Supreme Court Petition for Writ Filed on Burden of Proof in Special Ed Cases

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Filed today is a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking the Justices take up a case involving burden of proof in a special education case when a school district or public agency seeks to change the placement of a child with a disability.Ā  The question presented is: Under the Individuals […]

Why Schools Shouldn’t Reject Your Child’s Diagnosis

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Recently, I have heard (far too many) stories from parents that the schools are taking away services from their child and/or denying providing services because the school does not believe the child’s diagnosis.Ā  This is wrong and illegal on so many levels, but I will adress the three (3) most important reasons why schools should […]

Guest Blog Post: Managing Classroom Behavior For Success – Antonia Guccione, M.S., M.A.

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Any teacher will tell you that managing classroom behavior is critical to surviving the first days and weeks of the school year. But how? The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2009 provides guidelines of procedures that must be adhered to when disciplining students with Special Needs. Teachers have the legislation to guide them, but […]

Is special education instruction by a paraprofessional legal?

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Recently, I was asked this (not so) hypothetical: “4th grade child has an IEP (high functioning Down Syndrome) and is placed in a life skills classroom. There is one special education teacher and seven aides rotating through the classroom. Ā Reading and math instruction is being solely taught by an aide with the teacher touching base […]

The Dangerous Use of the Word ā€œCureā€

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Iā€™m shocked. It takes a lot to shock me these days, but I am admittedly shocked. My alarm has been set off by numerous recent studies into the ā€œcauseā€ of Autism. Iā€™m not alarmed purely because of the research, but rather what it may implicate and the resulting frightening thoughts of how we, as a […]