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Education > Early Intervention
Natural Learning Environments in Early Intervention: Why Your Child's Therapy Happens at Home
Federal law puts early intervention in your kitchen for a reason. What natural environments mean and how to use home visits.
Education > Special Education
30 States Failed to Meet Federal Special Education Requirements This Year. Here's How to Use Your State's Rating to Push Back.
...the federal Department of Education handed every family in the...state-by-state scorecard for special education, the review required under...Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Just 20 states earned...hand off much of its special education oversight to the Department...Robyn Linscott, director of education and family policy at The Arc...
Parenting > Adulthood
Sexuality Education for Young Adults with Disabilities
...cost to safety. I've sat with families after something went wrong that education could have prevented: a young adult who didn't recognize an unhealthy relationship...for someone with a disability. Start with What Needs Teaching. Sexuality education for young adults with disabilities covers more ground than the biology...
Global Insights > Advocacy
How to Document Your Disability for IEP Advocacy Without Oversharing
...how much of your child's medical life needs to be on paper for a team of educators to do their job. The answer is less than most parents assume. IDEA sets...qualifying disability, and that the disability affects their access to education in a way that requires specialized instruction or related services. That's...
Education > Early Intervention
Finding Your State's Early Intervention Program: A Self-Referral Guide for Parents
...from parents, no doctor's note required, and you can make that call today. Why Self-Referral Exists. Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) built early intervention around a "Child Find" obligation: states have to actively locate and serve eligible children, and that includes...
Education > Early Intervention
IFSP Explained: The 8 Required Components of Your Child's Individualized Family Service Plan
...start steering the conversation. An IFSP is not a form. It is a federally required plan, mandated under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), that every state must build around your specific child and your specific family before early intervention services can begin. Every IFSP...
Parenting > Adulthood
Transition from High School: A Year-by-Year Timeline for Planning Adult Life
...watching two systems, pediatric medicine and special education, hand a young person off to adulthood at almost...begin no later than age 16, but most special education professionals recommend starting at 14. This is...their life to look like after high school, in education, employment, and independent living. Your child...
Legal > Advocacy
Parent Training and Information Centers: Free Advocacy Help in Every State
...specifically to help families of children with disabilities from birth through age 26. Because they're funded through the same law that governs special education, their services cost nothing. No sliding scale, no consultation fee, no upsell to a paid package later. The work is concrete. A PTI staff member can...
Education > Special Education
Your Legal Rights When a School Denies Extended School Year Services
...fight with people who write the rules for a living. Extended School Year services are a legal entitlement under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, not a summer perk a district hands out when staffing allows, and a denial triggers specific procedural rights. A wrongful denial from a prior...
Assistive Tech > Software
The Most Accessible Apps and Software for People with Disabilities
...population it serves, and is still maintained today. Screen Readers and Text-to-Speech. For blind and low-vision users, NVDA remains the tool most special education programs teach first. It's free, open source, and precise enough that the WebAIM 2024 survey put its usage ahead of JAWS for the first time. JAWS...
Therapies > Speech
How to Request a Speech Therapy Evaluation Through Your School
...number of days. A written request that specifically asks for a special education evaluation is different. It triggers the timeline in the Individuals with...different. It triggers the timeline in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which means the district has to respond, has to seek your consent...
Education > K-12
What to Look for in an Adaptive Summer Camp for Your Child
...abilities" can mean a four-hour orientation the week before camp starts, or it can mean counselors with actual experience: a background in special education, a certification in behavioral support, or years of returning summers with the same population. Ask directly: how many hours of disability-specific...