IEPS, 504 PLANS AND BEHAVIOR CONTRACTS

BY JENNIFER WOODWORTH, PSY.D. According to the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, during the school year 2012-2013, almost 13 percent of children enrolled in public school received some form of specialized education. These include children who have been identified as having a disability that is interfering with their education; where there are many more students with informal behavior plans or accommodations that have been agreed upon by the teacher and parent. […]

What Type of Assistance is Available to Students with Disabilities?

LIVING WITH A DISABILITY BY JERRY LEVINSON In an economic environment characterized by ever increasing tuition costs, financing a college education oftentimes seems an insurmountable obstacle for many young people hoping to achieve a college degree. In addition to tuition, fees, and supplies, the cost of room and board, insurance and transportation can cause the price of earning a degree to swell to levels many consider overwhelming. However, as difficult as current costs make achieving […]

Tips For Talking With Your Child With Special Needs About Tragedy

With recent tragedies in the news, many children, including those challenged with special needs, are exposed to trauma through the media and in conversations. The Episcopal Center for Children (ECC), a nonprofit school serving children with special needs ages 5-14 in the Washington, DC area, offers some advice on how to talk with your child about tragedy. “Children hear information from other children and from the activities around them. Your child will pick up information […]

Introduction of ABLE Accounts in Some States this Summer

An ABLE account is designed to ease financial strains faced by individuals with disabilities by making tax-free savings accounts available to cover qualified expenses such as education, housing, and transportation. This summer, certain states will begin introducing ABLE accounts, providing special needs individuals and their families another resource through which to save and invest for the future. Signed into law in 2014, the ABLE Act and associated accounts are modeled after 529 education savings plans […]

Protecting Your Child’s IEP from the Nation’s Testing Craze

BY DR. MICHAEL BERG, ED.D. Parents of children with disabilities need to be proactive and make sure all the time schools are devoting to the preparation and implementation of standardized tests does not swallow up the time that is supposed to be devoted to the implementation of their children’s IEP. High stakes standardized testing in our nation’s public schools makes regular headlines in newspapers and is often the buzz on social media. The accountability level […]