Special Education Spotlight Long Beach: Resources for Students, Teachers, and Parents

Residents of Long Beach, California, who are raising, educating or administering programs for special education students will find a few school, nonprofit and government organizations supplying helpful resources.

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Special needs students themselves will also find programs designed to assist them with educational, recreational and other activities through camps, tutoring and community events.

Since special education resources in Long Beach are fairly limited, in some cases residents may have to look beyond the city limits to find the information or support they are seeking.

Long Beach Schools and Special Education Resources for Parents and Teachers

The Long Beach Unified School District has a Community Advisory Committee, providing a voice for teachers, parents and administrators. The school district’s website provides links to .pdf files detailing parents’ rights in three languages. In addition, it provides information about the school’s dispute resolution process for parents of special education students.

The website also provides links to learning programs, associations and federal resources. Teachers can find a link offering information about managing a special education classroom, developing special education lesson plans, accommodation strategies and more.

Parents can find family resource links to national associations and federal agencies focusing on special needs children as well as special education curricula details, study guides and a state reading list.

At the county level, the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), an educational agency operated by the Superintendent of Schools and Board of Education that encompasses Long Beach schools, offers counseling and therapy services for special education students. Psychologists, curriculum specialists and nurses combine to provide these services through LACOE.

Resources for Long Beach Special Education Parents and Students

The Family Resource Center at Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital Long Beach provides parent support groups, informational videos and brochures, workshops and training programs targeting the parents of special needs children.

Parents will also find referral services, a 24-hour phone help line and a mentoring program for children with specific diseases or disabilities.

AbilityFirst Long Beach Center is the local office for an organization with locations across Southern California. Included in this organization’s offerings are camps and a swimming program for both adults and children with disabilities.

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The website of the Greater Long Beach/South Bay Chapter of the Autism Society of America has a resource page providing links to and contact information for psychologists, support groups, tutors and camps. Information for various therapists in the area is also included; therapies include music therapy, animal assistance therapy, behavior therapy and speech therapy.

Autism in Long Beach offers members group activities, family support and links to resources such as online blogs and forums, inspirational articles and stories, an online library and an events calendar.

Though based in Irvine, California, about 25 miles from Long Beach, Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) sometimes hold support meetings and talks in and near Long Beach.

For legal support and representation, Long Beach residents can turn to California Special Needs Law Group (CSNLG), which serves clients throughout the state. Among other services, CSNLG can help parents with Individual Education Plan (IEP) development and help to settle any possible disputes between special education parents and their child’s school system.