What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? According to the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD): “Autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are general terms for a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders. The new diagnostic classification system (DSM-5, May 2013) combines the previous subcategories of autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, childhood…
Transition into adulthood is difficult for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and their families. The parents of teenagers and adults with ASD have special worries: Now that my child is out of school, are there ASD services available to meet my child’s needs as he/she gets older? Will I have input into the ASD…
Reaching Families with Special Needs. LifeLine will be presenting a complete series of workshops over the next year that will equip you to advocate for your child. These training opportunities will help you better understand special education proceedings and other service delivery systems. Parent Mentor Certification consists of a minimum number of hours of training…
An intensive language-based early intervention, pre-readiness and kindergarten program. Serves children with a diversity of language needs in an inclusive comprehensive program with typically developing children. Our program provides a nurturing learning environment that enhances the child’s development in the following areas: read more…
Providing compassionate, personalized professional behavioral health services to strengthen children, their families and communities. Scarab Behavioral Health Services provides customized behavioral health services to children and youth ages 2 through 18 read more…
Instilling inspiration and empowerment, while enhancing the lives of children with serious illnesses. The goal of CCK is to uplift children who have life-threatening illnesses by creating experiences year-round that are memorable, exciting, fun, build self-esteem, are physically safe and medically sound. No child or family will pay to attend camp. The camp is funded…
This guide has different toys that are more useful for special needs children. There are toys for the development of skills: auditory, creativity, fine motor, gross motor, language, self-esteem, social skills, tactile, thinking, and visual. This complimentary, one-of-a-kind resource speaks to a child’s individual needs and offers qualified toys recommendations based on research from the…
The Tennessee Disability Coalition is an alliance of organizations and individuals joined to promote the full and equal participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of life. The Coalition and its member organizations represent Tennesseans of every age, economic background, political persuasion and disability. Some are disability-specific groups like the Autism Society of Middle…
Vanderbilt University helps families with disabilities and children with siblings with disabilities. They provide information on positive aspects, challenging aspects, questions about the child with a disability, questions about one’s parents, read more…
The Project SEARCH High School Transition Program is a unique, business led, one year school-to-work program that takes place entirely at the workplace. Total workplace immersion facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite rotations. The goal for each student participant is competitive employment. Read more…
