I have recently had a number of parents in Chicago Public Schools who have no busing. As a result these children miss days or even months of school. This is a chronic issue, however, CPS officials do not seem to take this issue very seriously. I was interviewed regarding this pervasive issue that effects too [...]
Special Education Law Blog
Prenatal damage to infants by drinking alcohol while pregnant is a growing problem. Estimates vary from, for every 1000 live births in the U.S. 1-2 infants are born with fetal alcohol syndrome and 3-5 are born with fetal alcohol effects (a less severe diagnosis) to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders occuring in 1 out of every [...]
Every year as Halloween approaches, I have to fight the desire to ignore the bell, bolt my door shut, and drown my sorrows in the bags of Milky Ways and M&Ms I pretended to buy for the neurotypical little goblins who pass my way. Personally I find Halloween to be the most painful time for [...]
With 19 days before the election, having just watched the final Presidential debate, it is time for me to publicly weigh in on the issues that are most vital to me. Not surprisingly, among the primary issues for me are education and special education. Senator McCain’s position in favor of vouchers will in no way [...]
DIR which was formerly known as Greenspan/Floortime has worked very well for a number of children with autism that I represent. The following article is from Michele Ricamato, a certified DIR therapist, SLP and a well respected colleague of mine, who has dedicated her professional life to working with children with autism and other disabilities [...]
The following is a speech given to a local autism support group. The speech is from the parents of a young adult who was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum in his late 20s, after his time in school had passed, and as discussed below well too late to prevent tragic consequences. I publish [...]
The following is a posting from Jess Butler who is an attorney and officer with COPAA.org one of the leading special education advocacy organizations in the U.S. She has summarized and explained the effect of the new amendments for school age children and in later life. These revisions represent a win for people with disabilities. [...]
This is the second part of the earlier post to get your new school year off to a humorous start. You choose your child’s medical specialists by whether or not their waiting room has an accessible outlet for your portable DVD player. You get pulled over by a police officer and automatically pull out your [...]
One of the things that up to now has held back robots is the ability to have a pressure sensitive "skin" which feels and moves more naturally. A team of Tokyo University researchers has revealed a break through in material science; a rubber material that conducts electricity which would potentially allow for the development of [...]
Every field has its lingo and jargon. Special education has more than its share and sometimes the language contains coded or veiled meanings that are hard for parents to discern or decipher. The following link is a useful and sometime humorous decoder ring for the phrases, jargon and lingo used everyday in schools and at [...]
The deserved furor is growing against the degrading movie Tropic Thunder. Click here and here for more information and how to participate in the national protest against this movie. Here is a pledge against the use of the 'r' word. Go to Source
Here is a webinar on the every popular topic of RTI from Council for Exceptional Children. Go to Source
I am presenting tomorrow at a conference on Dravet’s syndrome which is a rare type of seizure disorder. Here is an excellent resource on this rare disorder. If your child has Dravet’s it is important that you work to educate the school, especially the nurse and the SLP, since schools are often slow to accept [...]
Milwaukee Public Schools have been cited in a recent report for the overuse of suspensions. Over reliance on suspensions reflect a lack of effective positive behavioral interventions in favor of "remove the child, remove the problem." The reality is that when the student comes back to school he or she is even more likely to [...]
