SPECIAL NEEDS

The Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning is committed to improving learning opportunities for all Jews. Below you will find resources concerning special needs from the URJ, as well as links to outside resources. 

DEAR SHANA: Frequently Asked Questions on Special Needs

Dr. Shana Erenberg*, special needs expert and consultant, has provided answers to the following questions posed by educators. If you have a question for Shana, please send an email to educate@urj.org.

Learning Resources for the Blind
I am writing this for someone who is converting at a Reform congregation. She is 41 years old and has multiple disabilities, including pseudotumor cerebri, which has taken a lot of her sight away from her. She wants to know if there is somewhere she can get a “talking Torah”...
Using Technology to Help Autistic Students Communicate
We have a family in the congregation with a 9 year-old autistic son. The public school has him using a Vantage machine...
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Tutoring and Students with Auditory Processing Difficulties
I tutor students in chanting and reading their b’nai mitzvah portions, and I have some questions about students with auditory processing problems... 
Autistic Student in a Religious School Environment
I have a child with autism in the school. I understand that these children need routines and consistency very much, but our schedule changes all the time... 
Parent Communication
Our school is committed to giving every child a Jewish education and making them a welcome and important part of our synagogue community. However, I find my biggest frustration is communicating this to parents and having them cooperate by sharing information about their child with the school... 
Special Needs Assistants and Synagogue Liability
We have a family that recently joined our congregation with a special needs student. They are asking for a one on one assistant to be with their son. We would like to help the family and I have a college student willing to assist, but I am concerned about liability and the need for a policy. Can you help?
Special Needs Bar Mitzvah
Next year a child with high functioning autism is supposed to celebrate a bar mitzvah. I have taught him how to read Hebrew, but I need to prepare him for "something" for his bar mitzvah... 
Early Childhood Intervention
I have a new child in my early childhood program whom I think would benefit from professional observation and potentially early intervention services...

URJ RESOURCES

V'shinantam
The IEP and Differentiated Instruction - No V, 5765
Navigating the Special Education System for Parents - No IV, 5765
Nonverbal Learning Disabilities - No III, 5765
Sensory Integration Dysfunction - No II, 5765
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - No I, 5765

Torah at the Center
Special Education - Vol. 6, No. 1

Lehiyot Program
The Lehiyot Program, produced by the Department of Jewish Family Concerns, provides ideas and strategies on how to increase the inclusion of Jews with special needs in the congregational setting.

CHAI Curriculum
Eight Techniques for Helping Students Succeed
This helpful resource includes tips for modifying your class to meet the special needs of your students to enable them all to succeed.