This article was contributed by Nancy Nestor, ASNC Autism Resource Specialist. How do you know what your child is capable of? For the past 13 years, since my son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, my husband and I have asked ourselves that question repeatedly. My son has always been a kid who has taken an…
Legislative Wrap-up 2014: Education Policy
This article is the last of several wrapping up the 2014 legislative session. The Autism Society of North Carolina’s focus on education continued to highlight improving education for children with disabilities in public schools while also offering options to parents who need to find different academic settings. Public Education: Per-student funding was not changed for…
State Budget Package Finalized; Autism Insurance Reform Set Aside
This article is the first of several wrapping up the 2014 legislative session. Look for more details on the budget and information on other legislation passed during the session in coming days. The NC House and Senate agreed on a budget package to adjust the final year of the current two-year budget and passed the…
Tips, Myths, and Facts about the IEP Process
This article was contributed by Nancy LaCross, ASNC Autism Resource Specialist in the Raleigh area and mother of an adult son with autism. The Autism Society of North Carolina has 18 Autism Resource Specialists serving all 100 counties in our state. We receive phone calls from parents and professionals about lots of issues, but the most…
NC Budget Compromise Stalls; Managed Care/Medicaid Bill Gets More Changes
Budget Update Senate and House calendars have remained rather empty the past few weeks as we wrap up the third week of July without a budget deal. Last week, the leadership in both chambers exchanged another round of offers, but at the end of the day, there is no final budget adjustments bill. North Carolina…
Selecting a Board Certified Behavior Analyst
This article was contributed by Leica Anzaldo, Training Manager for the Autism Society of North Carolina. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has gotten a bad rap over the years, and up until a few years ago, I too had some misconceptions. Common assumptions are that ABA: creates robotic results is very rigid and does not allow…
All Students Count: Testing for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities
This article was contributed by Vickie Dieter, ASNC Autism Resource Specialist. All students count. It is a worthy sentiment, but it has not always been the case in terms of students with disabilities participating in state achievement tests. Upon signing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), President George Bush made a statement that might…
House Approves its Budget Adjustments Bill
As we wrote about in a previous budget update, the NC Senate passed its version of the budget on May 30. That Senate bill contained a number of cuts and policy changes that would negatively affect people on the autism spectrum and people with disabilities. The House responded with its version, which passed Friday, June…
General Assembly Budget Update and Action Alert!
Last week, the NC Senate passed a budget adjustments bill that proposes cuts to teacher’s assistants, other school funds, and Medicaid, including the cutting of so-called “optional populations,” such as those eligible for Special Assistance and the medically needy. See our previous post for details on the proposal. In short, these cuts would be devastating…