Recommended Websites
For the Family
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
AAIDD promotes progressive policies, sound research, effective practices, and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
BlazeSports America
BlazeSports America’s mission is to change the lives of children and adults with physical disabilities through sport.
CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research
CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research is a research and educational centre located at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Their research is focused on improving the lives of children and youth with disabilities and their families.
Catalyst Center
Our work at the Catalyst Center focuses on helping to create strategies that improve coverage and financing of care for children with special health care needs at the policy level.
Cerebral Palsy Alliance
Cerebral Palsy Alliance is committed to providing world-class services for people living with cerebral palsy and similar disabilities, and their families. "As an organisation we embed our values of Integrity, Passion, Excellence, Courage and Respect in our practices everyday. We are here to make a difference in people’s lives and support them in connecting and engaging them with their communities."
Cerebral Palsy: A Complete Guide for Caregiving, by Freeman Miller & Steven Bachrach
This book on caregiving was written by two AACPDM members
Cerebral Palsy Foundation
The Cerebral Palsy Foundation is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization that defines and addresses Moments of Impact – the times at which interventions and insights, if properly implemented, have the power to change lives.
CP Research Network (formerly, CP NOW and CP Daily Living)
The Cerebral Palsy Research Network's mission is to optimize the lifelong health and wellness of people with cerebral palsy and their families through high quality research, education and community programming. The CP Network has developed and provided a wealth of online and print resources for people with CP including the award-winning CP Toolkit: From Diagnosis to Understanding and the Wellbeing Guide for Parents and Caregivers.
Childhood Disability LINK
A website linking information and new knowledge on childhood disability to service providers and families.
Cure CP
Cure CP is a non-profit organization committed to funding the support of Cerebral Palsy research. Their mission is to undertake and support initiatives at research institutions that focus on developing new therapeutic methodologies for the treatment of CP.
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology - The Official Journal of AACPDM
Family Voices
Family Voices is a national, nonprofit, family-led organization promoting quality health care for all children and youth, particularly those with special health care needs.
Friendship Circle
In 2011, Friendship Circle had a dream of establishing a resource blog for the benefit of families with special needs. The Friendship Circle Blog has since come to life, and to-date, has published hundreds of articles that provide crucial resources for parents and special educators.
Jewel Kats
Jewel Katz's books have been featured in Ability Magazine (USA) twice. She’s authored eight books; five are about disabilities. The Museum of disABILITY History has celebrated her work with a two-day event.
KidsHealth
KidsHealth from Nemours is a great general resource for childrens' health, and has good basic information on CP that can be shared with friends or family.
Pedal-with-Pete Foundation
Pedal-with-Pete is a philanthropic organization, dedicated to raising funds for research to improve the quality of life for persons with cerebral palsy. In 1993, the Pedal-With-Pete Foundation was established to raise money for research to help prevent and treat the effects of cerebral palsy. The Pedal-with-Pete Foundation annually moderates three charity cycling events in the midwestern US. Pedal-with-Pete Foundation funds a $25,000 research grant through AACPDM every year!
Sharon Draper - Out of My Mind
This book is about Melody, an 11 year old girl with spastic bilateral quadriplegic cerebral palsy. It spent a year on the New York Times bestseller list, and has gotten some rave reviews.
THREE TO BE
THREE TO BE’s mission is to support and advance the development of innovative research, therapies and education for children with neurological disorders and their families.THREE TO BE envisions infinite possibilities for children with neurological disorders by focusing on innovation, education and empowerment.
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP)
UCP educates, advocates and provides support services to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. UCP works to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities through an affiliate network that has helped millions.
USA Tech Guide
USA TechGuide is a web guide to wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and assistive technology choices. You can read and submit wheelchair reviews, mobility scooter reviews, wheelchair cushion reviews, standing device reviews, and search The TechGuide for all types of assistive equipment.
Walt Disney World - Cognitive Disabilities Guide
Walt Disney World Resort offers a host of services to help guests with cognitive disabilities—including those on the autism spectrum—maximize their resort experience. Several times on this page, you can click to download a longer PDF guide with more detail than the page itself contains.
For the Professional
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 62,000 pediatricians committed to the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults
Abilities Expo
Abilities Expo is about bringing necessary products and services together under one roof for the community of people with disabilities, their families, caregivers, seniors and healthcare professionals. Now in six cities across the nation, each Abilities Expo offers three days of access to the latest technologies and resources for ALL disabilities, informative workshops on issues that most resonate with the Community and fun activities like adaptive sports, dance, assistive animal demos and more.
Cerebral Palsy Australia
Cerebral Palsy Australia is the national peak body of organisations that work with people with cerebral palsy and people with similar disabilities and their carers.
Cerebral Palsy Research Network
The Cerebral Palsy Research Network (CPRN) is a group of doctors, therapists and patient advocates collaborating to improve treatments and outcomes for people with CP. The network combines the expertise of doctors and therapists committed to treating CP with clinical epidemiologists and rigorous data collection practices to plan and execute high quality clinical trials and quality improvement protocols.
European Academy of Childhood Disability (EACD)
The EACD is an academic association of professionals working with children with disability throughout Europe.
Family Center on Technology and Disability
The FCTD is a resource designed to support organizations and programs that work with families of children and youth with disabilities. We offer a range of information and services on the subject of assistive and instructional technologies.
The Foundation for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
The Foundation for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s mission is to enhance health, function and quality of life for individuals with disability through education and research in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Got Transition?
Got Transition? is a national resource focusing on a young adult's transition from pediatric to
adult health care, particularly as pertaining to youth with special health care needs.
International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) is a professional society of clinicians, scientists, and other healthcare professionals, who are interested in Parkinson's disease, related neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders, hyperkinetic movement disorders, and abnormalities in muscle tone and motor control.
International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics
ISPO is a global multidisciplinary organization aiming to improve the quality of life for persons who may benefit from prosthetic, orthotic, mobility and assistive devices.
March of Dimes
The March of Dimes helps moms have full-term pregnancies and researches the problems that threaten the health of babies.
Reaching For The Stars
Launched in late 2005 by two mothers in Atlanta, Georgia, Reaching for the Stars has grown into the largest North American pediatric Cerebral Palsy nonprofit foundation led by parents, with a focus on the Prevention, Treatment and Cure of Cerebral Palsy.
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities
For information about Rehabilitation research and training center on aging with developmental disabilities: lifespan health and function
Find a Professional/Clinic by Specialty
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons - Orthopaedist List by State or Country
American Academy of Pediatrics - Physician Referral
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation - Physiatrists
American Board of Family Medicine - Board Certified Family Physician
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
American Urologic Association - Find a Urologist
Cleft Lip/Palate & Craniofacial Specialists
Global Help - Free/Low cost health education on orthopedics, pediatrics, plastics, rehabilitation, throughout the world
International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery - Surgeon Finder
International Society for Hip Arthroscopy
Muscular Dystrophy Association - Clinic Directory
National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped
National Society of Genetic Counselors
Osteogenesis Imperfecta Clinic Directory
Scoliosis Research Society - Specialist Directory
Spina Bifida Association - Clinic Directory
World Confederation for Physical Therapy
Transition Resources
Adolescent Health Transition Project
Bright Futures - Age-specific guidelines on best practices
CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research - Transition Toolkit for Children & Parents
CHAT Project (Health Care Transition Resources) - Guide & Tools for Health Care Providers, Youth & Families:
Envisioning My Future - A Young Person’s Guide to Health Care Transition
FloridaHATS (Health & Transition Services)
Gillette Children’s Transition Clinic (Lifetime Specialty Healthcare)
Healthy and Ready to Work National Center - Tools, programs, links
Healthy Bodies Toolkit for Boys/Girls - A Parent’s Guide on Puberty for Boys/Girls with Disabilities
Muscular Dystrophy Association - Transitions Resource Center
National Center for Medical Home Implementation
National Healthcare Transition Center
PACER's National Parent Center on Transition and Employment
Puberty Education for Students with Special Needs: A Girl’s/Boy’s Guide to Growing Up and A Girl’s/Boy’s Guide to Puberty and Personal Safety