Supporting Toddlers in the Disability Community

[Image Description: This image shows hemp with five clothes pins attached to it hanging down and across from a ceiling in a classroom. There is one autism awareness infinity symbol craft attached to each clothes pin. The infinity symbols are each white paper cut-outs with several red, yellow, dark green, and light blue paper cut-out puzzle pieces glued on each. These crafts were made by my former toddler students in my former 12-24 month old classroom for World Autism Day in 2021.]





CONTENT WARNING: I would like to mention that I am not a medical professional. All content posted on my disability advocate/teacher influencer page is for educational purposes only based on my personal experiences with no intent to provide any professional services. Social media should never be used as a substitute for mental nor medical health care advice. If you suspect that you or any loved ones are experiencing any medical health concerns, it is okay to get help, and I highly recommend seeking help from a medical professional who is qualified to do so.





    There are people of all ages in the disability community including babies. The legal age range that is considered a baby varies in different states and countries. In the state of Pennsylvania, the legal age range that is considered a baby is birth to three years old. PA's age range of infants is birth to twelve months old or up to fourteen months old in some other states and countries. PA's age range of toddlers is twelve months to three years old or four to five years old in some states and countries. Some disabilities can be diagnosed at birth or eighteen months old. Signs can even start to show up as early as six months old or at birth. While there are certain things that are typical for all toddlers' development, "it's the frequency and intensity of these things that's important to remember" (Kapur 2023). In fact, disability is the only minority group that anyone can join at any time because anyone can potentially become disabled or develop or be diagnosed with a disability at any time. The following list contains the thirteen disability categories listed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):
  1. Specific learning disability (SLD) (not eligible to diagnose until the school age years)
  2. Other Health Impairment (OHI)
  3. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
  4. Emotional Disturbance (ED)
  5. Speech or Language Impairment (SLI)
  6. Visual Impairment (VI) including blindness
  7. Deafness
  8. Hearing Impairment (HI)
  9. Deaf-Blindness (DB)
  10. Orthopedic Impairment (OI)
  11. Intellectual Disability (ID)
  12. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
  13. Multiple Disabilities (MD)


Related Links:


Symptoms of Disabilities in the Toddler Years:
    Authorities recommend getting children accurately diagnosed with disabilities/as disabled as young as possible because it "will help you get hooked up with programs and resources that can help" along with early intervention and care (pg. 259, Jones 2011). Research studies have shown that "early involvement can significantly enhance a child's developmental possibilities" (Kapur 2023). There are many laws that protect individuals of all ages in the disability community. The most well-known federal education law is IDEA. IDEA was passed in 2004 and requires that all infants, children, and youth in the disability community have the right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE), related services, and that their accommodations, modifications, and Specially Designed Instructions (SDIs) be followed. IDEA also "requires that children under six years old who have or are at risk of developing school-related problems be screened for potential disabilities. Part C of IDEA provides the federal mandate for services for young children from birth to three years old who are at risk for developmental delays or disabilities" (pg. 260, Jones 2011). In addition, Part B of IDEA provides the federal mandate for students in the disability community ages three to twenty-two years old in Pennsylvania and ages three to twenty-one years old in most other states.

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 36 children have autism/Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) "with numbers expected to continue rising" (pg. 257, Jones 2011; CDC 2023). In addition, developmental experts are working hard to "identify signs of autism earlier to help improve children's long-term outcomes" (pg. 258, Jones 2011). In fact, signs of autism/ASD can appear as early as six months old in the infant years and early toddler years. Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that "all clients between ages of 18-24 months old be screened for autism" (pg. 258, Jones 2011). However, not all but "many children do not receive a diagnosis until the age of two or three" (Hobbs 2024). The symptoms of autism that are appearing in infants and toddlers are babies include the following:
  • No response or limited responses to "social cues like cooing or gestures such as waving and clapping" by 12 months old (Hobbs 2024)
  • Limited or no babbling by 12 months old
  • Difficulty engaging in following their parent's gaze and look in the same direction at 8 months old
  • Difficulty following a parent's finger no matter how hard the parent tries to engage their child's attention at 10-12 months old
  • Pointing at things independently not until 12-14 months old accompanied by expressive sounds such as /uh/ or actual words
  • Trying to lead their parent to the object without back-and-forth glancing as part of nonverbal communication
  • Suddenly or gradually stops gesturing, waving, pointing, shaking their head, or responding to praise
  • Limited eye contact
  • Difficulty with comprehending nonverbal communication, especially the meaning of different types of body language, gestures, and written communication
  • Limited smiling or facial expressions
  • Aware of certain sounds while unresponsive to human voices
  • Mild speech delays
  • Difficulty with articulation
  • No verbal skills or limited verbal skills
  • Difficulty with finding the words to communicate what they want to say
  • Difficulty with initiating and continuing social interactions and play with other children and people
  • Preference for being alone, solitary play, or parallel play
  • Difficulty with or lack of interest for initiating and maintaining friendships
  • Difficulty with comprehending and following directions, expectations, and requirements that may be simple for other people to follow, such as "Show me the pillow" or "Sit down"
  • Difficulty with comprehending teasing and age-associated humor
  • Had age-associated language skills but suddenly stopped speaking between the ages of 15-24 months old also known as regression
  • Shows atypical developmental patterns
  • Sensitive to certain sounds, touches, textures, the sight of bright colors or flashing or fluorescent light, tastes, and/or smells also known as sensory overload
  • Difficulty with transitions or "changes in daily routines" (pg. 261, Jones 2011)
  • Difficulty with self-regulation
  • Difficulty with "interpreting tone of voice" (Kapur 2023)
  • Difficulty with showing empathy
  • Difficulty with understanding personal space
  • Unfiltered responses to questions, directions, and/or statements
  • Impulsivity
  • Aggression
  • Difficulty with connecting actions to potential consequences
  • Difficulty with sharing and turn taking
  • Difficulty with paying attention
  • Repetitive movements such rocking oneself, flapping arms or hands, toe walking, and/or twirls, spins, manipulates, and/or lining up objects in atypical or ritualistic ways also known as stimming
  • Using words, phrases, or sounds repeatedly also known as echolalia
  • Getting fixated also known as "stuck" or ruminating about small details
  • Intense interest in certain objects, songs, or other topics
  • Self-harm, such as head banging, nail, lip, and/or skin biting, or hitting
  • Difficulty with fine motor skills, such as "holding and grasping onto objects" (Hobbs 2024)
  • Difficulty with gross motor skills, such as "delayed crawling," standing, balance, hand-eye coordination (Hobbs 2024)

Emotional disturbances are labeled under the mental health category. Some of the symptoms of emotional disturbances include exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance:
  • Lack of ability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or other health factors
  • Lack of ability to build and maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers
  • Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under typical circumstances
  • A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
  • A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems
  • Difficulty with transitions or changes in daily routines


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    When a person has an intellectual disability (ID) (formerly known as "mental retardation"), they have "significant below average Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of 70-75" (pg. 262, Jones 2011). Usually, intellectual disabilities affect the chromosomes of individuals diagnosed with them resulting in missing or extra chromosomes and are always present at birth. Some intellectual disabilities include
  • Down Syndrome
  • Fragile X Syndrome
  • Williams Syndrome
  • Phenylketonuria (PKU)
  • Angelman Syndrome
  • Turner Syndrome
  • Prader-Willi Syndrome
    Down Syndrome is the most common intellectual disability, and the three types of Down Syndrome include trisomy 21 (the most common type of Down Syndrome), translocation Down Syndrome, and mosaic Down Syndrome (physical features that are less prominent and higher IQ). Although physical features tend to be part of many intellectual disabilities, it is possible for people to have less prominent or no physical features that make their intellectual disabilities obvious.


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    Multiple disabilities mean just what the term says - when a person has one or more disabilities, such as an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or an intellectual disability and an orthopedic impairment.

    Orthopedic impairments are severe to the point where it affects a person's educational performance. Orthopedic impairments are "caused by congenital anomaly, those caused by disease (Example: poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis) and from other causes such as cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures" (pg. 262, Jones 2011). Orthopedic impairments usually affect the physical abilities of individuals who have this disability.

    OHIs are "chronic or acute health problems that affect a student's educational performance" (pg. 263, Jones 2011). Symptoms of OHI include but are not limited to "having limited strength, vitality, or alertness including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli that affects the educational environment" (pg. 263, Jones 2011). Health conditions in this category include the following:
  • Asthma
  • Diabetes
  • Epilepsy
  • Heart condition
  • Hemophilia
  • Lead poisoning
  • Leukemia
  • Nephritis
  • Rheumatic fever
  • Sickle cell anemia
  • Tourette's Syndrome


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    Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) are the same thing as brain damage. TBIs are caused by an external physical force resulting in total or partial functioning disability, psychosocial impairment, or both. TBIs result in the individuals with it experiencing "impairments in cognition, language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgement, problem-solving, sensory, perpetual, and motor abilities, psychosocial behaviors, physical functions, information processing, and speech" (pg. 263, Jones 2011).

    Another essential concern that is not a disability but causes developmental concerns in early childhood is developmental delays. When a child has a developmental delay, they may lack some of the skills in their speech-language development, physical development, social-emotional development, or cognitive development that is typically expected by a certain age. Developmental delays may also appear as struggling so much in a developmental area or more than one area of development so much to the point that they are developmentally behind compared to the rest of their peers who are their age. Developmental delays mostly occur in the years of "birth to three years old"; however, it is possible for school-aged children to have developmental delays as well, mostly occurring up until "nine years old" (pg. 261, Jones 2011).


Causes:
    Each person in the disability community experiences their disability differently. Some individuals may have all of the same exact symptoms as each other while some other individuals may have completely different symptoms. Some individuals may also experience less obvious symptoms of their disabilities, which are invisible disabilities in this case. All disabilities are ranged from either profound, severe, mild, moderate, or minor. Some symptoms of certain types of disabilities, especially autism, are more common than others. While the exact cause of any disabilities is unknown, there are several potential causes that scientists have discovered, such as "suggestions that it might be caused by genetics" (pg. 257, Jones 2011). Two other well-known "theoretical causes of autism" are "something that happens in their environment and atypical head growth, which is being studied" (pg. 257, Jones 2011). To elaborate, "researchers have observed that babies who were later diagnosed with autism may be born with smaller-than-average head circumferences, but the great majority of those children experienced a period of atypically rapid head growth between ages one to fourteen months old. It's important, to note, though that this head growth pattern was also found in six percent of children without autism/nonautistic children. It is thought that identifying these growth patterns early in life could be useful in getting an earlier diagnosis, when interventions have the most impact" (pg. 257, Jones 2011). Researchers do not know what the exact triggers are yet. According to research, the "most believed theoretical causes of autism" are "mercury (thimerosal), exposure in vaccines or exposure to other environmental toxins, genetic mutations, or an interaction between inborn vulnerability and environmental factors" along with "medications, maternal infections, or pregnancy complications" (pg. 257, Jones 2011; Kapur 2023).


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Related Services and Special Education:
    The related services program that the majority of young children from birth to three years in the disability community and with developmental delays receive is called Early Intervention (EI) and/or other related services. Basically, the EI therapists, the children, and their families work on the developmental areas that the children are struggling with to help them thrive at school, home, their communities, and daily life. Sessions with EI therapists can occur during home visits and/or at school. In addition, "parents/guardians and caregivers need extra support to understand how to best meet their children's unique needs. Early intervention can reduce or even eliminate the need for more intensive services later" if necessary (Zero to Three 2017). An early intervention evaluation under Part C of IDEA can be requested by parents/guardians to find out if their infant or toddler "qualifies for services" (Zero to Three 2018). Parents/guardians are legally required to sign a form providing consent for each service that their child receives through EI. Children cannot receive EI services without legal written consent from their parent/guardian. After consent is provided, the state has 45 days to complete the evaluation and Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP) process" meaning that the requested child will receive the services that they need as soon as possible (Zero to Three 2018). The IFSP is a plan for individual children's learning while receiving EI services. Parents/guardians and the service coordinator are legally required to "review the IFSP every six months and update it each year" (Zero to Three 2018). If children continue to be eligible for specialized services past three years old, they will need to transition from EI to Special Education, which the service coordinator can assist with. Special Education occurs in classrooms with a physical set up and curriculum designed for students who have specific disabilities. If children with developmental delays are school aged, they may receive related services and/or educational placement in Special Education as well.


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    There are many federal programs that support low-income families of young children in the disability community financially, such as part of IFSPs and the Medicaid Disability Waiver Program. The Medicaid Disability Waiver Program "provides services to children with intellectual and developmental disabilities" (pg. 263, Jones 2011). These federal programs are provided at home or in the child's neighborhood, such as "physical or clinical services, surgery, drugs, dental care, occupational and physical therapy, and additional services" (pg. 264, Jones 2011). To financially support families, there should be "respite reimbursement which means you can be reimbursed for part of what you pay your babysitter or qualified and trained person to help your child. Other state programs may help to provide comprehensive healthcare for families who make too much to be eligible for Medicaid but not enough to afford health insurance" (pg. 264, Jones 2011). Either way, however, no "children can be denied services because their families are unable to pay" (Zero to Three 2018). When a family is finally in for services, the service provider will suggest a variety of activities to the families to do with their children to work on their developmental areas of improvement that they are receiving related services for. "Parenting resources that can be provided in your community" may also be recommended (pg. 264, Jones 2011). If your child's struggles appear to be serious enough to need a potential diagnosis that could "warrant formal interventions," a psychologist will likely recommend that you make an appointment with a developmental specialist such as a developmental pediatrician, pediatric neurologist, or other specialist who can formally refer you to experts in this field" (pg. 264, Jones 2011).

    In addition to EI therapists and Special Education teachers, there are many other service providers and professionals that serve the disability community. They can work together with you "to apply their expertise to deciding what your toddler needs" (pg. 266, Jones 2011). These service providers and professionals include the following:

Type of Professional:

What They Do:

Developmental Pediatrician

  • Board certified
  • Have specialized training in diagnosing and treating all children with developmental and intellectual disabilities (IDD), autism/ASD, ADHD, social-communication disorders, TBIs, anxiety disorders, behavior disorders, and developmental delays
  • Can provide referrals to specialists, prescribe medications, and make other recommendations following a child's diagnosis

Family Physician

  • Assess, diagnose, and treat clients of all differences

Nursing services

  • Treat severe to profound medical health conditions
  • One-on support in school, home, and community

Pediatric Neurologist

  • Assess, diagnose, and treat epileptic and nonepileptic seizure activity, atypical brain activity, TBIs, spinal cord injuries, migraines, cerebral palsy (CP), and childhood dementia

Psychologist

  • Assess, diagnose, and treat IDD, autism/ASD, ADHD, anxiety disorders, behavior disorders, childhood dementia, and addiction (*Note: FYI school psychologists can ONLY assess and not diagnose.)
  • Use psychological assessments to make diagnoses

Psychiatrist

  • Assess, diagnose, and treat IDD, autism/ASD, ADHD, anxiety disorders, behavior disorders, childhood dementia, and addiction
  • Can prescribe medication

Optometrist/Ophthalmologist

  • Assess, diagnose, and treat blindness, low vision, crossed eyes, nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and binocular 

Vision Therapy

  • Assess and treat blindness and low vision

Audiologist

  • Assess and diagnose deafness, hard of hearing, auditory processing, and receptive language concerns

Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)

  • Assess and treat speech-language impairments, speech-language delays, social-communication difficulties, deafness, hard of hearing, feeding disorders, and oral motor skills

Occupational Therapy (OT)

  • Assess and treat difficulties with fine motor, gross motor, hand-eye coordination, visual-spatial, sensory, and social-emotional skills along with self-care skills
  • Tends to be beneficial for toddlers on the autism spectrum/autistic toddlers/toddlers with autism/ASD and toddlers in the Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), ADHD, intellectual disability (ID), and anxiety disorder communities

Feeding Therapy

  • Assess and treat feeding disorders and food aversions

Physical Therapy

  • Assess and treat physical disabilities, torticollis, other disabilities, and developmental delays that affect gross motor and fine motor development

Assistive Technology (AT) Specialist

  • Help clients obtain ATs that fit their individual needs
  • Examples of ATs for toddlers in the disability community and developmental delays: Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), weighted vests, fidgets, hearing aids, frequency modulation (FM) system, walkers, gait trainers, adapted eyewear, etc.

Therapeutic Support Staff (TSS)

  • Provide one-on-one support and learning experiences to enhance children's cognitive and overall developmental skills


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What Teachers Can Do at School and Families Can Do at Home:
1. Collaboration and data collection
    When it comes to the support systems of toddlers receiving related services, collaboration between the teachers, service providers, and families is key. Collaboration with the toddler in developmentally appropriate ways to do so is also essential. Teachers, service providers, and toddlers' families can partner with each other to understand and implement specific supports. Teachers, service providers, and families should be aware of the signs of typical and atypical development in all areas for the purpose of assessments and collecting data about this matter. Teachers, service providers, and everyone in toddlers' support systems should collect data to help each other understand individual toddlers' specific developmental concerns as well as their strengths. Assessments should correspond to the dates that students are expected to achieve certain milestone goals to best support their learning and development. Dates expected to achieve certain milestone goals can be adjusted as needed. Data about toddlers' development can include observations, anecdotal notes, portfolios, and formal and informal assessments. Toddler teachers should speak to service providers and administrators about acquiring any necessary trusted resources for individual students and their families. Toddler teachers and families can best partner with service providers by reinforcing the techniques being used by the service providers. When teachers reinforce the techniques being used by service providers, this can help individual toddlers receive consistent interventions and contribute to their continuous developmental improvement.

    In addition, teachers, service providers, and families should approach problem-solving as collaborative and proactive solutions instead of reactive and unilateral. Using collaborative and proactive solutions shows that other people's feelings, observations, thoughts, and ideas are valued.


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2. Predictable routines
    Predictable routines tend to be helpful for toddlers on the autism spectrum/autistic toddlers/toddlers with autism/ASD, toddlers with challenging behaviors, and toddlers who have experienced trauma as well as toddlers of all abilities. This is because these populations of children tend to struggle with transitions, changes in daily routines, and predictability as part of being ritualistic. A developmentally appropriate visual schedule should be provided to support them for this matter. If any necessary changes need to occur, let toddlers of all abilities know ahead of time so that they know what to expect.


3. "First - Then" explanations
    "First - Then" explanations can be a helpful strategy that clearly communicates to toddlers on the autism spectrum/autistic toddlers/toddlers with autism/ASD and toddlers who have experienced trauma to know how to navigate their daily routines. "First - Then" explanations also provide structure and predictability.


4. "I do, we do, you do" strategy
    "I do, we do, you do" involves modeling in the beginning in order to build students' way up to the "we do" step. This SDI tends to really help toddlers of all abilities who tend to be visual learners, especially if they have cognitive disabilities. Typically, the teacher will use the "I do, we do, you do" strategy by starting out with modeling how to do something, such as stacking one block on top of another block. This is typically followed by the teacher using hand-over-hand assistance to show the toddler how to use their own hands to stack one block on top of another block. Then, the teacher will encourage (avoid forcing) the toddler to independently stack one block on top of another by handing two blocks to them. This process is a constant repetition of modeling, observing, and hands-on practice. First, the toddlers watch how to stack blocks, and then, they are encouraged to try to stack blocks on their own. This strategy allows toddlers to see visuals of how to do something, which can benefit toddlers who are visual learners as part of being on the autism spectrum/autistic/having autism/ASD, having ADHD, or their age. Toddlers also get the chance to practice their fine motor and independence skills.


5. Hand-over-hand assistance
    Some toddlers in the disability community may benefit from one-on-one instructions. One of the most common one-on-one instructions that toddlers in the disability community and toddlers of all abilities benefit from is hand-over-hand assistance. This is because hand-over-hand assistance supports visual and hands-on learners. Hand-over-hand assistance can be provided when showing toddlers how to eat with a spoon, hold a cup while drinking out of it, wash their hands, and make handprints.


6. Visuals
  • Pictures
  • Drawings
  • Videos
  • Manipulatives
  • Demonstrations/modeling
  • Children's picture books


Related Links:


7. Consistency and patience
    Consistency and patience can be beneficial to toddlers of all abilities, especially toddlers whose disabilities affect them cognitively, physically, and/or social-emotionally for many reasons. The redirection and instructions provide repetition and practice, which can be a helpful review for toddlers who take longer to be able to build certain skills. After a certain period of time or repetition, toddlers may achieve these milestones. So, keep being consistent and patient.


8. Guidance


9. Sign Language
  • For toddlers in the deaf/hard of hearing community
  • For toddlers in the deaf/blind community
  • For autistic toddlers/toddlers with autism/ASD who do not benefit from using PECS
  • For toddlers with Down Syndrome
  • For toddlers with TBIs
  • For toddlers of all abilities with limited verbal language/communication skills and to learn how to communicate with other toddlers and people in the disability community who use Sign Language to communicate


10. Fine motor play


11. Sensory friendly activities


Related Links:


12. Deep pressure
    Deep pressure can relieve stress, anxiety, and sensory overload and provide comfort for individuals on the autism spectrum/autistic individuals/individuals with autism/ASD. Deep pressure is gentle, firm, consistent pressure to the body by pressing, holding, hugging, or using weighted blankets or vests.


13. Trauma-Informed Care and Education
    "Secure and stable families, and positive early learning environments are necessary to foster children's physical, intellectual, and social-emotional development during this significant period" (Zero to Three 2017). So, it is really important for all teachers to use Trauma-Informed Care and Education in their classrooms even when they are not aware of whether any of their students are affected by trauma. This is because some students are too afraid to open up or have limited verbal language or communication skills to communicate whether they have experienced trauma or not. This especially depends on their age or the severity of their disability or disabilities. They may also not be aware that what they experienced was out of line or traumatic. In addition, Trauma-Informed Care and Education also does not only involve practices to help students heal from trauma; Trauma-Informed Care and Education is also trauma prevention because no one ever knows for sure how much the way that they treat other people will impact them. This is why I live by the following affirmation: "Everyone is going through something difficult that no one knows anything about. So always be kind." I recommend the following Trauma-Informed Care and Education practices in toddler classrooms along with for other classrooms:
  • Positive, assertive tone of voice (avoid yelling)
  • Validate feelings along with teaching self-regulation and problem-solving skills
  • Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
  • Affirmations
  • Continuous behavior specific praise as feedback and celebration of improvement and achievements
  • Build relationships with all students and their families (Never assume what any child's home life and background is like. It is a fortunate reality that not all but some students do not receive love from their families at home. Some other children also internalize their struggles and/or traumatic experiences. Typically, this is because either they are too afraid to speak up about it or do not know how to put into words the bad stuff that they are going through or have been through. So, give them lots of love along with personal space.)
  • Calming music for nap time in toddler and preschool classrooms


Related Links:


14. Equity and inclusion
    Toddlers in the disability community are most likely to thrive when they are included in opportunities for learning, playing, and living in their homes, schools, and communities where children and people with and without disabilities participate. So, toddlers in the disability community should be provided with "full access to early care and to education, health, social, and recreational services" for this matter (Zero to Three 2010). 

    Successful inclusion requires the following:
  • Collaborative and proactive solutions while avoiding reactive and unilateral solutions (Described at the beginning of this section)
  • Culturally responsive practices
  • Trauma-Informed Care and Education
  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
  • Pictures of children of all differences hanging on the walls and reading and discussing picture books about children of all differences for representation
  • Necessary accommodations, adaptations, differentiated instructions (DI), and SDIs
  • Professional development training for educators and service providers


Related Links:






To learn more about toddlers in the disability community, you can also visit the following websites:



If you are a toddler teacher or service provider who works with toddlers in the disability community, family member of a toddler in the disability community, and/or someone else who is interested in learning more about supporting toddlers of all abilities, I highly recommend reading the following books below:
  • Great Expectations: The Toddler Years: The Essential Guide to Your 1-to-3-Year-Old written by Sandy Jones
  • The Happiest Toddler on the Block written by Harvey Karp
  • The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep: Simple Solutions for Kids From Birth to 5 Years written by Harvey Karp
  • Infancy Through Middle Childhood: Child Development: Custom Second Edition written by Lauren E. Levine and Joyce Munsch
  • Baby Sign Language Made Easy: 101 Signs to Start Communicating With Your Child Now written by Lane Rebelo
  • Collaborative Teaming: Teachers' Guide to Inclusive Practices: Practical tips on working together to help all kids succeed! written by Margaret E. King-Sears, Rachel Janney, and Martha E. Snell
  • Home, School, and Community Collaboration: Culturally Responsive Engagement: Third Edition written by Kathy B. Grant and Julie A. Ray
  • Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family written by Ellyn Satter



You might gain a better understanding about toddlers in the disability community, toddler education, and child development by reading the following blog posts that I have written:






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                                                                    Citations

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2023). Data & Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

2. First Signs. (2016). http://www.firstsigns.org/

3. Hobbs, K. G. (21 Oct. 2024). Early Signs of Autism: ASD Symptoms in Babies and Young Children. https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/signs-of-autism-children/

4. Jones, S. Great Expectations: The Toddler Years: The Essential Guide to Your 1-to-3-Year-Old. Chapter 11: Health, Safety, and Ability: Special Section: Autism and Other Disabilities. pgs. 257-270. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2011.

5. Kapur, J. (3 Sept. 2023). Navigating autism in toddlers: Early signs and support. https://www.sportskeeda.com/health-and-fitness/navigating-autism-toddlers-early-signs-support

6. Zero to Three. (2017). BUILDING STRONG FOUNDATIONS: Advancing Comprehensive Policies for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. https://www.zerotothree.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/From-the-Ground-Up_-Establishing-Strong-Core-Policies-for-Infants-Toddlers-and-Families.pdf

7. Zero to Three. (21 Sept. 2017). From the Ground Up: Establishing Strong Core Policies for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/from-the-ground-up-establishing-strong-core-policies-for-infants-toddlers-and-families

8. Zero to Three. (8 Feb. 2010). Making Hope a Reality: Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities. https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/making-hope-a-reality-early-intervention-for-infants-and-toddlers-with-disabilities/

9. Zero to Three. (12 Jul. 2018). What You Need to Know: Early Intervention. https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/what-you-need-to-know-early-intervention/

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What Disability Pride Means to Self-Advocates

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                                        [Image Description: There is  a disability pride flag with straight diagonal stripes in the order of black, dark green, light blue, white, yellow, red, black with softened shades. My First Former Buddy Club President logo is in the bottom left corner of the image with "FIRST FORMER BUDDY CLUB PRESIDENT" in center-aligned italicized black text overlapping an enlarged light blue heart with several small red hearts and a light blue background in the background of the enlarged heart. ] UPDATE:   Originally, the cover photo of this blog post was the disability pride flag with zig zag stripes; however, Erin Castillo (also known as @AffirmationsAndAccessibility on Instagram was kind enough to tell me that one of her followers wanted her to let me know that the disability pride flag with zig zag stripes is the old flag and that there is a new flag...
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Infant/Toddler Teachers Need to be Valued More As Teachers

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                     [Image Description: There is an image of a colorful infant classroom taken from the front left corner of the room with light yellow and light green walls with bulletin boards and handprint and dinosaur decals and decorations hanging from the ceiling. There are 10 light tan cribs with bars on both sides and clear glass on the front and back of each set up on the left, middle, and right walls in back of the classrooom. The floor in the back of the classroom is a dark gray carpet with the cribs, a beige rocking chair, low and high level shelves bolted into the floor filled with toys, a colorful soft mat with a blue obstacle course on it, and an exersaucer. The floor in the front of the classroom has a light gray tile floor with a white and light blue diaper changing table, 2 gray highchairs with gray tables attached to them and a gray highchair with a red table attached to it, a small round blue table with 2 big re...
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Free Confidential Hotlines and Helplines for Suicide Prevention, Mental Health, and Abuse/Neglect

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                              [Image Description: There is a touch screen phone inside of an aqua phone case being held by hands with a dark skin tone against a striped rainbow-colored background (top to bottom: dark red, medium orange, medium yellow, medium green, light blue, medium purple, medium pink). The phone displays text messages with a Crisis Hotline with a green heart in a white circle on the left side of "Crisis Hotline" in left-aligned white text with a white call button, white video chat button, and three vertical white dots on the right side. The conversation on the screen shows the following messages: "HOPE" in center-aligned white text in a medium blue chat bubble, "Welcome to the Crisis Hotline. How can I support you?" in left-aligned white text in a violet chat bubble, "I'm really struggling and just need someone to talk to" in left-aligned white text in a medium blue chat bubble, and "It is ok ...
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