special needs students can strengthen their cognitive abilities. The game also enhances spatial reasoning as they strategically place their findings. With the flexibility to play solo or with a group, students can enjoy independent play or foster teamwork and cooperation.

Get ready for an epic quest filled with dragons and eggs! In this fun and engaging game, players must carefully remove lizards from the sleeping dragon's back without disturbing the precious eggs. Special needs students will hone their spatial reasoning and fine motor skills as they navigate the delicate task. The game also promotes cooperation and turn-taking, allowing players to learn important social skills while having a roaring good time.

If you're looking for games that include toys for special needs teenagers, Amalgam is a great choice. This game is a bit more complex than others on the list, which means it's more likely to provide your special needs teenager with the challenge they need to feel engaged. Players take on the role of alchemists striving to create the most powerful potion. This game challenges their critical thinking, planning, and memorization skills. By carefully selecting ingredients and outsmarting opponents, special needs teenagers can boost their cognitive abilities and engage in a thrilling competition that keeps them fully immersed.

Prepare for a colorful and fast-paced card game extravaganza! In Corner Center Match, players go head-to-head in a battle to match the corners of their cards to the center card. This exciting game enhances focus, self-control, and matching skills while fostering friendly competition. With two to six players, it's an ideal group activity for special needs students to enjoy together, encouraging social interaction and cooperative play.

Puzzle-solving meets educational exploration in the Our World Puzzle Set! Special needs kids and adults can embark on captivating journeys by assembling US or world maps or exploring the vast wonders of the solar system. These puzzles not only strengthen spatial reasoning and fine motor skills but also impart valuable knowledge about geography and astronomy. When it comes to skill-building activities for adults with disabilities, puzzles are a great choice as they entertain and educate simultaneously.

Mathematics becomes a thrilling adventure with 15 to Zero! Players aim to eliminate their number cards by strategically matching them to the numbers on the dice. This game fosters quick thinking, mental calculations, and number recognition. By infusing an element of competition, it keeps special needs children engaged and motivated to sharpen their mathematical abilities in a fun and interactive way.

Spark Learning and Development with SimplyFun

Special education games are the secret sauce to skill-building and cognitive development. Disability games and activities for adults and children allow them to explore, learn, and conquer new skills. They provide a fun and educational experience, all while promoting social interaction and improving motor skills.

At SimplyFun, we're always innovating to create new and exciting games that challenge and engage minds of all ages in social play. We've combined engaging gameplay with educational content that sparks connections, joy, and a whole lot of laughter!

We have a variety of educational games for all ages and abilities that are perfect for schools or homeschooling. Browse our full collection of games today !

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Looking for fun and educational games for special needs children? Discover our selection of games designed to engage and empower all kids.

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This site would be student and teacher related. 

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Schools can get discounts on the games based on the amount that is purchased and there are grade level packages that can be purchased.

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The website provides videos of how each game is played so a visual aid is available when explaining how to play the game.

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Just received a new SimplyFun game and you're itching to play? Look no further! Check out our How-To-Play Videos to help get you started. Each video shows you what's included in the box, game set up, how to play, as well as a review of the basic game rules. Just what you need to quick start the fun!

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Each SimplyFun educational game has a how-to-play video.

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Each SimplyFun educational game has a quick-start how-to-play video, whether it's a family game, memory game, card game, or strategy game.

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Summary: This website offers games that are specific to children and adults with special needs. The games can help aid in development, communication skills, boost self confidence and foster indolence skills just to name a few. There are descriptions of each game along with which age groups they would benefit best. You can purchase and order the games from this website.

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#2 National Association of Special Education Teachers

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#2 National Association of Special Education Teachers

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Summary: This website helps give guidance to special education teachers and those preparing to be a special education teacher. They offer the ability to create a membership to use resources, follow programs, read publications that will aid the special education teacher in their career. This website aims to help special education teachers be more successful with numerous amounts of helpful assets.

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Special education teachers and those pursuing a special education degree can make a membership for this website with a yearly fee of $59 ($50 for students). Once a membership is created, all resources will be accessible including PowerPoints, lesson plans, and behavior management programs just to name a few.

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* See student progress in real time * Generate IEP reports automatically
Take a moment to review the various e-Publications, professional development and special education resources.

NASET is proud to offer its' members free access to one of the most extensive and comprehensive sources of Professional Development courses available today. With over 100 courses ranging from 1 to 3 hours each, NASET provides it's members the opportunity for over 100 hours of professional development included with your membership in NASET.

Professional Development Courses (101 courses) - Free with Membership!

Board Certification in Special Education establishes a much needed standard for professionals, across disciplines, who work with exceptional children.

NASET provides the multiple areas with valuable information about IEPs. From a ePublication IEP Components to mutlple articles resources, forms, NASET has a wealth of information for the special education professional.

The online Special Educator e-Journal is published monthly throughout the year and provides timely information on what's current in special education.

This list is provided to all members of NASET to help facilitate the numerous tasks required on a daily basis. All documents are available to view online or download as a PDF file for offline printing.

NASET's Week in Review is a weekly emailed publication that provides members with some of the most interesting stories, topics and issues reported during the week in the field of special education.

NASET News Alerts provide the latest special education news as it happens. News Alerts are emailed, posted and through RSS feeds.

This series provides NASET members with an in-depth look at the step-by-step process of assessing students for eligibility and educational placement in special education.

This series is devoted to lesser known disorders that you may encounter in special education. While not as prevalent as other disorders experienced by most special education teachers, you should be aware of these disorders in order to become more knowledgeable, and increase your ability to assist patents of children with these disorders if they should appear in your classroom or school. Each month we will present a list of 3 disorders that appear in the special education population. Some of these disorders may contain subtypes which will also be presented.

The NASET LD Report is an education resource that provides NASET members with a comprehensive overview of learning disabilities. The NASET LD Report covers many areas of study in the field of LD.

The Practical Teacher is a monthly education resource that provides NASET members with practical tools, strategies, and relevant information that they can use both in and outside of the classroom.

Parent Teacher Conference Handouts can be given at the end of parent teacher conferences to reinforce concepts and help parents better understand information discussed at the conference. New additions are added monthly.

The NASET RTI Roundtable is an educational resource that provides members with the latest information on RTI.

The NASET Autism Spectrum Disorder Series is an education resource that focused on the research, writing, and practical information that we have obtained on causes, characteristics, eligibility, assessment, and teaching strategies.

NASET's Behavior Management Series is a unique guide for all teachers in helping to understand what their student's behavior really means and how to identify and resolve the issue. This series offers teachers the insight into the inner dynamics, conflicts, fears, symptoms, tension, and so on of students who may be experiencing difficulty learning or behaving in the classroom.

The Classroom Management Series provide teachers with practical guidelines covering a variety of topics and supportive information which may help improve their classroom.

A Journal of Research Based Articles in Special Education are provided courtesy of The Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals (). Each issue contains articles that are derived from multiple authors and are based upon the latest research in our profession.

This series is devoted exclusively to students with severe disabilities. This series will cover all aspects of students with severe disabilities focusing especially on understanding this population and what skills and information are necessary if you are asked to teach this population of students.

At NASET, we get many questions from our members about certain areas of interest. The NASET Q & A Corner provides all members with the opportunities to have access to these questions, and more importantly, answers to them from professionals in the field.

This series is intended to provide teachers, related service personnel, administrators, and other individuals charged with assisting in the development of the paraprofessional workforce with information and strategies to build strong, effective, supportive teams to ensure successful educational services for all students.

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National Association of Special Education Teachers: Teachers Teaching Exceptional Children

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See student progress in real time * Generate IEP reports automatically Take a moment to review the various e-Publications, professional development and special education resources. NASET is proud to offer its' members free access to one of the most extensive and comprehensive sources of Professional Development courses available today.

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This website includes a career center that helps to find jobs in special education, gives career advice, and allows employers to post jobs on the website.

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Summary: This website is a resource that provides information on autism and how to support and accept it as well as connects users to different resources to aide in the advocation of autism. It gives users an easy way to learn about autism, empowers individuals with autism, and helps families plan and decide the best paths to take with their autistic family member.

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Everyone's story is different.

The experience of Autism is not one thing. It is many things. It's dreams, talents, relationships, victories, hurdles, and everything in between. The connection between those experiences is you.
You break the mold. No matter who you are, the person you are is infinite-and you are the only you there is.

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The experience of Autism is not one thing. It is many things. It's dreams, talents, relationships, victories, hurdles, and everything in between. The connection between those experiences is you. You break the mold. No matter who you are, the person you are is infinite-and you are the only you there is.

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The Autism Society website allows users to fill out a form to get direct support and provides a number to call if in urgent need. It also gives users an outline of how autism can be diagnosed, what the screening is like, and what signs to look for in individuals who may have autism.

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The website gives direction on how to give back and connect with the autism community and provides links to donate funds to the Autism Society.

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1. Home

2. About

3. What is Think College?

Think College provides resources, technical assistance and training related to college options for students with intellectual disability, and manages the only national listing of college programs for students with intellectual disability in the United States.

We are dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving inclusive higher education options for people with intellectual disability. With a commitment to equity and excellence, Think College supports evidence-based and student-centered research and practice by generating and sharing knowledge, guiding institutional change, informing public policy, and engaging with students, professionals and families.

Think College Fact Sheet (downloadable PDF)

We conduct and extend our work through several specific projects, described below.

Current Projects

The National Coordinating Center provides technical assistance, resource development and training related to postsecondary education for students with ID. It offers support, coordination, and evaluation services for Transition and Postsecondary Education Program (TPSID) grantees. The NCC shares resources via several dissemination strategies, including its website, www.thinkcollege.net, social media and a newsletter.
Funded by the Office of Postsecondary Education at the US Department of Education, Grant #P407B200001, FY2021-2025

In collaboration with the Think College National Coordinating Center, The Network disseminates research and best practices related to improving inclusive postsecondary education for students with intellectual disability, helps colleges and universities develop and expand postsecondary education programs; promotes positive academic, social, independent living, and self-advocacy outcomes for students with ID; and supports faculty, campus service providers, and families to meet the needs of students with ID.
Funded by the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education (Grant No.: P407C210001).

The Transition Leadership program is designed to prepare initially or professionally licensed professionals who wish to obtain an education specialist endorsement in transition services. The courses are taught online with an on-site practicum and strong mentoring relationships. Scholarships are available to scholars who support students identified as having low-incidence disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, autism, sensory impairments, and traumatic brain injury.
Funded by Office of Special Education Programs at the US Department of Education, Grant #H325K160082

FQI-E is an engaging game-based online curriculum focusing on college and career awareness using the evidenced-based "Possible Selves" framework to support improved self-concept, social and emotional competence, and early college and career awareness for elementary students in grades 3-5 with and without disabilities.
Funded by the Federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) 2018-2023

This project examines the composition and impact of existing transition practices via a series of research studies that will involve secondary analysis of two national datasets.
Funded by Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), Special Education Research Grants competition, Award number: R324A190085

​

Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment (MAICEI) (2007-current).

Provision of training and technical assistance to MAICEI grantees that support students with ID in going to college. Developed online training materials and provided customized technical assistance for MAICEI grantees.
Funded by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

Past Projects

Future Quest assists all middle school students to prepare for high school and postsecondary education and employment after high school. Future Quest's online activities promote student self-advocacy, self-exploration, organization, and technology literacy skills.
Funded by the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Grant #H327510012.

vrpracticesandyouth.org
This study looks at the role and impact of vocational rehabilitation (VR) in inclusive higher education for youth with intellectual disability and autism.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Grant Number: 90RT5034-02-01

The Think College Transition Project is developing and implementing an inclusive dual-enrollment transition model designed to improve achievement and post-school outcomes for youth with intellectual disabilities and autism.
Funded by US Department of Education, Investing in Innovation funds, with matching funds from the Peter and Elizabeth Tower Foundation.

College-Career Connection Model demonstration OSEP (1997-2001)

Worked with five Community Colleges (Holyoke, Quinsigamond, Massasoit, Bunker Hill and Roxbury CC) in Massachusetts to develop an inclusive model for transition services for students with intellectual disability age 18 - 22 years old in authentic inclusive higher education options.
Funded by the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs

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Home About What is Think College? Think College provides resources, technical assistance and training related to college options for students with intellectual disability, and manages the only national listing of college programs for students with intellectual disability in the United States. We are dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving inclusive higher education options for people with intellectual disability.

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Summary: Think College is a website that gives students with special needs the resources, guidance, training, and assistance in getting into college and choosing the right fit. It manages a list of college programs designed for students with learning disabilities and helps connects students to find the correct fit. Think College also works to help improve higher education options for students with special needs.

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Think College provides helpful information for younger students about college as well. They've created a program called Future Quest Island Exploration that is an online program for students in grades 3-5. It provides college and career awareness through a gaming system where students get to learn what college could be like and motivates students to get there. This is a program that is part of the Think College website.

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The website provides resources for students and families such as how to find the right college near you, what colleges align with the major of interest, how to get financial aid and scholarships, as well as college coaching and mentoring once a college is chosen.

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Support for Parents of Children with Disabilities

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At Parent to Parent USA, when someone asks what we do, we say we empower and support parents, nationwide.

Why? Because we understand being a parent of a child with special needs can be a challenge - we've been there!

The journey is filled with hills and valleys and sometimes feels a little overwhelming. So, we're driven to ensure no parent feels alone. Ever.

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Home - Support for Parents of Children with Disabilities

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Parent to Parent USA provides emotional & informational support for families of children who have special needs.

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Summary: Parent to Parent USA provides support to families of individuals with learning disabilities or special health needs. It helps connect these families all throughout the US and gives support, training, and tools and resources to them. Through this website, all but nine states have a Parent to Parent Organizations registered and that families can connect with in order to get one on one support and guidance.

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The website allows people of the right criteria to become members of a Parent to Parent program. A member of this program is the one who gives emotional support and guidance to a parent of their assigned state. There are membership options to join such as member, partner, friend, or champion.

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Families can access news and upcoming events of Parent to Parent USA as well as helpful articles, links, and videos created by the organization.

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This website would be disability related. 

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This website would be disability related. 

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Summary: This website is dedicated to providing families, teachers, and/or students with information about ADHD. There are links to articles and videos about the conditions as well as numerous informative pages to view in order for the user to educate themselves more on the condition.

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On ADDitudemag.org, you can learn the symptoms of ADHD and how to get tested as well as find the best treatments to manage it. The website offers medication reviews, therapy recommendations and, natural remedies for users to look into.

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There are sections of the website dedicated for parents and professionals (teachers) to learn about the condition and how to assist a child or student with it in the best way.

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See what NCLD has been advocating for and get the most recent news on learning and attention issues.

Tell Congress: Pass the RISE Act

We need your help! Ask your member of Congress to support students with learning and attention issues.

Support NCLD

Thanks to support from generous partners like you, we are able to create programs and resources to support the 1 in 5 individuals with learning and attention issues nationwide.

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See what NCLD has been advocating for and get the most recent news on learning and attention issues. We need your help! Ask your member of Congress to support students with learning and attention issues. Thanks to support from generous partners like you, we are able to create programs and resources to support the 1 in 5 individuals with learning and attention issues nationwide.

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This website would be teacher and parent related. 

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This website would be teacher and parent related. 

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Summary: The National Center for Learning Disabilities is an informative website that educated users on learning disabilities and how to advocate for people that are working through them. The center advocates for students with learning disabilities to be provided the education they deserve and works to help students, parents, and teachers achieve this.

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The website offers multiple resources for users to study. These resources are segmented based on who they would benefit most: parents and caregivers, young adults, educators, and LD Champions.

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Website users can download their state's Specific Learning Disability state snapshot to gain more information on how their state is progressing with students with learning disabilities.

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Do2Learn began in 1996 through a National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovative Research grant. Our team searches out the most talented and creative teachers and clinicians across the world. These gifted individuals work with our technical experts to transfer their knowledge into formats that we can make available to you.
Since beginning, we have grown into a world-wide resource with over 11 million hits a month. While based in North Carolina, approximately half of our users are from outside of the U.S. Thousands of sites link to us and we can be easily found on most search engines using topics such as 'picture cards', 'facial expressions', and 'job tips'. We hope you find our resources helpful and pass on our link to others.
We believe that simply telling busy teachers, parents, and professionals what they should be doing is not enough. If we explain how to devise a visual communication system using picture cards, we provide free cards to get you started.

When we present the Teacher Toolbox on how to adapt a classroom for children with special needs, we provide resources for behavior management plans, literacy tools, and the materials to create everything in your classroom.

Our approach is to use the latest technology and expert guidance to create innovative and usable solutions.

Learn about DiagnoseFirst, our newest project to help teachers and clinicians recognize the symptoms of ASD.

Pre-employment screening assessments are online or paper tests that some companies require applicants to complete during the application process. Read more about JobTIPS Student Version!

JobTIPS Toolbox PRO is filled with resources to help you coach your students through the challenges of assessing their skills, finding and applying for jobs, and practicing the social skills needed to do well in the workplace.

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picture exchange communication system cards

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Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs

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picture communication cards, songs, games and learning activities for autism, aspergers, fetal alcohol syndrome and disabilities

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This website would be student and teacher related. 

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This website would be student and teacher related. 

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Summary: Do2Learn is an educational resources for students and teachers to use. The website provides tons of free pages of activities, songs, games, etc. that help students with disabilities regulate behaviors, gain social skills, learn academic material, and even help them prepare for future employment. The website is a great resource because it provides activities that are specially made by professionals for students with disabilities.

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The work pages, games, and songs are broken down into three categories based on what the student needs to work on. The categories are academics, social skills, behavior management, and picture cards (visuals for students to follow instead of reading or listening to certain directions).

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The website also offers handbooks and pages for teachers to follow to help them education students with special needs.

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#4 Literacy and Reading for Students with Disabilities 

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#4 Literacy and Reading for Students with Disabilities 

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The website has three tabs that give the teacher access to communication, access to writing, and access to reading. Each of these tabs provide different ways that a teacher can adjust their teaching methods to help students with disabilities understand communicating, writing, or reading better. There are different strategies shown and different techniques that a teacher can follow based on what the student needs.

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Literacy Instruction for
Students with Significant Disabilities

"A book isn't a book, nor a pencil a pencil, if a student isn't able to use it.
We need to adapt or create tools for literacy learning that students with physical impairments can hold, students with sensory impairments can see or hear, students with intellectual impairments can understand, and all students are motivated to use."
-Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver

What do we mean by 'access to books'?

Physical access to books can be a barrier for some students with significant disabilities. For some learners, physically holding a book and turning its pages may be difficult or impossible as might hearing and/or seeing books. Some learners may require page fluffers to turn pages, digital books on a device that allow the user to touch to turn the page or use a switch to turn pages.

For learners with vision loss, being able to see the print and illustrations may be a barrier. They may require tactile illustrations, magnified text, brailled or audio books to access content.

Which students would benefit from alternative access to books?

have difficulty holding a book or turning the pages

use switch access

are blind or visually impaired

How can we create alternative access to books for students?

As we consider the ways in which to create or adapt tools, we need to keep in mind why the student is reading the book. Is the primary goal to access content or is it to develop print awareness and reading fluency? For example, an audio book without an accessible print or Braille version provides important access to the story itself for a student who has visual impairments, but doesn't provide the opportunity to develop print awareness or reading fluency.

Books can be adapted in a variety of ways to increase access for students with disabilities and to allow them to explore text more independently. Common adaptations include:

Increased durability

When students read on their own, their books sometimes require protection from over-handling.

Board book makeover
There are an increasing variety of titles available as board books, but the content is seldom age-respectful for older students. One possible solution to this is to make your own board boards for or with your students. Repurpose 'old' board books by replacing illustrations with relevant photos and adding and text that would be more appropriate and of interest to your students.

Laminate pages of paper books
Tear apart a commercial book and laminate each page. After each page is laminated, lay the first page against the second and use wide clear strapping tape to secure them together. Turn the second page and lay the third against it, taping where the pages meet. Continue until all pages are taped. Place the covers face down, leaving a slight gap between them, and tape. Now lay the taped pages inside the covers and tape at the binding. Use clear contact paper to cover the outside of the book and strengthen the binding.

Use page protectors
Cut apart books (or make your own) and insert them into plastic page protectors. To make pages even more secure and protected, seal the open end with clear strapping tape.

Facilitate page turning

Sometimes books need to accommodate for fine motor challenges in order to be more accessible.

Page Fluffers
Page fluffers are simple adaptations made to books or other reading material that make pages more accessible to turn. A 'fluffer' is glued, taped, or clipped to the corner of each page. The fluffer puts spaces between each page allowing those with limited fine motor skills to get their fingers between each page. Page fluffers are helpful in fostering independent literacy skills.

Page fluffers are placed on the top of the first page, a little bit lower on the second page, lower on the third page and so on. When you reach the bottom of the page you start over at the top of the next page.

You may want to make permanent page fluffers or temporary fluffers depending on your students' needs and who owns the book:

Permanent Page Fluffers
* Peel and stick Velcro
* Rubber weather stripping with peel and stick adhesive back
* Picture frame peel and stick dots
* Beads of dried fun foam
* Beads of dried puff paint
* Hot glue dots
* Foam of any type cut in 1 inch squares and hot glued
* Pieces of sponge
* Packaging peanuts
* Popsicle sticks applied so that one end sticks out beyond the pages like tabs
* Peel and stick furniture protectors
* Bottle caps
* Rubber weather stripping
* Round felt furniture leg or tabletop protectors
* Paper clips with beads threaded through to add more bulk
* A magnet attached to a glove, sweat band, or head stick to grab metal paper clips attached to each page

Removable page fluffers
1. Clip a paper clip on a small piece (1"x1") of sturdy tag board or card stock.
2. Glue a fluffer (e.g., foam, felt or any of the permanent page fluffer items) to one side of the tag board.
3. Clip the material on the page for an easy non-permanent solution.

Tactual books

To foster literacy learning for students who are blind or who are deaf-blind, add texture to book pages. Add soft fabric to pictures of clothing people are wearing or faux fur to animals. Puffy paint or glue can outline objects so students can feel their shape. You can also add miniature objects or charms with glue. There are many craft items available that are replications of objects that can be used to provide tactile information.

Tactual book kit directions
The books described in the resource below have been brailled and adapted with tactuals. The books in this resource are appropriate for all students, but have been specifically adapted for students with the most significant disabilities, including deaf-blindness. This resource contains a materials shopping list and a page-by-page description for making your own.
https://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/clds/resources/tactual-book-kit-directions

Telling Stories Through Touch
Telling Stories Through Touch is designed to help you consider the best way in which to communicate ideas and stories through touch. Simple examples and illustrations are provided, which will offer some inspiration and ideas for you to expand upon.
http://www.tactilebooks.org/making/telling-touch.pdf

Tactile Books Advancement Group (TBAG)
Making tactile books for children is not as challenging as you may think, and to make it even easier this site has collected lots of information and resources to help you in your task.
http://www.tactilebooks.org/making/index.html

Switch access

There are many switches available that can be used to provide access to individuals who are unable to hold a book or turn pages. When an appropriate switch, switch site and set up (which may or may not include specialized mounting equipment, seating and multiple switches) is identified, a student will be able, at a minimum, turn the pages of a book on his or her own.

If a student is able to access more than one switch, some digital books like those found on Tarheel Reader, will allow individuals to perform multiple functions like selecting their own books, turning pages forward and back, and rating books via switch scanning. An occupational therapist and/or an assistive technology specialist can assist in determining where to start with switch access for an individual student.

Tar Heel Reader
Tar Heel Reader is a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches. With registration, students can also write their own books.

Examples of switch access

Digital books

Please see Self-Selected Reading under the Emergent or Conventional Literacy tabs.

Support for Implementation

The resources found on this site were developed by the ERLC, a member of Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia (ARPDC), as a result of grants from Alberta Education, to support implementation.

Learning for All | Copyright © 2016
Terms of Use | Contact Us

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Access to books | Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities

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Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities "A book isn't a book, nor a pencil a pencil, if a student isn't able to use it. We need to adapt or create tools for literacy learning that students with physical impairments can hold, students with sensory impairments can see or hear, students with intellectual impairments can understand, and all students are motivated to use."

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Summary: Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities is a website that offers instructions, research-based strategies, and information on how to teach students with disabilities how to read, write, and communicate. The information and strategies shared on the web page are based off The Four Blocks Literacy Framework developed by Dr. Patricia Cunnnigham and Dr. Dorothy Hall.

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There are also tabs for emergent literacy and conventional literacy for teachers to look into based on what they are trying to improve with their students.

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This website would be disability related. 

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This website would be disability related. 

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Summary: The American Printing House is a website that provides people with visual impairments along with educators and family members the tools and information needed to cope as well as succeed with vision loss. It brings awareness to the disability and provides technologies that can help assist people read, communicate, and learn despite being visually impaired.

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The website offers educational resources to assist with every subject being taught in a typical school curriculum. You can purchase different tools and kits based on what needs to be taught that will help students with visual impairments understand the concept without being able to see.

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The website also offers products that can be used around a school or place of work that makes it more accessible for the individuals with visual impairments. You can purchase braille, accessible audio tools, and navigation tools that can make the environment more accessible.

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We are happy to announce the newly elected members of the NAGC Board of Directors and Network Chair-Elects! More: https://nagc.org/blogpost/2061726/511688/2025-NAGC-Election-Results

We are happy to announce the newly elected members of the NAGC Board of Directors and Network Chair-Elects! More: https://nagc.org/blogpost/2061726/511688/2025-NAGC-Election-Results

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National Association for Gifted Children | NAGC

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NAGC is the nation's leading organization focused on the needs of gifted and talented children. Dedicated to uplifting and empowering those who support children with advanced abilities, NAGC provides energizing professional learning, impactful research, and inspiring advocacy to ensure all children have equitable opportunities and support to develop their gifts and talents.

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This website would be student or teacher related.

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Summary: This website focuses on uplifting and advocating for talented or gifted students. It helps educate professionals on how to work with gifted children and works to ensure they get the appropriate support and opportunities they deserve. This website is a great tool to learn more about gifted children and how their abilities need to be noticed or recognized in the classroom.

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There is a list of links and resources for schools, programs, camps and enrichment activities for gifted and talented students and teachers to look into. The website also provides a career center for teachers to explore if they are looking for a profession in working with gifted children.

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The latest news on the progress of gifted children advocacy is provided as well as dates and times for events related to gifted children.

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Save formatted documents to district-wide and personal libraries for easy access to goals & objectives.

Fully integrate with Student Information Systems like OnHand Schools EdInsight Performance Suite and many more.

Customize special education and gifted programs with intuitive modules such as: Section 504, IDEA Child Count reporting, PIMS, Child Accounting, Progress Monitoring, and STaR.

IEPWriter™ allows LEAs to securely write IEPs, evaluation reports, behavioral improvement plans, letters, and more. Each step of the IEP process is covered in one, web-based solution. Built for our clients - based on collaboration and feedback with clients.

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IEPWriter.com - IEP & Special Education Management Software

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IEPWriter.com by Leader Services is a comprehensive web-based Individualized Education Program software application to bridge the gap between data management and special education students.

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Summary: This website helps develop IEPs and breaks down the process of creating one. By using this website, teachers can organize important documents and clearly lay out goals and objectives for the student in an easy process. It takes away the stress and unknown of writing an IEP and lay out all the steps that need to be taken.

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Online training is available and schools can purchase a package so all teachers are able to use the website to create their IEPs if needed.

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An SIS bridge is used to link the IEP writer to the district's Student Information System.

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This website is teacher and school related. 

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This website is teacher and school related. 

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Summary: EPIC Special Education Staffing is a website that helps connection special education teachers or clinicians with appropriate school districts that are in need of educators. They match educators and clinicians up with the schools that fit them best to create a good match in order to increase retention rate, help schools with staffing difficulties, and assist special educations teachers find the perfect job.

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The website can help connect speech language pathologists, physical therapists, school psychologists, special education teachers, occupational therapists, and even school nurses to school districts that are in need.

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This website isn't just for people looking for a job in special education. It is also used for schools to find people that fit their district best when they are in need. The website will assist with setting up interviews and help the school through the hiring process.

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Welcome to the OT Toolbox Hi, I'm Colleen! From an OT making $3/hour to an online OT serving millions around the world... After working in the occupational therapy field for many years, I had started a family. By the time my third baby was born (I now have four kids!), I was looking for childcare ...

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This website would be teacher or disability related.

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This website would be teacher or disability related.

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Summary: The OT toolbox provides tools for occupational therapy activities for teachers, parents, and occupational therapists. It provides great activities to target certain areas in OT that a child may need help with. There are tools for executive functioning, fine motor skills, functioning skills, hand writing, sensory, and vision.

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You can purchase some activities or lesson plans like you would on Teacher Pay Teacher. However, these lessons are directed towards fine motor skills and other occupational therapy aspects.

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The website also provides courses for teachers to take that can help them get a better understanding of a certain area in occupational therapy. These courses are free and can really help teachers assist their students with their certain needs.

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What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, that results in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia often experience difficulties with both oral and written other language skills, such as writing, and pronouncing words and writing. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person's life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed without phonics-based reading instruction that is unavailable in most public schools.. In its more severe forms, a student with dyslexia may qualify for special education with specially designed instruction, and as appropriate, accommodations.
What causes dyslexia?
The exact causes of dyslexia are still not completely clear, but anatomical and brain imagery studies show differences in the way the brain of a person with dyslexia develops and functions. Moreover, most people with dyslexia have been found to have difficulty with identifying the separate speech sounds within a word and/or learning how letters represent those sounds, a key factor in their reading difficulties. Dyslexia is not due to either lack of intelligence or desire to learn; with appropriate teaching methods, individuals with dyslexia can learn successfully.
What are the effects of dyslexia?
The impact that dyslexia has is different for each person and depends on the severity of the condition and the effectiveness of instruction or remediation. The core difficulty is with reading words and this is related to difficulty with processing and manipulating sounds. Some individuals with dyslexia manage to learn early reading and spelling tasks, especially with excellent instruction, but later experience their most challenging problems when more complex language skills are required, such as grammar, understanding textbook material, and writing essays.

People with dyslexia can also have problems with spoken language, even after they have been exposed to good language models in their homes and good language instruction in school. They may find it difficult to express themselves clearly, or to fully comprehend what others mean when they speak. Such language problems are often difficult to recognize, but they can lead to major problems in school, in the workplace, and in relating to other people. The effects of dyslexia can reach well beyond the classroom.

Dyslexia can also affect a person's self-image. Students with dyslexia often end up feeling less intelligent and less capable than they actually are. After experiencing a great deal of stress due to academic problems, a student may become discouraged about continuing in school.
Are there other learning disabilities besides dyslexia?
Dyslexia is one type of learning disability. Other learning disabilities besides Dyslexia include the following:

Dyscalculia - a mathematical disability in which a person has unusual difficulty solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts.

Dysgraphia - a condition of impaired letter writing by hand-disabled handwriting. Impaired handwriting can interfere with learning to spell words in writing and speed of writing text. Children with dysgraphia may have only impaired handwriting, only impaired spelling (without reading problems), or both impaired handwriting and impaired spelling.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders (ADHD) can and do impact learning but they are not learning disabilities. An individual can have more than one learning or behavioral disability. In various studies as many as 50% of those diagnosed with a learning or reading disability have also been diagnosed with ADHD. Although disabilities may co-occur, one is not the cause of the other.

How common are language-based learning disabilities? 15-20% of the population has a language-based learning disability. Of the students with specific learning disabilities receiving special education services, 70-80% have deficits in reading. Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties. Dyslexia affects males and females nearly equally as well as, people from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds nearly equally.

Can individuals who have dyslexia learn to read? Yes. If children who have dyslexia receive effective phonological awareness and phonics training in Kindergarten and 1st grade, they will have significantly fewer problems in learning to read at grade level than do children who are not identified or helped until 3rd grade. 74% of the children who are poor readers in 3rd grade remain poor readers in the 9th grade, many because they do not receive appropriate Structured Literacy instruction with the needed intensity or duration. Often they can't read well as adults either. It is never too late for individuals with dyslexia to learn to read, process, and express information more efficiently. Research shows that programs utilizing Structured Literacy instructional techniques can help children and adults learn to read.
How do people "get" dyslexia?
The causes for dyslexia are neurobiological and genetic. Individuals inherit the genetic links for dyslexia. Chances are that one of the child's parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles has dyslexia. Dyslexia is not a disease. With proper diagnosis, appropriate instruction, hard work, and support from family, teachers, friends, and others, individuals who have dyslexia can succeed in school and later as working adults.

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Frequently Asked Questions - International Dyslexia Association

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This website would be disability related. 

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This website would be disability related. 

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Summary: This website provides in depth information about the disability of dyslexia. It is a great resource for parents, teachers, and students to use in order to gain more information about what the disability is, the signs and symptoms of it, how to get tested, and answers most questions that go along with the disability. The website provides a great number of additional resources to use in order to gain more information about dyslexia.

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The website provides information for teachers to learn how to educate students with dyslexia and different programs they can join. There are also materials for teachers to use in the classroom when working with dyslexic students.

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Conference and workshop dates, times, and links are given on the website for teachers and parents to take part in to learn more about dyslexia.

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This website would be disability related. 

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This website would be disability related. 

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Summary: This website focuses on the speech disorder of Apraxia. It is a place for parents and teachers to learn more about the disorder, and connects them with groups and specialists to help children with the disorder. It also provides helpful resources to help learn more about the disorder as well as provides guidance in developing IEP plans for children with Apraxia.

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The website provides resources to help parents find local speech therapists and gives background information and links for technology developments to help people with Apraxia.

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Through the website, parents can access webinars to learn more about Apraxia, how to raise a child with it, and how to navigate their child's education. Parents also can learn about conferences on the speech disorder as well as join support groups with other parents of children with Apraxia.

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#2 Strategies for Working with Exceptional Children

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#2 Strategies for Working with Exceptional Children

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Council for Exceptional Children | The premier association for special education professionals

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The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)'s Partner Solutions Directory is an online resource for special education products, services, and programming support! Search for a topic and quickly receive a list of partners who provide products, services, or programming supporting your work and career.
View More Partner Solutions

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Council for Exceptional Children | The premier association for special education professionals

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The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.

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Summary: The Council for Exceptional Children is a great website that provides teachers guidance on teaching exceptional children as well as how to follow the rules and guidelines of exceptional children education. The website provides numerous amounts of resources for teachers to use and allows them to join groups and connect with other professionals to learn and build off each other. Teachers can learn through blog posts, books, journal articles, and webinars all provided on the website.