Special Books by Special Kids

We built this video library to connect communities across the world, build camaraderie, and to celebrate neurodiversity. It is our hope that these videos will inspire change and lead a global acceptance movement.

Jenna Kanell – A Bee Showed Me That Limits are Lies (Video)

Published: Oct 19, 2016 | 13:30 minutes
Jenna Kanell wrote and directed the short film “Bumblebees,” a project currently on the film festival circuit and among academic curricula of varying levels. It stars her younger brother Vance, who was born with eight sensory disorders and overcame the negative expectations of medical professionals.

Her TEDxTryon talk explores the concept of discarding the goal of “becoming” in favor of “unbecoming;” applicable to everything from assigned labels and ideals to societal norms. She hopes for you to come away inspired by a new way to embark on your own self-exploration.

How One Man’s Trip to Toys ‘R’ Us Brought Mobility to Hundreds of Disabled Kids (Video)

Published: Feb 5, 2014 | Length: 4:49 minutes
This $200 alternative to a power wheelchair could get thousands of physically impaired kids mobile.

US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation

Professional Development Tools to Improve the Quality of Infant and Toddler Care: A Review of the Literature Published: January 2017
This report and accompanying materials summarize the state of the field on in-service professional development methods for early childhood caregivers. This comprehensive literature review draws on empirical studies, reviews, and meta-analyses conducted within the past 10 years and websites of leading organizations to identify the most promising methods and practices for improving caregiver interactions with young children. The report highlights methods that are most relevant for supporting caregivers serving infants and toddlers, caregivers with limited education, and caregivers working in home-based and family child care settings.

The appendix highlights key aspects of the 122 studies included in the review, such as the settings and professional development approaches and strategies examined within each study.

Preventing Expulsion from Preschool and Child Care

June 2015 | Zero to Three
These videos were taken at the “What’s Behind Preschool Expulsion” Congressional briefing, held on June 11, 2015.

National Center for Universal Design for Learning Videos

Videos on the practice and implementation of Universal Design for Learning

Giving Children Their Own Voice (Video)

Published: Jan 21, 2017 | 2 minutes
A look at a remarkable project by speech scientist Rupal Patel in that aims to give eight-year-old Leo True-Frost — who has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak — in Syracuse, New York, his own voice, using any sounds he’s still able to make combined with a matching donor voice from another person closer to his age.

Vermont Early Childhood Suspension-Expulsion Resources: An Annotated Collection of Free Materials

This annotated collection of free resources for addressing issues of suspension and expulsion in children from birth through Grade 3 also includes resources for use outside Vermont.

Fostering Healthy Social and Emotional Development: Four New Resources for Communities and Families with Young Children

Building on prior successful partnerships to promote early brain and language development and early STEM education, the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services have joined with Too Small to Fail to release a Social and Emotional Toolkit on social and emotional development. All of the resources feature examples of simple actions to take, some of which caregivers might be doing already, such as maintaining consistent routines for young children.

In the News!

Learning Mindfulness Centered on Kindness to Oneself and Others, Mind/Shift June 2018
Mindful Parenting: How to Respond Instead of React May 2018
Managing our own emotions and behaviors is the key to teaching kids how to manage theirs.
Daily Mile significantly Improves Health BBC | May 2018
An initiative to get schoolchildren to walk or run a mile every day leads to significant improvements in their health, according to a study.
When Empathy Leads to Burnout: How to Help Others With Out Hurting Yourself Feb 2018
Assessment: How Mindful Are You? Mar 2017

Archived In the News!
- Mindfulness Could Improve School Performance Sept 2017
  School officials are interviewed about the impact of mindfulness training on students and teachers.
- Mothers and Infants Connect Through Song Sept 2017
- 50 Calm Down Ideas to Try with Kids of All Ages Sept 2017
  Navigating childhood challenges can be stressful, and sometimes deep breathing isn’t the solution that works for your child. When your child is in need of tension relief, try one of these techniques.
- Put Away the Screens and Play Together! Ideas for water play, mud play and chalk play for kids and families Sept 2017
- What Changes When a School Embraces Mindfulness? June 2017
- 7 Ways Friendships Are Great for Your Health June 2017
  Researchers who study friendship have uncovered many of its health benefits.
- Brains in Pain Cannot Learn! June 2017
- How to Give to Others without Burning Out June 2017
  Emma Seppala-Research suggests that self-care can reduce stress and exhaustion—if we know how to practice it.
- Playground Where Babies Learn to Talk Oct 2016
  A campaign (Talk, Read, Sing) to encourage brain development is using parks to deliver its message to children and their caregivers.
- Study: Exercise May Cut Challenging Behavior in Half
  Researchers say there may be a simple way to reduce challenging behaviors among those with autism and similar disorders during the school day — add in some exercise.
- Cybercycling Effects on Classroom Behavior in Children With Behavioral Health Disorders: An RCT

Special Books by Special Kids