Resources for Mandala Family Wellness parents and caregivers of children include national and community sites on diagnoses and symptoms of child development issues in Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Commonly served diagnoses and symptoms w/ hyperlinked resources for the major diagnoses/symptoms include information on:
Academic Underachievement
- LD Online – Guide to Learning Disabilities and ADHD
- Thinking Differently: An Inspiring Guide for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities (Book)
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – ADHD
- National Institute of Mental Health – ADHD
- Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Management of ADHD Resources
- Driven to Distraction (Book)
- Taking Charge of ADHD (Book)
Anxiety Disorders
(generalized anxiety, social phobia, panic attacks, acute stress disorder, simple phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, separation anxiety disorder)
- National Institute of Mental Health – Anxiety Disorders
- CDC – Anxiety, Depression, and Children’s Mental Health
- The Anxiety and Depression Association of America
- The Child Anxiety Network
- Face Your Fears (Book)
- If your Adolescent has an Anxiety Disorder (Book)
- What to Do When You Worry Too Much (Book)
Autism Spectrum Disorder
- CDC – ASD
- National Institute of Mental Health – ASD
- National Autism Center
- Autism Speaks Toolkits
- Autism Speaks Resources
- First 100 days kit
- Parent Guide to Autism
- Improving Sleep in Autism
- Toilet Training and Autism
- Visual Supports and Autism
- Association for Science in Autism Treatment
- UF Center for Autism and Related Disorders Resources
- SSI Disability
- Wright’s Law
- A Practical Guide to Autism (Book)
- Steps to Independence (Book)
- Visual Strategies for Improving Communication (Book)
Brain Injury
- Brain Injury Association of America
- Brain Injury Association of Florida
- Brain Trauma Foundation
- CDC – Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke – Traumatic Brain Injury
Bullying
Cerebral Palsy
- CDC – Cerebral Palsy
- CP Daily Living
- Cure CP
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke – Cerebral Palsy
- Reaching for the Stars Foundation
- United Cerebral Palsy
Communication Speech/Language Disorders
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) – Speech and Language Disorders
- CDC – Language and Speech Disorders in Children
- Child Neurology Foundation – Language Disorders
- National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Conduct Disorder
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry – Conduct Disorder
- CDC – Behavior or Conduct Problems in Children
- Johns Hopkins Medicine – Conduct Disorder in Children
Depressive Disorders
(major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, dysthymia, adjustment disorder, bereavement)
- CDC – Anxiety, Depression, and Children’s Mental Health
- National Institute of Mental Health – Depression
- National Institute of Mental Health – Bipolar Disorder
- Suicide Prevention
- Teen Depression
- The Anxiety and Depression Association of America
- Beyond the Blues (Book)
- What to Do When You Grumble Too Much (Book)
Developmental Disorders
- Administration for Child and Families – Early Childhood Development
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Insure Kids Now
- CDC – Developmental Disabilities
- CDC – Facts about Developmental Disabilities
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development – Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Down Syndrome
- CDC – Down Syndrome
- Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida
- Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida
- Global Down Syndrome Foundation
- National Association for Down Syndrome
- National Down Syndrome Society
Dyslexia
- ASHA – Disorders of Reading and Writing
- CDC – Learning Disorders in Children
- LD Online – Guide to Learning Disabilities and ADHD
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development – Reading Disorders
- Thinking Differently: An Inspiring Guide for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities (Book)
Encephalopathy
Encopresis/Enuresis
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry – Bedwetting
- National Association for Continence – Pediatric Bedwetting
Epilepsy
- (seizure disorder)
- CDC – Epilepsy
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke – Epilepsy
- Epilepsy Foundation
- Intractable Childhood Epilepsy Alliance
Feeding Disorders
National Eating Disorders Association
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Related Disorders
Facts
National Organization on FAS
Genetic Disorders
- General/Big resource
- General
- CF
- Sickle Cell
- Sickle Cell
- DMD
- Hemophilia
- Hemophilia
- Fragile X
- Fragile X
- Tay-Sachs
- Rare diseases
Intellectual Disability
- American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development – Intellectual Developmental Disabilities
- The Arc Jacksonville
Learning Disorders
- ASHA – Disorders of Reading and Writing
- CDC – Learning Disorders in Children
- LD Online – Guide to Learning Disabilities and ADHD
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development – Reading Disorders
- Thinking Differently: An Inspiring Guide for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities (Book)
Neurological Disorders
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ODD Resource Guide
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry – Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- CDC – Behavior or Conduct Problems in Children
- Your Defiant Child (Book)
Pica
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America – PTSD
- CDC – PTSD
- National Institute of Mental Health – PTSD
- When Someone You Love Suffers from Posttraumatic Stress (book)
- The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)
Psychiatric Disorders
Reactive Attachment Disorders
Self-Injurious Behaviors
Sleep Disorders
Speech/Language Disorders
- (expressive, receptive, mixed expressive-receptive)
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) – Speech and Language Disorders
- CDC – Language and Speech Disorders in Children
- Child Neurology Foundation – Language Disorders
- National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Stereotypic Movement Disorder
Suicidal Thoughts or Gestures
- CDC – Suicide Prevention
- National Institute of Mental Health – Suicide Prevention
- Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Tantrums
Tic Disorders
- (Tourette’s disorder, chronic motor or vocal tics, transient tic disorder)
- CDC – Tic Disorders
- CDC – Tourette Syndrome
- Child Neurology Foundation – Tic Disorders
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke – Tourette Syndrome
- (the below may need to be put up in alpha??????? – another topic???)
Evidence-based Practices

Evidence-based practice is “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient. It means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research.” (Sackett D, 1996). At Mandala, we use this model to inform clinical decision-making. Clinical expertise, currently available research, and patient preferences all play a role in the treatment decisions that are made on a day-to-day basis.
We want to help families stay aware of interventions that are evidence-based and have strong scientific research demonstrating their efficacy while having an understanding of interventions that lack such evidence – here are some links of interest:
- Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Guide to Evidence Based Interventions
- “Dangerous” Autism Treatments
- Evidence-based Psychosocial Treatment for ADHD Children and Adolescents
- Evidence-Based Treatment for Social Anxiety
- Quack Watch
- The History of Vaccines and Autism
Community Resources
- Wrightslaw
Parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, reliable information about special education law, education law and advocacy for children with disabilities. - How to Apply for Disability Benefits
The Federal Social Security Administration (SSA) offers income-based support to families of children with disabilities. - Best Colleges Guide for Students with Disabilities
A college guide for disabled students - American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – North Florida Chapter
Grassroots work that focuses on eliminating the loss of life from suicide by delivering innovative prevention programs, educating the public about risk factors and warning signs, raising funds for suicide research and programs and reaching out to those individuals who have lost someone to suicide. - Heal Foundation
A local nonprofit organization in northeast Florida that does outreach by providing educational programs and camps tailored to the needs of the local autism community and awards funds to support grants, provide classroom enhancements, conduct educational seminars and host fun recreational and social events for families. - March of Dimes
Promotes healthy pregnancies and babies and works to prevent premature birth and birth defects; educates moms and supports families in need. - Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville
A nonprofit organization committed to helping people with Down syndrome achieve their full potential and to help create a community that is educated, supportive, and inclusive of individuals with Down syndrome. - Kate Amato Foundation
A local foundation dedicated to finding safer, smarter and more effective treatments for children with cancer. Their mission is to fund innovative pediatric cancer research that accelerates the pace of progress and saves young lives. - Nursing Career Guide for People With Disabilities
The need for caring and skilled nurses is higher than ever. For people with disabilities, getting into nursing might seem like a tough road with a lot of unknowns. Luckily, it isn’t just doable, people with different abilities can find the career extremely fulfilling.
Emergency Resources
- Mental Health Resource Center
MHRC provides 24-hour emergency services; inpatient psychiatric services for children, adolescents and adults; and numerous outpatient services. - National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255 (available 24 hours every day) - Wolfson Children’s Hospital at Baptist Downtown
Wolfson Children’s Hospital provides a range of inpatient services for adults, children, and adolescents requiring hospital-based care. Their multidisciplinary team includes psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, recreational therapists, social workers, and mental health technicians.