Tag Archives: advocate

Autism’s urban legend

Jen Laviano (@JenLaviano) has a post up this week that mentions my un-favorite urban legend about autism: that there are parents who get their kids a diagnosis so that they can get “extra help” from their school district. Jen talks about having discussions with parents, friends, relatives, teachers, etc. to explain the value of special […]

Quick question: who’s interested in an autism-focused IGNITE event?

“Ignite” talks are presentations composed of 15 slides that automatically rotate every 20 seconds, meaning they’re only 5 minutes long. Since I’ve been working on a similarly sized presentation to introduce my ideas on a comprehensive ASD curriculum planning & tracking tool, and since March 1-4 is Global Ignite Week, I wondered whether there are […]

Severe discrepancy: references

Here are some quotes from relevant laws and regulations regarding the usage of the severe discrepancy model for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability: IDEA sections: a. 20 USC 1414(b)(2) says: (2)  Conduct of evaluation In conducting the evaluation, the local educational agency shall— (A) use a variety of assessment tools and […]

ANNOUNCEMENT – Restraint Survey

via COPAA I include this today because the thought of these activities, let alone the actual descriptions of what has happened to our children, those least able to defend themselves, to seek protection, to tell others, chokes me up every time. I’m still looking for anyone with IEP language regarding these issues. APRAIS, The Alliance […]

Quick announcement – consultations available

I’ve been contacted by folks from out of town who have questions about their children, and so I’ve developed a straightforward consultation service that allows you to get specific advice for your situation. As an added bonus, you will end up *finally* getting your child’s files in order! What are the burning questions you’d like […]

Parent sued for school district attorney fees

This article editorial (original behind paywall) (via this post) from Pennsylvania describes one of every special education parent’s many fears about the due process procedure: having to pay the school district’s legal fees if they lose. Reading the story, and the complaint (PDF) , it seems clear that there are three main issues: The parent […]