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 More"Falling off the cliff" refers to what happens to young adults with special needs upon exiting the school system and losing services. One of the most important things that can be done to prepare for the shift in services is create a quality Individualized Transition Plan which is a federally mandated document guiding IEP goals beginning at the age of 14 or 16. Dana Lattin, project coordinator of the Transition Coalition, gives us guidance on where to begin.
Read MoreAt 18, parents no longer have legal access to educational information. IEP consent, requests for assessments, and information from educators are just a few rights that transfer from the parent to the student. Today’s guest, a special needs attorney, offers insight on how to prepare and how to protect the rights of our adult child while at the same time offering supports s/he may still need. Our focus will be on education. The first half of the episode focuses on students with special needs who plan on attending college. The second half of the episode focuses on students with higher support needs who are likely to stay in transitional programs offered by the public school system.
Read MoreDesiree Kameka works for the Madison House Autism Foundation where she serves as the director of community engagement and also is the director of a branch for the foundation called the Autism Housing Network. She is the national coordinator for the advocacy group Coalition for Community Choice and she also serves as a host home provider. She joins us to provide insight and action steps to move us forward in securing housing for our loved ones with disabilities.
Read MoreOften this model "happens" rather than being chosen and planned. However, intentionally choosing the Family Home Model and putting forth the same amount of planning and work as any other model can make it a highly desirable option.
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?
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