Risky Teen Driving Behaviors

Next month my daughter signs up for driver’s education. Although she isn’t my first child to learn how to drive, she is the only one enthusiastic about it. My oldest son just never really enjoyed driving and would avoid it at all costs. It’s likely that this time around as the parent of a teen driver, there will be greater worries. But I’m not the only one concerned about the safety of teens behind the wheel. The AAA is sponsoring “National Teen Driver Safety Week,” which runs from October 14 through October 20. The focus is on creating stronger graduated … Continue reading

Illinois School Earns Award for Special Education

Most of the time, if a news article talks about Special Education, it is because the news is bad. It is incredibly refreshing to hear a story about a school that has an excellent Special Education program. A school in Elgin, Illinois, has been granted a very high honor by an important national organization. It seems to me that we hear three or four negative stories about things happening in Special Education before we hear one that talks about a positive situation. I’m not sure if this is because bad news, scandalous behavior, and words of hate, fly faster across … Continue reading

Special Needs Blog Week in Review – June 10 – 16, 2012

Once a week, the Special Needs Blog Week in Review brings you a brief summary of each of the blogs that appeared here in the past seven days. This gives you a really easy way to find everything that went up, in case you missed anything. The Special Needs Podcast Roundup went up on June 11, 2012. This week, I’d like to point out an episode of “Hope Saves the Day”. They speak with Marglit Francus, who is the founder of Autistic Globetrotting. It is a non-profit website that is designed to inspire and encourage autistic families to explore the … Continue reading

Special Needs Blog Week in Review – April 8-14, 2012

The Special Needs Blog Week in Review is a great way to keep up with everything that has been posted on the blog in the past week. It gives you a brief description of each one, so you can quickly find something that you are interested in reading. What did you miss last week? The Special Needs Podcast Roundup went up on April 9, 2012. This week, I’d like to point out an episode of “Hold the Gluten” podcast, which is called “Help With Celiac Research”. The episode featured Dr. Daniel Leffler of Beth Israel Medical Center, who discusses a … Continue reading

Special Needs Blog Week in Review – March 18 – 24, 2012

Once a week, the Special Needs Blog at Families.com does a quick Week in Review. This is a great way to catch up on the blogs that you meant to read, but didn’t have enough time to do it when it first hit the blog. The Special Needs Podcast Roundup for the week went up on March 19, 2012. This week, I would like to point out an episode from the “Autism & Disney Series – The Best Magic”. It is episode number four, and it talks about how children who have autism can have a great Disney vacation. Study … Continue reading

The ABC’s of Special Education

The beginning of a new school year brings an alphabet of abbreviations for parents of children who have special needs. If this is the very first school year that your child has been connected with a special education program, things can get a little confusing. Here is a quick list to help you understand what all the abbreviations mean. Special education teachers, and the paraeducators that work with them, tend to shorten many of the terms that are used in “Special Ed”. This is because they use them so often, that it it becomes easier to put these terms into … Continue reading

The New Trend in Special Education

Like a pendulum on a grandfather clock, ideas about the best way to educate children who have special needs seem to swing back and forth. Do you know what to expect in the new school year? What is better for children who have special needs? Is it best to group these students into classrooms with other students who also have special needs, or is it better to place these kids into “mainstream” classrooms? Historically speaking, the trends in Special Education shift between these two ideas, over and over again. Right now, many schools across the country are mostly focused on … Continue reading

Education through Recreation

A 2008 study by Temple University found that sensory integration therapy helped children with autistic spectrum disorders to display fewer autistic mannerisms such as repetitive movements or actions and highly structured interests. In fact, 91% of parents of children with autism have found sensory integration methods of treatment more helpful than traditional treatments. They found their children to be reaching more of their goals and progressing in areas of social behavior and functional motor tasks. One particular group, KidSense, is taking this information and running with it. The group, through sponsorship and private donations, is building sensory playgrounds for children … Continue reading

How Far Would You Go To Pay For Your Kid’s Education?

Some parents would consider taking out a second mortgage on their homes or picking up a part-time job to help fund their child’s education, but a mom in Washington State has turned to another means to help raise cash for her son’s schooling—-begging. As in standing near a busy off-ramp near her Bellevue home and panhandling for cash. “Tuition help needed! Donate a few dollars!” Shelle Curley yells at drivers in an effort to raise nearly $47,000 so her son can attend one of the most prestigious dance schools in the country. According to reports, Curley’s 17-year-old son D.J. scored … Continue reading

Paying for Your Child’s Bad Behavior in School

What kind of punishment would really hit you where it hurts in regards to paying for your child’s bad behavior in school? British government officials say parents of poorly behaved students are no longer deterred by moves to shame the family name as punishment to get their kids to act properly, so they’ve decided to hit moms and dads where it really hurts—-in their wallets. According to reports, parents in the United Kingdom – whose kids attend state schools – will now be required to sign a contract that promises their children will behave while at school. The government’s new … Continue reading