Family Resources

• Arc of Illinois: advocacy and information for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
• Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center: support for families navigating special education and key transitions.
• Center for Parent Information & Resources: guides and tools for families, caregivers, and professionals.
• ISBE Parent Resources: Illinois State Board of Education pages for parents of students with disabilities.
• New to Disability: a quick roadmap to help available in the United States.

• Arc of Illinois: technology to support education, employment, and independence.
• Illinois Assistive Technology Program: statewide program with a free equipment lending library.
• Illinois Schools Assistive Technology Support: resources for parents, caregivers, and teams.
• Illinois Telecommunications Access Corporation (ITAC): Illinois Relay Service and a free TTY Loan Program for Illinois residents who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-impaired. Eligible families can also apply for free technology, including an iPad with an AAC app.
• Infinitec: videos and resources on assistive technology and universal design for learning. To register, contact the Director of Student Services for login directions.
• NSSEO Parent Resources: a training page on AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) for parents.
• PrAACtical AAC: resources to support communication and literacy for people with significant communication difficulties.
• The AAC Language Lab: language-stage resources for speech-language pathologists, teachers, and parents, including a free AAC for Caregivers Manual.
• UIC Assistive Technology Resources List: a library you can browse by category.

• Illinois Center for Autism: community-based mental health treatment and education for people with autism spectrum disorder.
• UIC Resource Center for Autism and Developmental Delays (RCADD): free support for families and professionals.
• CAYR Connections: neuro-affirming resources for neurodivergent people and neurodiverse families in the greater Chicago area.
• The Center for Connection Resource List : books, podcasts, social media accounts, and websites on neurodiversity, sensory processing, and occupational therapy.

Also see the autism and neurodiversity books under Books

For Parents and Guardians

• Differently Wired,  Deborah Reber
• Brain-Body Parenting, Mona Delahooke
• Different, Not Less,  Chloe Hayden
• Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline,  Lori L. Desautels
• The Explosive Child,  Ross W. Greene
• The Whole-Brain Child, Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson
• Sincerely, Your Autistic Child, edited by Emily Paige Ballou, Sharon daVanport, & Morénike Giwa Onaiwu
• Uniquely Human, Barry M. Prizant & Tom Fields-Meyer
• How to Raise Happy Neurofabulous Kids, Katie Elphinstone
• The Real Experts: Readings for Parents of Autistic Children, Edited by Morénike Giwa Onaiwu & Michelle Sutton

Picture Books: Autism and Neurodiversity

• Juan Has the Jitters, Aneta Cruz
• My Brain Is a Race Car, Nell Harris
• Every Brain Is Beautiful, Sara Furlong
• Flap Your Hands, Steve Asbell
• How Are You Verity, Meghan Duff
• A Friend for Henry, Jenn Bailey
• My Brother Charlie, Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete
• We Move Together, Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire
• Do You Speak Fish, DJ Corchin

Picture Books: Speech/Language Impairment, Stuttering, and AAC

• A Day With No Words, Tiffany Hammond
• Eddie the Elephant Had Something to Say, Allison Johns
• I Talk Like a River, Jordan Scott
• The Boy Who Couldn't Speak, Yet; The Boy Who Proved Them Wrong; and The Boy Who Spoke Even When His Voice Shook (Jordan's World), Jordan LeVan

Picture Books: Vision Impairment

• Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship, Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes
• This Way, Charlie, Caron Lewis
• Six Dots: The Story of a Young Louis Braille, Jen Bryant

Picture Books: Orthopedic Impairment

• A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin, Jen Bryant
• Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, Laurie Ann Thompson

Picture Books: Disability Rights, Play, and Inclusion

• All the Way to the Top, Annette Bay
• Don't Call Me Special! A First Look at Disability, Pat Thomas
• This Is How We Play, Jessica Slice and Caroline Cupp

Young Adult Literature

• Wonderfully Wired Brains, Louise Gooding 
• Real, Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard 
• A Kind of Spark, Elle McNicoll 
• A List of Cages, Robin Roe 
• The Boy Who Steals Houses, C.G. Drew 
• Not If I See You First, Eric Lindstrom 
• Silence Between Us, Alison Gervais.

• IL ABLE Accounts: savings and investment accounts that help people with disabilities gain financial independence while keeping their benefits.
• Illinois Department of Human Services: Division of Developmental Disabilities: services and supports for people with developmental disabilities.
• Community Support Services: services for children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families, including respite care.
• Oak Leyden Community Services: vocational and residential services for adults and therapeutic, educational, and family support for infants and young children.
• Suburban Access: case management and service coordination in the south and west suburbs of Cook County.
• UIC Resource Directory: health care resources for families and children with special health care needs.
• Resource Toolbox: searchable resources, including children's services.

• IEP Meeting Guide: what to think about before, during, and after an IEP meeting.
• IEP Tip Sheet for Parents-An Overview of the IEP: an overview of the IEP and how it is developed.
• Categories of Disability: the 13 federal eligibility categories, plus Illinois's 14th category, Developmental Delay, for children ages 3 to 9.
• Combined Procedural Safeguards, PUNS, ABLE and Facilitated IEP: combined guide.
• ISBE Special Education Disability Resources: information, research, and best practices by disability area.

• Access Sports: team sports for athletes with disabilities ages 5 to 22, in and around Elmhurst.
• US Adaptive Golf Alliance : access, instruction, and competition in golf for people with disabilities.
• WSSRA: year-round recreation programs for children and adults with disabilities.

• Curious Minds. Kind Hearts: Talking About Disability With Your Child: a resource for talking with your child about disability.

Also see the picture books under Books for Families & Children

• Caregiver Video Series (IATP with AE Corner): short videos you can watch when it suits your schedule.
• Family Matters Webinars: webinars for families.
• Illinois Schools Assistive Technology Support On Demand Learning: recorded sessions, including A Parent's Proactive Approach to AT.

Also see Infinitec, NSSEO Parent Resources, and PrAACtical AAC under Assistive technology.