You know it is full out IEP season when your LinkedIn account has more than 9 views stating: LinkedIn member - This member chose to be shown as anonymous.

Please remember it is all about the child folks!

http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2014/08/37-ways-to-help-students-with-dyslexia.html

37 Ways to Help Students with Dyslexia Flourish in the Mainstream Classroom | Minds in Bloom

I really liked this list, I would just like to add one more, ensure the child knows what dyslexia is and they understand they are not dumb just that their brains work differently and highlight some of the amazing dyslexic role models that are out there in the world :) 

MINDS-IN-BLOOM.COM

Subject: Reminder: Guest Speakers Teresa Blount and Madeline Griffin, AADD - Monday, Sept. 22, 6:30-8:00 PM Tucker Recreation Center Auditorium 

~PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS~

Answers And Alternatives to Host Guest Speaker Meeting

Monday, September 22

6:30 – 8:00 PM

Tucker Recreation Center Auditorium, 4898 La Vista Rd, Tucker, GA 30084

Guest speakers

AADD - All About Developmental Disabilities

Madeline Griffin and Teresa Blount, Family Support Center

The AADD Family Support Center provides community programs and direct services to families caring for a loved one with a developmental disability. The center staff help guide families who are transitioning out of the school system, assist aging parents set up a long-term care plan, provide strategies to address behavioral issues, give waiver application assistance and serve as an advocate for the IEP process. Our Family Support Center team aims to say “yes” to families when they reach out for help.

Website: http://aadd.org/about-us/

This is an excellent source that explains the various tools and interventions for Dyslexia!

http://bdmtech.blogspot.com/2014/08/back-to-school-guide-for-dyslexic.html?spref=fb

Where Does it Say in the Law That……?

08/28/14
by Wrightslaw

At Wrightslaw, how can we tell that school has started?  Questions from parents (and teachers) are pouring in each day.

I have a question about…who has to attend IEP meetings? goals in the IEP?

How do I search for information about… a special ed teacher revising the IEP?  behavior and discipline strategies?

Where do I look for…appropriate modifications? social and communication skills info?

We are always a little surprised when people write, “I just can’t find any answers to my questions.”

Tips: Looking for info, getting started!

1. Go to www.wrightslaw.com and scroll through the topics on the left hand side of the page, A-Z.

- See more at: http://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/?p=11633#sthash.Ir5HjCXz.dpuf

Emmy's Bash 2014

This is a wonderful fundraiser for child respite. Corrigan Care offers drastically reduced rates for parents of special angels. More important, the children have fun and are accepted for the gift they are. Please check out Corrigan Care on Facebook - as well as their partner YourRespite.

Alert - TIME SENSITIVE!!! SAT Special Education Accommodations

I wanted to reach out to the group, as having accommodations for your child's SAT requires planning.  As you can see from the information below, if your child is taking the SAT in October, you need to apply by the end next week!

The website for applying for accommodations for college boarding test is:
http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/for-students-with-disabilities

Accommodations take about 7 weeks to process and the deadline for applying
is 08/22 for the October test and 09/19 for the November test.  If
approval is processed 2 weeks before test, the accommodations will appear
on the students ticket.  If the accommodations do not appear on the
students ticket, the request will be honored if the student has met the
deadline for applying for the accommodations.

A new school year has arrived!

Very excited about the hard work ahead. Heading out tomorrow for a week at William & Mary Law Institute of Special Education Advocacy (ISEA). Continuing education and sharing strategies are an Advocates, Attorneys and Parents best tools to support each child in the classroom!

Disability Scoop

Congress Approves Funding for Special Ed....

OPEN HOUSE FEBRUARY 22, 2014


Do you need a great place for your kiddo to learn to navigate friends, get outdoors, learn to be flexible AND have FUN and make FRIENDS!!!!  I can personally say, I remember when my son was a part of the LOTL tribe.  Imagine how thrilled I was when he wanted to show me what he had done that day. (and every day)  Or I remember one day, I saw my son in a canoe, turning the corner of the bend in the Chattahoochee river.  He was paddling with a counselor and had the look of not fear but pure joy.  I believe LOTL helped Miles adjust and reset in a way no other program offered.  I'm proud (bursting at the seams) to let you know Miles is now a Boy Scout with the rank of STAR.  (Life and Eagle only remain)  Like our special journey - whether we make it to Eagle really doesn't matter.  For us - it's all in the journey - the "glow" moments along the way.  

http://www.learningonthelog.com/

ED's OSERS Issues Guidance on Bullying - Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc.

ED's OSERS Issues Guidance on Bullying - Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc.

A Holiday Message

What every Holiday you celebrate - I send a wish to you of Peace and Joy.  And as you gather with your families - celebrate the Special Child in your life.

To My Son Myles,

The day you were born I expected to love you unconditionally, and to find joy in holding you, and to feel happiness just by watching you grow......

.....but I never expected to be so in awe of the way you affect the world around you, and I certainly didn't realize just how much you would teach me.......

I'm so proud of the special person you are and all the wonderful things you do.

You inspire me - Thank you for the gift of being you.

All My Love - Mom

Autism Researcher Among Nobel Prize Winners....

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/10/09/autism-nobel-winners/18792/

It started: DSM5 used to revoke autism diagnosis  Share your story to stop the DSM5

As many of us expected, the new definition of “autism” laid out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM5) is being used to deny services and educational placements to people with autism. We are receiving more and more reports from around the US (Buffalo, Dallas, Utica, etc.) of schools, Medicaid providers, insurance companies and local government service providers using the DSM5 to deny services to people who have an autism spectrum disorder.
If you are facing difficulties or the loss of services as a result of the DSM5 please let us know. Please contact us at jgilmore@autismactionnetwork.org with your stories. Your stories will be a crucial component in stopping the DSM5.
All the studies on how the DSM5 will affect people with autism have shown huge numbers will lose their diagnosis, their services, Medicaid and educational placement along with it. One study from the Child Study Center at Yale University showed a 55% reduction, including 30% of those categorized as low-functioning.
We have had bills introduced in several states including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to require the continued use of the DSM4 and other diagnostic tools such as the ICD. We are working on getting bills introduced in other states. Illinois has already passed legislation prohibiting the use of the DSM5 to deny services. And we are working to prevent the federal government from using the DSM5.
The DSM5 discards the labels of “Asperger syndrome” and “pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)” Schools and insurance companies and Medicaid providers are using these changes to tell people who have an Asperger’s or PDD-NOS diagnosis that they no longer have “autism” and are losing insurance coverage, placements in special education and other services.
The DSM5 is wrapped in controversy. The federal National Institute of Mental Health considers the DSM5 so flawed that they will not spend any research dollars on studies that use it. We do not have to put up with this.
Please share this message with friends and family and please post to Facebook and other social networks.

Gwinnett STOPP Retreat - August 23, 24 2013

Last weekend I attended a working retreat for Gwinnett SToPP. (Gwinnett Parent Coalition to Dismantle the School to Prison Pipeline) Professionals from all counties where interviewed and 10 were selected to be a part of their 4th year initiative.  We have made an 8 month commitment towards a project to benefit students and their education - however more important - an investment in a child's future.   Though the majority of attendees reside in Gwinnett - there were additional participants (myself included) who attended from a different county.  The statistics are both staggering - and appalling.

• Georgia students lost 1.7 million days of instructional time to in or out of school suspensions during 2010-2011 school year.
• 2,143 Kindergarteners were suspended in Georgia during the 2010-2011 school year. 
• The graduation rate for Georgia was only 67.4 percent for the 2010-2011 school year.  Only a sixth of Georgia high schools graduated more than 80 percent of students.

I feel privileged to be a part of this initiative for year 4 - and will keep you informed as the weeks go by.

4th Annual Emmy's Bash - August 13, 2013

A night of hors d'oeuvres, drinks, silent auction and entertainment benefiting Corrigan Care, Inc. a 501c3 non profit org. The evening highlighted the many families who can benefit from the services that Corrigan Care provides.

False Claims Mislead About Dyslexia Treatment

http://www.interdys.org/ResponseToColoredLensClaim.htm

COPAA