Category: Special Needs

Disability Etiquette

Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Education, Epilepsy, Featured Topics, Intellectual Disability, Learning Disabilities, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Rare Genetic Disorders, Traumatic Brain Injury 05/28/201905/22/2019 admin

Introduction The United States Census Bureau reports that approximately 56.7 million Americans have a disability. This report is for anyone—with or without a disability—who wants to interact more effectively with people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was conceived with the goal of integrating people with disabilities into all aspects of life, particularly the workplace and the marketplace. Sensitivity toward people with disabilities is not only in the spirit of the ADA, […]

New Data on Autism Spectrum Disorder in 4-Year-Old Children

Autism, Featured Topics, In The News 05/09/201905/07/2019 admin

CDC scientists published a report on the prevalence and characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among 4-year-old children. This report is based on information from the Early Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. Early ADDM is a subset of the broader ADDM Network, which has been doing ASD surveillance among 8-year-old children since 2000. In this report, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Surveillance Summaries, scientists analyzed information from the health […]

Communication is key at all ages: Learn more during Better Hearing and Speech Month

Autism, Featured Topics, Healthcare 05/07/201905/01/2019 admin

At least 20 percent of U.S. adults, at some point in their lives, experience significant difficulty in hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, or language—the research areas of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). These challenges can compromise physical and emotional health and affect the social, educational, vocational, and recreational aspects of life. To raise awareness about disorders related to hearing, voice, speech, or language, the NIDCD joins the American Speech-Language-Hearing […]

Higher Education Policy Changes Take Center Stage

Autism, Down Syndrome, Education, Featured Topics, Intellectual Disability 05/06/201905/01/2019 admin

Students With Disabilities May Be Collateral Damage in College Admissions Scandal Earlier this month, Americans were made aware of a number of wealthy families allegedly abusing the college admissions process by faking disabilities, cheating on admissions tests, and bribing college officials. The alleged scheme is incredibly discouraging and does a serious disservice to students who have real disabilities and rely on accommodations in school. Many disabilities rights advocates, including some who advocated on behalf of […]

A Tale of Two Schools: Inclusive Culture Created With Purpose

Autism, Down Syndrome, eParent Connect, Featured Topics, Intellectual Disability, Learning Disabilities, Multiple Sclerosis 05/02/201905/01/2019 admin

It can be difficult to educate students with disabilities in an innovative and effective way. But NCLD recently visited two very different schools that were doing just that. These schools serve two very different populations, in two different parts of the country. We found an important commonality, though: an inclusive culture that was created with purpose. NCLD has been working to identify promising 21st-century learning practices in schools. We’re focused on how these practices serve […]