Readers Advisory Resources on Children with Disabilities

By Gina Khirfan

Readers Advisory Resources on Children with Disabilities

When we think of good reading resources for young children we tend to forget about providing children that have disabilities or their parents with good books or other resources geared toward children with disabilities or about children with disabilities. Disabilities in children can range anywhere from specific learning disabilities to children who are blind or deaf.  The IDEA (Integrated Disability Education and Awareness Program) defines a child with a disability as any child who has: “mental retardation, hearing impairments (including deafness), speech or language impairments, visual impairments (including blindness), serious emotional disturbance [...], orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impair- ments, or specific learning disabilities; and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services.” (Brault, M. W., 2010).  It is also noted that in 2010 about 2.8 million school-aged children in the U.S., out of 53.9 million school aged children, are reported to have had a disability (Brault, M.W., 2010).

As librarians or future librarians are we able to prepare a story-time to include kids with special needs or refer books to other kids about kids with special needs?  Are there audio books or books in braille available for children who are blind or physically handicapped?  Does the library provide movies and websites that have closed captioning for the deaf child?  Most libraries do provide closed captioning for the deaf child and the majority of movies do come with closed captioning.

 I have included five websites that I believe are significant websites to help librarians find book lists for children with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities and books on children with disabilities for other children to learn from.

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS)

NLS Kids Zone.  Welcome!

http://www.loc.gov/nls/children/index.html

This Kids Zone website by the NLS is specifically designed for the visually impaired, blind and physically handicapped child.  At this website librarians can help the visually impaired, blind and physically handicapped child, from preschool to 8^th grade, to have access to braille and audio books that can be sent to the library or directly to the child’s home.  The child has access to Newbery Medal and Honor books, Coretta Scott King & John Steptoe Award books for new talent book lists, Schneider family book award lists, children’s classics, bibliographies, books in a series, magazines and other resources and websites. There is also a list of network library sites where they may find other sources

Special Needs Book Reviews

www.specialneeds.com

I found this website to be a very informative website mainly for parents on understanding their child with special needs. This website has book reviews on stories written by professionals and parents, book reviews, podcasts, conference information and a question page with answers by a professional on disability issues. The books are visually shown with many of the books written by a disabled person. Each book lists the age group, synopsis and reviews. I would consider this a great resource for librarians to give to parents on finding books that may have similar characters with disability issues as their own children or someone they know.

One More Story

http://www.onemorestory.com

This website was started in 1999 by a former Sesame Street producer Carl Teitelbaum and his late sister a kindergarten teacher, Rona Roth. The website was launched in 2005 with music and sound effects produced by a former Sesame Street Music Director (One More Story, 2013).  This interactive children’s readers advisory website, though not geared specifically for children with disabilities, is I believe a very beneficial website for very young children learning to read or children with learning disabilities who cannot read.

The illustrated books here are set to music and are read aloud to the child or they can chose the reading mode and read it themselves. They have easy to use icon buttons and access modes to various classics and award winning children’s books. It does have great reviews and was awarded the 2011 Teachers Choice Award for Family Winner. The only downside is it is a subscription based website from $15.99 for three months up to a year subscription for $44.99.  I do know of an elementary school librarian who does use this subscription in their library and she says it has been very helpful to get children who do not like to read, to read.

The World’s Leading Website on Learning Disabilities and ADHD

Kids Books

http://www.ldonline.org/kids

This website is good for educators, parents and kids to learn more about learning disabilities, along with other resources and websites on learning disabilities. The main page on kids Books has six main topics of books to choose from starting with “What is a learning disability?”, “I am I the only one with LD?”, “Paying attention isn’t my best skill”, “Me and my family”, “My friends and personality”, ”Expressing myself” and “Reading enjoyment”.  From any of these main topics you will go to a list of visually shown books with each book having a synopsis, reading level and age level of the book. You can also purchase the book from here, which sends you to Amazon.com to buy the book, and from there you can also see reviews for the book.

Story Snoops

http://www.storysnoops.com

This website was started by four moms from the San Francisco Bay Area. Working with other parents they started this website to help parents to choose age appropriate and context appropriate books for their children from age 9-18. This is an easily navigable website for kids and parents. I choose this website because it does have a link to books on children with disabilities. You have to first click on the advance search button and from there you will go to a page where from a list you can click on disabilities and disorders and then you can click on the disability of ADD and ADHD, autism, blindness, disability, dyslexia or hearing impaired. Depending on which one you clicked on it will take you to a page that visually lists books according to the disability you chose.

From the list of books you can click on a book and get the book detail information of the recommended age, publisher, year published, number of pages, genre, main character gender, ISBN number and a read and reviewed by whom. When you click on the “get the scoop” icon will be taken to a page that gives the synopsis and reviews on the book. You also have the option of purchasing the book from Amazon.com or IndieBound.com both websites give more information and reviews on the book you have chosen.

A few more websites for your consideration:

Good Reads.com

Best Non-Fiction Books For Parents Of Children With Disabilities

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/12005.Best_Non_Fiction_Books_For_Parents_Of_Children_With_Disabilities

Teacher Vision

Children’s Books About Disabilities

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/learning-disabilities/reading/5316.html?page=2&detoured=1

Smories.com

Smories are original stories for kids, read by kids

http://wwwsmories.com

References

Brault, M. W. (2010). School-aged children with disabilities in

U.S. metropolitan statistical areas: 2010 . Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acsbr10-12.pdf

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

(NLS). (2010, September 01). NlS kids zone. welcome!. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/nls/children/index.html

One More Story. (2013). Authors you know, books you love.

Retrieved from http://www.onemorestory.com/index.html

Special Needs. (2013). Books. Retrieved from

www.specialneeds.com

Story Snoops. (2012). Children’s book reviews. Retrieved from

http://www.storysnoops.com

WETA. (2010). The world’s leading website on learning

disabilities and adhd kids books . Retrieved from

http://www.ldonline.org/kids

Safe Website Collections and Databases for K-8 Students

By Caitlin Buddingh

Teachers, students, parents and librarians all agree that the internet is a goldmine for young people conducting research. Answers to questions are at children’s fingertips, and a thousand books can be stored in a space the size of a comic book.  At the same time, these groups are wary of the things the internet has to offer.  It is easy to get lost in the links, distracted by internet games and advertisements, and young people do not often have the experience to differentiate between sources of quality and sources that are more suspect.

Luckily, young people are not alone in their search for quality, trusted web resources. Several groups are dedicated to making the internet research process more rewarding for K-8 students.  The following resources were compiled by the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Digest.

Collections of Websites:

BJ Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper: http://bjpinchbeck.com/

This website was started by a middle school student who wanted to compile resources for fellow students.  Since 1996, when BJ started the site with his dad, over 10,000 students have visited the site.  The site is maintained with a philosophy that students should be able to use the internet without excessive advertising, and confidence that they are not accessing questionable content.

Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything: http://www.schrockguide.net/

Kathy Schrock has compiled a variety of resources for students and teachers, including apps, resources for creating classroom websites, assessment tools, bulletin board resources, and a variety of others.

American Library Association: http://gws.ala.org/

The ALA compiles a number of what they call “great websites.” These websites are for kids, parents, and educators. This site is sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children,  a division of the ALA.

Reference Materials:

Biography.com:  http://www.biography.com/

Biography.com is a search database that covers the biographies of over 20,000 notable people. This resource draws from the Cambridge Encyclopedia Database, and the Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography.

The Internet Public Library: http://ipl.org/div/kidspace/

The Internet Public Library is a collection of sites, resources, and project ideas ranging from History, Health and Nutrition, Math, Science, Art, Sports, and includes games and craft ideas. It includes safe searches for kids, as well as resources designed for parents and teachers.

Search Engines and Databases for Children

by Jackie Kulik

Children of today can often be even more computer-savvy than many adults.  But even with their immersion into the technological and digital world at an early age, the vast sea of information on the Internet is overwhelming for anyone.  Librarians, teachers, and others have created numerous databases, search engines, and directories to enable children to go to a trusted website that will then link them to huge amounts of information.  There are many wonderful sites that children can rely on when it comes to doing research or other reference work, but I have selected two sites that meet the evaluation criteria to make them great go-to resources that kids, parents, and teachers can all trust.

Great Websites for Kids http://gws.ala.org/

 

 

 

For a trusted and reliable source the ALA division ALSC (Association of Library Services for Children) is a great starting point.  ALSC has created Great Websites for Kids. This engaging, colorful database features critically evaluated websites that cover topics as wide-ranging as a child could imagine.  While the homepage features the sites of the week or month, a child can simply select a subject area of interest to be directed to a page full of websites related to that topic. The subject headings are Animals, The Arts, History & Biography, Literature & Languages, Mathematics & Computers, Reference Desk, Sciences, and Social Studies.  Here is a look at the Reference Desk interface:

There are another page and a half of websites within the Reference Desk index.  The database adds new websites 3 times a year and the database is reviewed twice a year to ensure the included sites are still relevant, appropriate, and accessible.  Some of the reference tools kids will have access to through ALSC’s site are Factmonster.com, Merriam-Webster online, Encyclopedia.com, Bartleby.com, and Purude’s OWL Online Writing Lab.

Colorful, engaging, and easy to navigate kids will love using this website to find tons of fun and educational resources online.

Kidsclick! http://www.kidsclick.org/

 

 

Kidsclick! is run by SLIS at Kent State University and was originally created by librarians who realized public libraries needed to provide guides for children to successfully find age-appropriate and useful information on the Internet. While Kidsclick! does not block any sites, it promotes those that are valuable and meet their selection criteria.  Children could still access unsavory sites but filters can be used in conjunction to prevent this.  The first criterion for resources/databases to be included on this site is that they are entertaining and enlightening for children K-7.

Kidsclick! is great because of its many search options.  Kids can use a keyword search, search by category, do an alphabetic search, or even a Dewey Decimal Search. This is a great added feature because as children use the site they can become more familiar with the topics and corresponding numbers in DDC.  There is even a quick search for digital media pictures, sound, and video. Once children select a topic they are taken to a variety of resources on that topic.  Each resource gives information such as whether or not the resource has illustrations, what reading age it is appropriate for, and the various subjects that correspond to that specific resource.

Created by librarians, designed with kids in mind (great variety of search options), full of lots of valuable information, and fairly easy to navigate; Kidsclick! is a great resource for children under age 13.

Great Websites for Kids and Kidsclick! are great representations of the well-crafted search engines and databases that work as directories linking kids to educational and entertaining information online. 

 

Reference Interviews with Children Under 13

by Jackie Kulik

When it comes to reference service there tends to be an agreement that when workloads are 

Free stock image: dreamstime.com

heavy children's needs get slighted.  There have been many studies aimed at uncovering ways to improve children’s services in reference.  One particular focus is the reference interview between librarian and child.  For some children, “simply approaching a reference desk in the children’s department can be a scary proposition” (Bishop & Salveggi, 2001).  Children are unique beings going through various developmental stages, thus at any given age their capabilities are different.  Librarians need to understand the various developmental stages children go through in order to meet their needs within a reference interview.  According to Bishop & Salveggi, children under 13 years of age go through two Piagetian stages, pre-operational (ages 2-7) and concrete-operational (ages 7-11).  These different stages mean that children may or may not have understanding of abstract and logical thought, and may or may not have the ability to classify things.  The developmental stages also affect the type of vocabulary children have and the way in which they can or cannot successfully articulate their needs. Understanding the different physical, emotional, and cognitive capabilities of children will help librarians to exhibit some of the “dos” of reference interviews and to avoid the “don’ts”. 

The Maryland State Library Resource Center has created a blog containing a post,“Top Ten Reference Interview Dos and Don’ts for Children.”

Some of the Dos include:

• Use welcoming body language, smile, tell the child your name
• Direct questions to the child, even if an adult is present
• Give instructions for how you would find the information and also demonstrate
• Be patient and encouraging when children attempt to articulate their needs
• Always treat the child with the same respect you would give to an adult patron

And some of the Don’ts include:

• Don’t Rush the child
• Don’t hide behind the desk
• Don’t point in the direction of the desired material
• Don’t make assumptions that the child understand how things work (classification, index, catalog)
• Don’t make assumptions about what a child wants (avoid stereotypes, gender or age biases)

Link for full list of Ten Dos and Don’ts

 Along with the dos and don’ts there are certain techniques librarians can utilize when interviewing a child.  Some of the basic suggestions include getting an understanding of what the child already knows and what the child wants to know.  Repeating the question is also a good idea.  An article by Amy S. Pattee (2008) discusses using the K-W-L Method, a reference interview technique created by Donna Ogle in 1986.  What do I Know? What do I Want to know? and What have I Learned? Pattee’s article goes through each stage of K-W-L while using an example of a reference interview in which a child needs information on the Brachiosaurus.  In these layers of the interview process the reader can begin to understand how to pick up on clues provided in the child’s answers.  One goal of the K-W-L Method is for children to “take ownership of their questions and the reference process” (Pattee, 2008).

 Reference librarians who take the time to understand the various developmental stages of childhood and who learn some of the dos and don’ts along with other techniques of reference interviews with children will be more likely to have successful interactions with these small but important patrons.  A good reference interview with a child can help keep them on the path of becoming a life-long visitor of libraries. 

Additional Readings

Bishop, K., & Salveggi, A. (2001). Responding to Developmental Stages in Reference Services to Children. Public Libraries, 40(6-), 354-58. http://proxy.lib.wayne.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ641479&site=eds-live&scope=site

Burton, Melvin K. (1998). Reference Interview: strategies for children. North Carolina Libraries (Online), 56(3), 110-113 http://proxy.lib.wayne.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=llf&AN=502804725&site=eds-live&scope=site

Pattee, A.S. (2008). What do you know?. Children& Libraries : The Journal of the Association For Library Services to Children, 6(1), 30-39. http://proxy.lib.wayne.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=llf&AN=502946009&site=eds-live&scope=site

 

Evaluating Children's Resources

by Jackie Kulik

How Librarians Evaluate

While the basic evaluation criteria used by librarians in selecting reference materials hold true for reference materials for children 13 and under, there are also some special criteria specifically tailored to this important group of library users.

 At the public library it is important to remember that books are going to be handled by many children, sometimes babies and toddlers.  Books need to be durable and also safe for youngsters to be handling.  Important evaluative criteria for public library reference books for children are:

• Writing Style: Is the writing style age appropriate, clear and easy to understand?
• Organizational Method: Is the way the material is organized appropriate to the content?
• Reference Aids: Is there a table of contents, index, numbered pages, glossary etc., are the aids relevant and helpful?
• Format: Does the layout help with the flow of information, is it appealing and age appropriate, is the physical size of the work age appropriate and safe, is the work durable and well-made?
• Illustrations and Graphics: Are they placed properly, relevant and appropriate, and helpful to understanding the material?

Thinking about resources for kids in a school media center, there are other special considerations to make.

• Is the content free of stereotypes and biases?
• Does the collection of resource materials match with the school curriculum?
• Are materials age appropriate and current?
• Are there materials for children with special needs?
• Does the collection present different points of view on topics?
• Is the collection made up of culturally diverse authors/creators

These criteria for public and school libraries can aid reference librarians in selecting materials that will meet the needs of children of all ages. Evaluating websites is another important responsibility of librarians. The Association of Library Services to Children (ALSC) a division of ALA has a website Great Websites for Kids.  It is a compilation of carefully selected resources for children.  The websites that are included go through a selection process by an ALSC committee.  The main criteria ALSC uses to evaluate children's websites are: authorship/sponsorship, purpose, design and stability, and content. To see a detailed explanation of the evaluative criteria used by ALSC see their website .

Here are some additional links to sites discussing the evaluation of resources for kids.

Baltimore County Public Schools Selection Criteria forSchool Library Media Center Collections:

Evaluating Nonfiction and Reference Resources for Children

Teaching Children to Evaluate 

Librarians use evaluative criteria to select material to include in the library's reference collection for children. Equally important are the resources available to children when they access the Internet.

        
One of the best things librarians can do in both public and school libraries is to teach children how to evaluate resources on their own.  There are many ways to educate children on this matter.  One of the most common themes crafted by librarians and teachers seems to be the rubric or checklist.  These evaluative guides can be tailored to any age group, allowing even kindergartners to begin to understand the difference between a good resource and a not-so-good resource. Below is a picture of a rubric created by teacher Rebecca Trieger, this specific rubric is the kindergarten and 1^st grade evaluation form.  It incorporates evaluation criteria used by librarians such as authorship, content, design, and purpose, but in kid-friendly terminology.

To see more of Trieger’s rubrics visit: http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/rtrieger/problemsolvingchap3.htm

Kathy Schrock (school district Director of Technology, public library librarian) has a "Guide to Everything" website that is loaded with valuable information concerning evaluation of materials for children.  The site includes evaluation surveys for elementary and middle school students, links to "The 5 W's of Evaluation" and "The ABC's of Evaluation" and much much more. This website is a great resource for both public and school librarians, and teachers who work closely alongside librarians on the matter of educating children about Internet usage. 

Check out Kathy Schrock's "Guide to Everything," you will be glad you did.

              

Whether online or in print children's resources should be age-appropriate, organized and easy to follow.  They should be durable/sustainable and engaging.  Children learn in their own way.  For librarians to provide them with the best resources for each age level it is important that librarians understand the different physical/emotional/cognitive capabilities of children at various age levels.

References

Felker, J. (2000). Nonfiction and reference resources for children. Building a School Library: Collection Plan. Retrieved from http://www.lmcsource.com/tech.felker.nfeval.html

Schrock, K.  (2013). Critical evaluation information. Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything. Retrieved from http://www.schrockguide.net.critical-evaluation.html      
                                        
Selection criteria for school library media center collections. (n.d.). Baltimore County Public Schools. Retrieved from http://www.bcps.org/offices/admin/selection.html       
                                                                     
Trieger, R. (2000). Best practices & evaluation: Rubrics for site evaluation. Taming the Network Nightmare an Online Handbook. Retrieved from http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/rtrieger/problemsolvingchap3.htm