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JJPA (Jamey, Jennie, Paula, April)
The JJPA Blog is designed to provide educators and parents with information and resources they need to help better serve students/children with behavior problems. Many sites were screened and evaluated using our rating system to ensure the comprehensive list of websites that are available. The screening process excluded sites that were too personal, too commercial, too topic specific and/or lacked sufficient content.
JJPA (Jamey, Jennie, Paula, April)
Rating System
The rating systems for the website are on a scale using the terms weak, acceptable, and strong across 4 dimensions; content, navigation, accessibility and design. For more details please visit the Rating System section below.
5 comments:
Web address:
http://www.kidshealth.com
Rating:
Content: STRONG
Navigation: ACCEPTABLE
Accessibility: STRONG
Design: ACCEPTABLE
Summary: The Kids Health website includes valuable, up-to-date, practical information for kids, teens, and parents dealing with emotional and behavioral issues. It also has lesson plans, ideas, and relevant articles for special education teachers. It provides a link to translate website to Spanish and is very user-friendly. The information for kids and teens is age-appropriate, easy to understand, and encourages them to be proactive in educating themselves about their own health and wellness.
Kids Health is reputable, with physicians and other health experts reviewing and regularly updating information. It was created in 1995 with affiliates from the Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media, a non-profit organization, so the site is free of commercial advertising, further enhancing its attractive, coherent, and organized layout.
Its broad scope of topics does add some wordiness in the main topic sections, causing a little confusion with categorizing a specific issue/disorder. However, it is all relevant information, and provides additional resources regarding topic. It includes other important topics such as abuse, sexual orientation, anger, death, teen pregnancy, divorce, and dealing with stress.
Despite its strong content rating, there is minimal information about Schizophrenia and other personality disorders. Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder are only discussed briefly under the ADHD category. Topics discussed in length are ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, Anxiety disorders, and Depression. Readers interested solely in emotional and behavioral issues may or may not find the other information regarding kids’ general health useful.
Web address:
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net
Rating:
Content: STRONG
Navigation: STRONG
Accessibility: STRONG
Design: STRONG
Summary: Mental Health America was formerly known as the National Mental Health Association and has been around since 1909 as a non-profit organization. It is an excellent resource for people who are looking for more information about most mental health issues.
A reader can begin their search by selecting an applicable audience (i.e.: youth, families, African-Americans, in Spanish, etc.), or choosing a topic by issue or by disorders and treatments. This avoids having to read though other pages to find a topic, and the search engine very clearly lists each category in a scroll down and select format, which makes it very easy for the reader to navigate. Each topic page gives basic, easy-to-read, valuable information that is up-to-date. This website is very organized, clear, and includes a wealth of information from Schizophrenia to Conduct Disorders, as well as other resources to get help.
While the website encourages readers to donate to the organization, it is not something which interferes with a reader getting basic, necessary information. It does not go into extreme detail regarding a specific mental heath issue; however, it lists other resources that do provide additional information and resources. Sometimes it will ask the reader to contact their local Mental Health America affiliate, but Washington State does not have one at this time. Overall, this is a strong website for someone looking to gain more education about a variety of mental health issues, or get resources and support. However, it would be more appropriate for parents seeking information concerning their child, and does not provide any resources for teachers.
Web address:
http://www.nami.org
Rating:
Content: ACCEPTABLE
Navigation: ACCEPTABLE
Accessibility: ACCEPTABLE
Design: ACCEPTABLE
Summary:
The National Alliance on Mental Illness or NAMI was founded in 1979 to provide support and education for people with mental illnesses. The website has three main categories to begin a search: “Inform Yourself”, which includes fact sheets about many mental illnesses, medication descriptions, and treatment options, “Find Support” which has many support options such as web discussion groups, other related websites, and local affiliates, and “Take Action” which has information about current policy issues.
The fact sheets provide readers with a thorough yet basic description of a disorder and any related medications, and follows up with other resources to get additional information. There are many NAMI affiliates in Washington State that provide support groups and other programs. However, the site has minimal information about several disorders, such as Conduct Disorder and Autism, and does not provide many resources for teachers, other than some basic advice about IEP’s.
The site is a great source for readers who want to stay informed about current policy issues in the media and advocate for the rights of people with mental illnesses. The site provides e-news alerts, multi-cultural newsletters, and audio and video clips about current mental health issues. It is also includes information for a variety of readers such as Spanish-speaking, children and teens, and veterans.
The website’s layout is a little confusing to navigate at first, though the three categories on the home page help with an initial search. The advertisements are related to the topic, but can be distracting and overwhelming. However, there is an option for a “low graphics site” that has minimal color and no graphics, just the basic text.
For someone looking for in-depth information about a particular disorder, this site would not be particularly helpful, as it covers a broad range of topics. But it does provide information about finding support and staying informed about local and national policies regarding mental health.
Web address:
http://www.nichcy.org
Rating:
Content: STRONG
Navigation: STRONG
Accessibility: STRONG
Design: STRONG
Summary:
The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (or NICHCY) website is an exceptional resource for parents and teachers. The site is well-organized and has a clear layout with minimal graphics that is easy to read. Its focus is on children and youth with various disabilities and provides valuable information for those who want to help them succeed. There is also a link with information and resources for children and teens with disabilities.
One of the website’s strengths is providing excellent web resources about a variety of topics useful for parents and teachers. A reader can save a lot of time searching though sites by just visiting the NICHCY site. It includes information about all disorders and other important topics such as behavioral strategies, early interventions, accommodations, effective educational practices, successful transition to adult life, and other parent and teacher materials.
In addition to providing valuable web resources, the website also has 14 fact sheets and three briefing papers about specific disabilities. These provide an in-depth description of the disorder and many tips and strategies for parents and teachers, and conclude with a list of resources and organizations to research further.
Another strong point of the site is its many conveniences for readers. Besides having an organized layout and design, the site offers “text only” and PDF options for viewing the fact sheets, and offers a “Browse Aloud” text reader, where all the information can be read to the viewer. There are bilingual services for Spanish-speaking readers as well as an excellent search engine and a publications page regarding a specific topic.
Whether someone is looking for general information, support services, in-depth information about a specific topic, or tips for working with children with disabilities, the NICHCY website is a fantastic source for teachers and parents. It truly is catered to the readers’ needs and has a wealth of information about children and youth with disabilities.
Web address:
http://www.ldonline.org
Rating:
Content: ACCEPTABLE
Navigation: STRONG
Accessibility: STRONG
Design: ACCEPTABLE
Summary:
The focus of LD Online is children, adolescences, and adults with learning disabilities and/or ADHD. It is a national educational service of the PBS station in Washington D.C. It is a strong resource for parents and educators looking for information and advice about these issues, and clearly organizes the topics on their home page. The website is pretty organized with minimal advertisements, and offers helpful articles and up-to-date news regarding learning disabilities.
It is accessible to a large audience, including a website for Spanish-speaking readers. It also makes it easy for a person with a learning disability to view the site by offering a simple black and white version of the site with minimal graphics, and an option to make the text larger or smaller so it’s easier to read. It clearly lays out information specific to certain audiences such as educators, parents and kids.
There are many resources listed in the site, such as books, other recommended web sites, and state resources about where to find support regarding learning disabilities and ADHD. Because the website focuses primarily on those two issues, it provides in-depth descriptions, information, and advice. The “Educators” page has valuable information about differencing instruction, assessment, and working with parents, and the “Parents” page covers topics such as working with the school, supporting the child at home, learning about the special education process, and where to find a local professional.
The main downfall of the site is that it does not offer much information about other emotional and behavioral disorders (though it does provide websites to get that information). However, it would be a good resource for parents and teachers looking primarily for information about learning disabilities and ADHD.
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