News for the Special Education Community
by Jessica Yadegaran – Shanti Kurada is the editor and publisher of Autism Bay Area Magazine. Her younger son, Rahul, has autism. She started Autism Bay Area Magazine with the aim of helping other parents feel more connected, have access to information on therapies, tools, and technologies, and find support and inspiration. Here are excerpts [...]
The Florida legislature is trying require The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test for all students who have IEPs. by Nancy Thrower and Patricia Barnett – Who understands the educational priorities of our Marion County children with special needs the best? Their parents or caregivers who provide safe, loving homes and support for their education? Their teachers [...]
by Jeanne Sager – Think you’ve heard some truly awful stuff? Try being the parent of a child with Down syndrome. Babies with Down syndrome are born with 47 chromosomes instead of 46, and the severity of their symptoms varies. But there are some pretty common physical signs that accompany Down syndrome, and that opens [...]
by Joyce Anthony - A news story broke in the Tampa Bay Times (Florida), this morning about a special education teacher being accused of physically abusing two special needs students. This was not the first teacher in this area to be accused of such; it makes one wonder if special needs programs hire teachers for [...]
by Lisa Quinones-Fontanez – Years ago, before I was a mom, I used to work in retail. I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes, I wasn’t so pleasant, sometimes customers rubbed me the wrong way and it was difficult to maintain a professional attitude. And since then, I’ve encountered customer service employees who make [...]
by Jackie Morgan MacDougall – People often talk about the difficulties associated with parenting a child with autism. I’m grateful they do, because it really can send a parent to the edge. But this post isn’t about that. I want to recognize and celebrate the upside of autism, a blessing we “special needs parents” are [...]
by Rachael Moshman – Parenting a child with special needs can be an overwhelming and lonely experience. However, linking to appropriate services and resources often makes a world of difference in the quality of life for a special needs child and their family. Therapy, support groups and other types of aid are essential in helping [...]
by Mila Koumpilova – More, smaller autism programs is the new direction for St. Paul schools, and that’s a source of anxiety for many parents. Parents in the autism program at St. Paul’s Benjamin E. Mays International Magnet School love the spring play starring each student. They love the teachers and the interactive whiteboards in each [...]
by Ellen Seidman – This week, I’m once again doing battle with the insurance company over paying for Max’s speech and occupational therapy. They’re not reimbursing us and damned if I’m not going to keep pressing them on it. This week, my friend Kate and her son with special needs are visiting a world-renowned specialist; [...]
The progress on skills that young children with severe disabilities can make with early intervention therapy services directly impacts their latter overall development. While state agencies struggle to maintain the funding for such programs, the number of parents in need of these services for their children continues to rise. by Maria Longley – On a [...]
