Students with special needs are entitled to a fair and appropriate education, commonly called FAPE. Sometimes parents idea of FAPE differ from the school district and can be met with resistance. In today's episode, we share 5 steps to take before presenting your idea to the IEP team.
Read MoreIt's homeschooling, but it's not. Todays guest began an alternative form of education for her son with autism during the elementary school years and continues to implement it in his teenage years. It is a twist on homeschooling. We uncover this “homeschooling twist” in two episodes. Episode #33 uncovers what it is and how it came to be, and episode #34 (coming March 27) provides the step by step process to use when partnering with the school district to create an out of the box plan for your learner with special needs.
Read MoreApplied Behavioral Services is a school in the Midwest who, for 20 years, has been working with students that have autism or related disorders. They currently serve over 250 students and 35 school districts per day. In this episode, we will be inspired to blaze trails that do not already exist. We also talk about the importance of narrowing the focus on goals long before students approach "the cliff" of decreased services in adulthood.
Read MoreToday's guest, Nicole Feeney, wrote an article which spurred passionate debate. She feels caregivers of individuals with disabilities should put forth extra effort to ensure the dignity of those in our care regardless of the extra effort required. But is that true? Shouldn't society just be more accepting? Take a listen and assess which side of the debate you fall.
Read MoreSpecial needs parents do a lot of caregiving and a lot of advocacy. But, do we do enough celebrating? How do we even know the answer and what happens when the scales are tipping too heavily to one side?
This is where we are headed in Episode #4, BUT just when it seems we have things figured out...a guest will join us to put breaks on the whole thing forcing us to stop and rewind a bit.
Read MoreAre we expecting too much? Are we expecting too little? Does the team agree on realistic goals? What about your spouse? Is there disagreement over the capabilities of your child?
Episode #3 looks at behavior, education, independence, and comprehension.
When is the tendency to overestimate our special needs loved one and when is the tendency to underestimate? How do we know which voice to follow?
Read More