Parents of individuals with special needs, on top of everything else they have to deal with, are likely to have stacks and stacks of paperwork that, if not organized properly, will surely become overwhelming. I would suggest choosing whatever organization system works best for you and make sure to take time on a weekly basis to make sure everything gets filed appropriately. I’m partial to binders, because I can easily flip through the information, but many people opt for file cabinets. Most people find that the easiest way to stay organized... [Read more]

When I was a special education teacher, it was sometimes difficult keeping track of all the IEP goals for all the students on my caseload (40+ students!!) so I had to come up with some strategies to keep it all organized. As a teacher, if you don’t have a good system in place to work on and track progress on IEP goals consistently then you will get yourself into big trouble in many ways. Most importantly, students have IEPs because they need specialized supports and education. If you’re not working on and tracking data on their goals... [Read more]

Have you been searching for fun and educational apps for your iPad, iPhone or iTouch? The endearing term we use in the tech field is edutainment (educational entertainment… get it?!?). A speech therapist friend of mine put together a nice list of apps which are fun for kids and also focus on teaching language concepts. These apps aren’t for communicating (click here for AAC information for supporting communication), but they are great for helping kids either learn or practice language skills like using prepositions, categories, sentence... [Read more]

If you’re a parent of a child newly diagnosed with autism, you’ve likely already heard/read that you need to get your child early intervention services. This is a multifaceted, often complex and confusing process; so we’re going to attempt to break it down for you to help you get organized quickly and get you and your child on the road to success. State Services Many states fund services for individuals with disabilities through the Department of Human Services (many times there is a division for developmental delays). These... [Read more]

This article is by Alan Zarembo and was published in the Los Angeles Times on December 11, 2011. It is the first of four parts. Read the first few paragraphs here, and then click on the link to read the rest of the article. It is a great article with lots of good information. I’m looking forward to the next three parts and will post them here when they’re published. Also, when you go to the LA Times website, don’t miss the information in the sidebar. Autism boom: an epidemic of disease or of discovery? By Alan Zarembo Amber Dias... [Read more]