A Call to Action – The Templeton National Report on Acceleration. The Templeton National Report on Acceleration has a shocking name and an even more shocking message; entitled A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest, the report details the findings of decades of research pointing toward the incredible and irrefutable benefits of acceleration for gifted students. Dispelling countless myths about the disadvantages of both subject and grade acceleration such as potential social problems or unnecessary anxiety, for instance, the report reveals that the vast majority of gifted students who are given the opportunity to accelerate are — on the contrary — happy, well-adjusted, and personally fulfilled. In fact, the authors of the report go so far as to say that when implemented correctly, acceleration is almost always successful for those students who show signs of readiness. Criteria for Acceleration Not all students can or should skip grades or be "challenged" by above grade-level subject material, but the truth is — many gifted students can and should. According to the Templeton report, 200,000 middle school students take college entrance exams each year, and most of them score better than high school seniors. Furthermore, research has shown that those students who are highly and profoundly gifted can learn an entire year's worth of high school curricula in a matter of just a few weeks. If these kids aren't accelerated or at the very least challenged, then how bored must they be during the other 37 weeks of...

The Templeton National Report states that accelerating gifted students benefits them academically and socially, dispelling myths of harm.

Can Schools Hold back America's Brightest?

A Call to Action – The Templeton National Report on Acceleration. The Templeton National Report on Acceleration has a shocking name and an even more shocking message; entitled A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest, the report details the findings of decades of research pointing toward the incredible and irrefutable benefits of acceleration for gifted students. Dispelling countless myths about the disadvantages of both subject and grade acceleration such as potential social problems or unnecessary anxiety, for instance, the report reveals that the vast majority of gifted students who are given the opportunity to accelerate are — on the contrary — happy, well-adjusted, and personally fulfilled. In fact, the authors of the report go so far as to say that when implemented correctly, acceleration is almost always successful for those students who show signs of readiness.   Criteria for Acceleration  Not all students can or should skip grades or be "challenged" by above grade-level subject material, but the truth is — many gifted students can and should. According to the Templeton report, 200,000 middle school students take college entrance exams each year, and most of them score better than high school seniors. Furthermore, research has shown that those students who are highly and profoundly gifted can learn an entire year's worth of high school curricula in a matter of just a few weeks. If these kids aren't accelerated or at the very least challenged, then how bored must they be during the other 37 weeks of...

The Templeton National Report states that accelerating gifted students benefits them academically and socially, dispelling myths of harm.

A therapist's face on a screen instead of across a table feels like a downgrade, and for a lot of parents that instinct is hard to shake even after the appointment goes well. The research on this question is more settled than the skepticism suggests. Multiple systematic reviews comparing telehealth speech-language services to in-person sessions have found comparable outcomes across articulation, language, and fluency goals. That doesn't mean every virtual program is good. It means the delivery method itself isn't the problem, and the differences that do matter are things you can evaluate before committing. What the Research Shows. Telehealth speech therapy has been studied longer than most parents assume, with adult and pediatric outcome data going back over a decade and accelerating sharply after 2020. The consistent finding: children working on articulation and expressive language goals make comparable progress through telehealth as they do in person, provided the platform supports real-time video, the session is structured the same way a clinic visit would be, and a caregiver is present to help with materials and attention. Outcomes get shakier for younger children with significant attention or behavioral needs, and for goals that depend on hands-on positioning, like some oral-motor or feeding therapy work. Speech and language goals translate well to a screen. Physical, hands-on goals don't always. What a Quality Virtual Program Looks Like. The gap between a good and bad telehealth experience isn't video versus in-person. It's whether the program was built for remote delivery or just moved an...

What the research says about telehealth speech therapy outcomes, and how to tell a quality virtual program from a weak one.

Virtual Speech Therapy: Does It Work as Well as In-Person Sessions?

A therapist's face on a screen instead of across a table feels like a downgrade, and for a lot of parents that instinct is hard to shake even after the appointment goes well. The research on this question is more settled than the skepticism suggests. Multiple systematic reviews comparing telehealth speech-language services to in-person sessions have found comparable outcomes across articulation, language, and fluency goals. That doesn't mean every virtual program is good. It means the delivery method itself isn't the problem, and the differences that do matter are things you can evaluate before committing. What the Research Shows. Telehealth speech therapy has been studied longer than most parents assume, with adult and pediatric outcome data going back over a decade and accelerating sharply after 2020. The consistent finding: children working on articulation and expressive language goals make comparable progress through telehealth as they do in person, provided the platform supports real-time video, the session is structured the same way a clinic visit would be, and a caregiver is present to help with materials and attention. Outcomes get shakier for younger children with significant attention or behavioral needs, and for goals that depend on hands-on positioning, like some oral-motor or feeding therapy work. Speech and language goals translate well to a screen. Physical, hands-on goals don't always. What a Quality Virtual Program Looks Like. The gap between a good and bad telehealth experience isn't video versus in-person. It's whether the program was built for remote delivery or just moved an...

On June 18, 2026, the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel released a 39-page legal memo declaring that neither the Americans with Disabilities Act nor Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requires states to serve people with disabilities in community settings rather than institutions. The memo directly contradicts 27 years of federal enforcement policy based on Olmstead v. L.C., the 1999 Supreme Court case that established the integration mandate. The timing matters. States are facing $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts under the Omnibus Budget Balancing and Balanced Budget Act. Multiple states have already cut home care rates, reduced caregiver hours, and frozen waiver slots. The DOJ memo arrives as those decisions are accelerating. Here's what families receiving home and community-based services need to know, what legal protections remain, and what you can do right now. What the Memo Says. The OLC memo argues that the ADA's prohibition on discrimination does not require states to provide services in the most integrated setting. It claims Olmstead was wrongly decided and that the integration mandate exceeds the statute's text. This is the official legal position of the United States government. DOJ will no longer file enforcement actions against states that fail to serve people with disabilities in community settings. States that cut HCBS programs now face no federal backstop. The memo does not change the law. Olmstead v. L.C. remains binding Supreme Court precedent. Federal courts are still required to follow it. But DOJ is the entity that typically enforces it, and...

The DOJ reversed 27 years of Olmstead enforcement. Here's what legal protections remain and what HCBS families can do now.

The DOJ Just Said States Aren't Required to Serve Disabled People in Their Communities. Here's What Families Need to Do Now.

On June 18, 2026, the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel released a 39-page legal memo declaring that neither the Americans with Disabilities Act nor Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requires states to serve people with disabilities in community settings rather than institutions. The memo directly contradicts 27 years of federal enforcement policy based on Olmstead v. L.C., the 1999 Supreme Court case that established the integration mandate. The timing matters. States are facing $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts under the Omnibus Budget Balancing and Balanced Budget Act. Multiple states have already cut home care rates, reduced caregiver hours, and frozen waiver slots. The DOJ memo arrives as those decisions are accelerating. Here's what families receiving home and community-based services need to know, what legal protections remain, and what you can do right now. What the Memo Says. The OLC memo argues that the ADA's prohibition on discrimination does not require states to provide services in the most integrated setting. It claims Olmstead was wrongly decided and that the integration mandate exceeds the statute's text. This is the official legal position of the United States government. DOJ will no longer file enforcement actions against states that fail to serve people with disabilities in community settings. States that cut HCBS programs now face no federal backstop. The memo does not change the law. Olmstead v. L.C. remains binding Supreme Court precedent. Federal courts are still required to follow it. But DOJ is the entity that typically enforces it, and...

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Special Needs
Articles

Can Schools Hold back America's Brightest?

Virtual Speech Therapy: Does It Work as Well as In-Person Sessions?

The DOJ Just Said States Aren't Required to Serve Disabled People in Their Communities. Here's What Families Need to Do Now.

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Special Needs Articles

Can Schools Hold back America's Brightest?

Virtual Speech Therapy: Does It Work as Well as In-Person Sessions?

The DOJ Just Said States Aren't Required to Serve Disabled People in Their Communities. Here's What Families Need to Do Now.

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs
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