Keeping Vigilant...

I have been trying to capture the right words to describe my week up in Virginia's William and Mary College of Law, for the ISEA (Institute for Special Education). While the week was both inspiring and informative, there is no doubt every parent, every family, every community will need to continue to be vigilant to assert their rights, if their child is to receive a fair and appropriate education.  After meeting attorneys and a sprinkle of advocates from across the United States, the theme across our Country is disparaging – bordering on egregious.  If you have a child with special needs, you MUST understand YOU WILL HAVE TO PURSUE these rights for your child.

One of my goals from the training, is to make sure I provide you with a road-map and resources.  Having an active Advocacy and Educational Consulting practice, kiddos come first and the blog the least important on the to do list. I now realize, to help as many as possible, I need to drop in more often. We are in this together, you are not alone and you can learn how to work with your School or District.  And if that is not possible, you can learn the best remedy you have.

Along with keeping the blog current, I am bringing back quarterly workshops.  I am sincerely grateful for the overwhelming demand for the return of my workshops.  I will be including both previous workshops (please remind me if you were on the waiting list) as well as a series where we dive deeper into individual groups. Next week I will post a calendar of subjects and dates. However, we will launch in September with the infamous "Binder Workshop".  Managing your child's paperwork NOW and not when when in crisis.  This workshop tends to be an eye opener, and where parents find out what evaluations their child is missing, or out of date. How to manage all the work samples you are saving and also how to build an effective communication log. This workshop is relevant to parents of children with special needs - as well as parents who have their children in a private school setting, and are looking to transition back to public school.

Remember to Keep Calm and Advocate!  Robin

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!

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.

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

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