I laugh now, but at the time it was terribly traumatic. My son, Daniel, was days away from turning age 18. Guardianship! The issue was here; there was no more time ā or so I thought. My husband and I had known for quite some time that our youngest son, diagnosed with autism, would need…
Navigating Exceptional Childrenās Services
IEP, EC, AU, FBA, BIP, LRE, FAPE ā¦ is your head spinning yet? Walking into an IEP meeting can be like walking into a room full of people who speak another language. Your child requires specially designed instruction to be successful in school, but trying to navigate the world of special education can be confusing…
Transitioning to Competent Adulthood with Dr. Peter Gerhardt
Dr. Peter Gerhardt, who has worked in the autism field for 37 years, shared some of his expertise with parents and professionals last week at a one-day conference in Raleigh. His presentation was titled āTransitioning to Competent Adulthood for Individuals with Autism: Implications from Preschool to High School and Beyond.ā Dr. Gerhardt is the Executive…
Building Communication-Rich Environments: Practical Strategies for Success
Throughout your daily life, consider how frequently you communicate your wants and needs and the various tools you use to do so. Now imagine that you lost your communication abilities. Conveying even the most simplistic messages about your thoughts, feelings, and basic needs would suddenly be much more difficult. Many individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder…
URGENT: Tell Senators Not to Cut or Cap Medicaid
Congress plans to hold hearings Monday on a health-care bill that makes massive cuts to Medicaid, which includes funds for Innovations waivers, EPSDT services, and many other health and disability services. Analysis of previous health-care bills estimated that billions of dollars would be cut from Medicaid and 32 million people would lose health coverage, resulting…