The NC Senate and House passed the budget conference committee report for H259, the Appropriations Act for 2023-2025 on September 22nd, ending several months of negotiations that delayed the state budget nearly three months into the fiscal year. The budget includes significant amounts of funding for behavioral health and developmental disabilities services and funding for…
Preparing for an IEP Meeting
Let’s be honest, preparing for your child’s IEP meeting – whether it’s the first or the 20th – can be overwhelming, especially if your child was recently diagnosed with autism. What is an IEP and where does one begin?! An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a plan or program developed to ensure that a child…
North Carolina Public Policy Update: State Budget Passes, Tailored Plans Delayed
Medicaid Transformation Delay While the news below about the budget is very good, delays in passing a state budget coupled with the realignment of county MH/DD/SAS management among LME MCOs mean that the long-awaited Medicaid Tailored Plan rollout will be moved from July 1, 2022, to December 1, 2022. Tailored Plans are an integrated health…
Planning for School, Step 2: Getting Organized
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of articles. Click here to read the first one. By now you should know which plan your school district has selected to begin the school year. If you are not sure, contact your child’s school or check the district website. We do know that every student will…
Planning for School, Step 1: Understand Your Options
Anxiety is running high these days, and one of the big stressors is what the coming school year will look like for our kids. On July 14, Gov. Cooper announced that each of the school districts in North Carolina will operate under their Plan B scenario for reopening under moderate COVID-19 conditions, with the option…
Addressing School Concerns During COVID-19
By now many of you have found your new normal as you navigate through this unusual and unprecedented time. Among the many life changes that have had to be made across the country, who would have thought that homeschooling would be one of them? All parents of school-age children (K-12) face the task of teaching…
Promoting a Child’s Independence Within Daily Routines
One of the greatest joys of teaching students with autism is watching them become more confident in their abilities and take pride in their accomplishments. As they learn salient skills for completing daily routines and develop a greater sense of responsibility, students naturally become more self-determined and desire greater autonomy. Given systematic training, coaching, and…
Working with Students with Autism Before the Holidays
The holidays are quickly approaching, and it can be a time of high anxiety for people with autism. I teach and tutor young people with autism, and I have autism. I also work with specialists in related fields. We all help students with reaching educational and behavioral goals. I am going to provide some input…