Falling Behind Plus Losing Key Skills

Perry Stein and Valerie Strauss Antwon Gibson’s public high school in Northeast Washington didn’t even attempt to teach his “independent living” class virtually this spring. The gregarious 18-year-old has an intellectual disability and reads and performs math below grade level. He’s been out of the classroom since schools closed in March and now requires more help from his family to break down multi-syllabic words. Ayo Heinegg’s son, a rising sixth-grader in the District with dyslexia […]

Return to school is fraught choice for families with special needs students

By Ross Williams Georgia’s public schools are reopening this month even as COVID-19 continues its spread among people of all ages and some special needs families are facing tough choices between their children’s education and their health. Other parents say they haven’t been given any choice at all. Lainey Bogardus of Effingham County is all set to start her freshman year of high school Wednesday. She is a typical teenage girl who loves watching videos, […]

Regular Exercise Is More Important Than Ever For Children With Disabilities

Buxton Gitimu, 11, lives with his family in Huruma informal settlement, Nairobi. One of his favourite things to do is playing football with his brother Joseph. The boys are very close. Together, they race around a football field at Salama Primary School with their coach, practicing tackles and other moves. Afterwards, they do keepy uppies, counting to see how long they can keep the ball in the air. The football field is normally full of […]

Study Advocate New Therapeutic Approach for Autism Spectrum Disorders

The social impairments associated with autism spectrum disorder actually may be driven by sensory neurons found outside the brain, according to new research conducted by Penn Medicine. The loss of a particular protein, neurofibromin 1, disrupts peripheral neurons that control how people perceive the environment around them, including their senses of smell and touch. This finding suggests there may be a more accessible therapeutic approach to treating ASD-related symptoms, researchers said. New therapies could restore social behaviors […]

School Decision-Making Tool for Parents, Caregivers, and Guardians

Many parents, caregivers, and guardians face new and difficult choices about how their child will return to school in the fall, such as deciding between in-person and virtual learning. This tool is designed to help parents, caregivers, and guardians weigh the risks and benefits of available educational options to help them make decisions about sending their child back to school. It is organized to provide parents and caregivers with: Information on COVID-19 and why safely […]