IEPs should not look the same. To ensure that their proposed accommodations are tailor-fit to address an individual child’s individual needs, I have parents and professionals answer these five questions when evaluating their student’s IEP.
As we shop for gifts for our friends, family, and loved ones during the holidays (and throughout the year), it is important to consider both what we are purchasing as well as the company we are purchasing the gifts from.
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As I continue to consult with parents and educators, the underlining theme that is continually expressed is either "parent non-participation" or "educator non-participation" in IEP meetings.
This is not a new problem!
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Their use of these accommodations or modifications during classroom instruction and assessment allows them to accommodate to the learning characteristics of their students, thus assisting their students to demonstrate “what they know” and are “able to do” to the greatest extent possible.
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Education is not mentioned in the Constitution and is primarily the individual states’ concern. As such, it is imperative that parents of special education students understand the rights and services that are available and how to access them.
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In conversations with parents, there seems to be a lot of confusion between these two types of plans and how each can support their special needs child in school. Particularly now, as we are at the start of a new school year (after a particularly challenging last year), it is important to understand how to navigate federally-mandated accommodations for students who require additional learning support.
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For many parents and educators of autistic children, life since March 2020 has been stressful, to say the least. Now, as many schools, activities, and therapy centers have fall reopening plans, many parents’ concerns have shifted to easing the transition back from distance learning.
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As more schools are returning to in-person instruction this fall, I see many educators concerned about their students’ transition back to a physical classroom. If that sounds like you (or someone you know), here are three easy, tech-focused tips to help you and your students.
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"Equating a need for support, neurodiversity, or any type of disability as 'something wrong' instead of just describing it as another characteristic of a person...summarizes what having a disability translates to for the rest of society."
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“Social skills has been an area that I think is especially challenging to address remotely.” Being able to use effective communication skills is essential for interpersonal communication to occur, and the use of questioning skills is an important area within verbal communication.
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How are you keeping your students excited during remote learning? Here are three ideas for adding student engagement to your lessons.
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As the world “builds back” from the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting the idea of acceptance of neurodiverse persons must be inclusive. This more inclusive approach into everyday life focuses on acceptance into our communities, our workforce, and institutions of higher education.
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While many educators and businesses understand the concepts of inclusion, mainstreaming, and diversity, the “real” question is: Are these concepts something your establishment is doing in practice?
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Storylines featuring autistic characters also often focus on the world's view of them or on the difficulties that neurotypical family members have with accepting their neurodivergent children or siblings, instead of accurately portraying life from an autistic person's perspective.
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"When many schools highlight their incoming freshman class, you’ll see data related to students of color and first-generation college students, but you won’t see a number related to students who identify as neurodivergent.”
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Each week, I receive messages from educators who are struggling to keep students engaged as they start another semester of virtual learning. If that sounds like you (or someone you know), here are three easy, tech-focused tips to help you more efficiently teach your students in your hybrid or virtual classroom.
Autistic masking is when an individual on the autism spectrum either consciously or subconsciously hides the telltale signs they are autistic in order to appear more neurotypical. According to a recent online study, 70% of autistic adults participating reported that they consistently mask.
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From rigid teaching approaches to social and sensory overload, many autistic students do not perform to their capabilities simply because simple accommodations are not being met.
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"Many institutions of higher education, particularly the highly competitive schools, are unwittingly failing people during the admissions process when it comes to considering neurodiversity."
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While watching television last night, I noticed an insurance company’s advertisement that showed two young adults playing a video game. At the end, they indicated the game was boring and decided to move on to something else. Is this the attitude your students are feeling about your lessons?
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