New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community
COSAC is a non-profit agency providing information and advocacy, services, family and professional education and consultation. COSAC is dedicated to ensuring that all people with autism receive appropriate, effective services to maximize their growth potential and to enhancing the overall awareness of autism in the general public.
The New Jersey Early Intervention System (NJEIS), under the Division of Family Health Services, implements New Jersey’s statewide system of services for infants and toddlers, birth to age three, with developmental delays or disabilities, and their families. The Department of Health is appointed by the Governor as the state lead agency for the Early Intervention System.
It can be difficult for children with autism and other special needs to fall asleep and stay asleep at night. Those lost hours of slumber not only take a toll on the children – who may be more irritable and prone to behavior problems – but also on their bleary-eyed parents. If you are struggling to help your child “power down” or relax at night, you are not alone.
This Resource Center was made possible by a grant from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Campaign for America’s Kids (CFAK).
When you have a child or family member on the autism spectrum, creating a safe and functional home environment is an important task
Need free help with autism? Seeking information about symptoms and treatments? Do you wish to know more about Asperger’s or Fragile X? Are you seeking to connect with others who are going through the same thing as you?
If you have a loved one with autism, you know how important predictability and routines are. All of that goes out the window when you have to pack up your house and move. Whether it’s around the corner or to a new country, relocating can be especially difficult for a family member who is on the autism spectrum.
We love getting EVERYONE involved in Autism Awareness Month. We like to take a goal focused approach to our Autism Awareness Month activities by choosing projects that facilitate positive attitudes & discussions.
Traveling is a bit more complicated when you have a child on the autism spectrum, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. With some advance planning and a good safety strategy, you can make transitions and time in transit a lot more manageable.
The digital age brings good news for teachers and parents dealing with students with autism. Today, there are more technologies than ever before to help students with speech, interaction, participation, and communication, making for more integrated classrooms and innovative therapies that help these students learn.
You know that your child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experiences sleep difficulties. You also know that your child’s difficulties create sleep challenges for you too. But what you may not know is how common the challenges you face are for families affected by ASD.
This guide aims to help with preparations when taking special needs children to the dentist, the challenges that may come with it, as well as identifying common dental problems and oral health issues with children and teens with special needs. A visit to the dentist can be stressful and frightening for any child. Children and teens with disabilities are even more likely to have a bad experience at the dentists because of factors such as heightened pain sensitivity or overstimulation — these factors can make even day-to-day oral hygiene a significant obstacle.
Research has shown that people living with disabilities face numerous challenges in securing employment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 17.9% of people with a disability are employed. To help level the playing field our team has created a comprehensive step-by-step guide that can help people with disabilities create an impactful resume that can highlight their skills and value to potential employers. This guide includes important insight such as laws that protect their rights, workplace discrimination, and harassment to ensure they receive a fair chance at achieving their career goal.
Medicare can be complicated and seem to be designed only for seniors who are 65 and older.
Many are not aware that Medicare also provides benefits for people living with disabilities regardless of their age. To help highlight this program for those under 65 with disabilities, we have published a comprehensive guide to understanding eligibility, coverage, and, most importantly, how to navigate the enrollment process.
You can view the guide here:
Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) can be at a higher risk for a wide range of visual problems, affecting their ability to interact with their environment. These issues can be broad or highly specific, ranging from general vision problems like blurred or double vision to more specialized difficulties like color blindness or structural eye anomalies.
You can view the guide here:
It is not uncommon for visually impaired children to be the target of bullying and harassment. To help students and families navigate and hopefully prevent this, we recently published a free educational guide on childhood bullying for those who wear glasses. Please take a look:
You can view the guide here:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can make navigating a child’s healthcare needs complicated. Our guide, written specifically with insight from nurses, covers essential medical knowledge for parents and caregivers of children with ASD, including:
You can view the guide here:
Struggling with your mental health can make it difficult to function daily and handle everyday activities, including employment. Mental health disorders can affect one’s ability to work as expected in a variety of ways, and these struggles are often misunderstood.
You can view the guide here:
Parental Rights in Special Education
New Jersey Department of Education
Revised September 2012
Derechos de los Padres en Educación Especial
Departamento de Educación de Nueva Jersey
Revisado en Septiembre de 2012
Chapter 6A:14, Special Education was adopted at the August 2, 2006 meeting of the State Board of Education.
Approved Out-of-State Private Schools For Students with Disabilities Directory
New Jersey Department of Education
This Resource Center was made possible by a grant from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Campaign for America’s Kids (CFAK).