“For many students with disabilities—and for many without—the key to success in the classroom lies in having appropriate adaptations, accommodations, and modifications made to the instruction and other classroom activities.” “Adaptations, accommodations, and modifications need to be individualized for students, based upon their needs and their personal learning styles and interests. It is not always…
Barbara Doyle and Emily Doyle Iland provide some great ideas to aid educators and support professionals in making a real difference as they support families affected by special needs. While this article was written about families affected by autism spectrum diagnoses, the ideas here can actually apply to most families regardless of the diagnosis involved. These ideas…
In January and February, Martin Pierce & Jeffery Babb made presentations to both our Tennessee and Georgia support groups sharing information about Special Needs Trusts, Conservatorships, Guardianships, Powers of Attorney and other related resources. Below are listed some of the resources which were referenced in those events as well as some additional Georgia-specific resources shared…
Did you ever wonder how parents of kids with extensive lists of diagnoses and therapies ever homeschool? Amanda Alexander, mom to Anna, homeschools successfully in spite of Anna’s major diagnoses of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, plus more than a dozen others. Anna has had many therapies- speech,…
Processing the emotions of a diagnosis of special needs of any kind looks different for different families. Here is one parent who sees 7 stages of processing grief. SHOCK & DENIAL SADNESS & GUILT ANGER & BARGAINING REFLECTION, LONELINESS
Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership Although the specific job descriptions and work plans may vary slightly from one school district to another, mentor’s work is focused on enhancing communication and collaboration between families, schools, and communities in order to improve outcomes for students with disabilities and their families. Families: Parent mentors provide information and resources to…
I think that sometimes there is a greater temptation for parents of kids with special needs to fall into this trap even more than parents of typically developing kids. “He works so hard to do this, that I’ll make it easy on him to do that.” or “She has special needs, so I can’t expect the…
Many times as caregivers, whether for a parent, spouse, or child, we feel like the sole responsibility lies on our shoulders. Sometimes it needs to, but sometimes, it doesn’t need to. Asking for help is part of learning to be an effective caregiver. “I was ready to accept that I needed help, that asking…
Does your child have a hard time remembering directions or math facts? Does he often forget what he wants to say? If so, he might have working memory issues. Working memory is also known as short-term memory. It’s a skill kids use to learn. You can help your child improve his recall by building some…
This year STEP, Inc. celebrates 25 years of services to families in Tennessee affected by special needs. STEP is the Parent Training & Information Center for the state of Tennessee. They are federally funded to provide parent training on special education law and to provide support and information to families. Congratulations for faithful service and…
