Special Ed Rising; No Parent Left Behind

Sheila is a certified health and wellness coach for overwhelmed parents who feel confused about their child's needs and frustrated by their child's behavior. She offers personalized 1:1 sessions to help parents evaluate the current circumstances in their home life and determine how they'd like them to be improved. She then works with them to create the solutions that use the strengths and intuitio...

Today I’ll be speaking on the subject of neurotypical and non-disabled children volunteering to help neurodiverse children and the benefits to both people involved in their journey together.

Today I’ll be speaking with Nakayla Von Raeder of The Slumber Academy. Nakayla is a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant & Neurodivergent Sleep Specialist and the founder of The Slumber Academy which specializes in drawing out root issues that may be interfering with your child's sleep and well-being. 

*Fair Warning: This episode addresses something that happened in Mississippi earlier this month that left me heartbroken.  The account of the incident can be upsetting but If I can talk about it and use it as a motivator to inform every parent or guardian of a young child of their rights and the laws for vetting as well as some realities of the state of child care hiring post pandemic it migh...

Today I want to speak to the dads.  I’ll be exploring what I see in terms of a father’s involvement in an exceptional needs child’s life;  offering some research findings, some personal observations and some encouragement.   Is it a myth that mothers are the one’s bearing the heavier responsibility of raising their disabled child? And if it is, then why is this the perception?

Today’s podcast is an interview with an exceptional woman who saw a niche not being addressed for children with disabilities and is conquering it one city and one community at a time. Suzie Clinchy is the Founder and Executive Director of Fast Feet NYC. Suzie launched Fast Feet NYC in 2018, taking a leap of faith to follow her passion for working with adaptive athletes, equality in athletics, phys...

Today’s podcast is a brief one and builds off of last week’s “strong” theme.   I’ll be focusing on the idea of appreciating and maximizing our natural physical and mental capabilities when we meet with challenges that take extra effort.  And this goes for everyone, non-disabled and disabled. 

Today I’ll be exploring the term, “strong.”  What makes us strong mentally, physically and otherwise.  How does strong transfer itself across your experiences in relation to personal growth and the growth of your relationship to the needs of your child? 

Today I’ll be speaking about teachers and social media. What can they safely post without jeopardizing their career and what are the lines that they need to be careful not to cross?

Today I am honored and excited to visit with my dear friend and former mentor from my years in the classroom, Dr. Barry McNamara, Professor of Special Education.   Barry McNamara is an expert in special education, learning disabilities, behavior management, and bullying. I am eager for you to experience his knowledge in the specific area of dealing with behavior issues in the home and at...

Today I’ll be speaking about preparing yourself for the new school year.  Setting the tone and the level of your involvement early can make a huge difference in the success of your child . 

Today I’ll be speaking about Alternative and Augmentative Communication; the types, their advantages to disabled people who are non-verbal and the importance of incorporating them into daily life consistently. 

Today I’ll be responding to the controversy manufactured at the expense of the visually impaired when Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on the anniversary of the ADA. 

This episode is dedicated to presenting to you what I can offer in the way of parent coaching. Allow me to help you navigate through the maze of exceptional needs and figuratively stand alongside you as you face and overcome the challenges you face with your children in your homes. 

In this episode I’ll be speaking about Active Ignoring.  This can be an effective device used when your child is acting out, tantruming and/or refusing to listen to you at times when they are not a danger to themselves or to anyone in the home.  As you’ll hear, this is a strategy that can take some time and patience, but can save you a lot of battle fatigue. 

In this episode I want to talk about bedtime challenges for children with autism spectrum disorder and what you can do to address them.

In this episode I’ll be speaking with Ashley Richmond, she is a Director for the non-profit, HUG, which stands for Help Us Gather, located in Clearwater, Fla, a city in the Tampa Bay area.  HUG was founded by Robin Lally whose brother, Rick is autistic. I discovered this wonderful organization as I was researching for my podcast on extracurricular activities for people with disabilities. HUG’...

In this episode I want to speak about the occurrence of hoarding among people with Autism. However the topic and the solutions may apply to anyone attempting to cope with this compulsion. This is a challenge I've come across recently with some clients that has me adapting and applying strategies to help the families I work with. Hoarding is not uncommon among this population and I want to share so...

This edition of Special Ed Rising is an episode that I felt an immediate need to put out.  It addresses a growing vocal chorus against the term “special needs,” a euphemism that I have used in my blogs, on my podcast and in my work for over 30 years. There is a clarion call to have this term changed.  My intention is to give voice to those asking for this change as I share studies and op...

Today's episode is centered on the idea that involving your special needs children in activities after school and beyond school, that you might not imagine to be realistic options for them because of perceived limitations, is exactly the thing that can broaden their experience and uncover the potential waiting for an opportunity.  There IS more than meets the eye!  Using my personal expe...

Today’s episode features the first interview of what I hope will be many to come.  It is an engaging conversation about music therapy that I believe will open many eyes to its impact on people with differing abilities across the spectrum.

In this episode I want to take a look at the benefits of incorporating exercise and sensory integration activities into the routines of your special needs child.  I have seen first hand the positive impact they have on my students when making them part of their daily programs.  We will address how to do this in your home, plus the many ways your child can gain in terms of behavior, commu...

In this episode, I endeavor to reflect on my experience and some lessons learned during the time that I cared for my elderly parents and the challenges that families face in deciding the right options for care outside of the home.  And then a little on the system that embraces your family member and the costs and realities that accompany this open armed greeting. 

This episode is going to be an exploration of thought and reflection.  And it will address how people with disabilities are considered to be different despite one very basic fact that we all share.

Managing your family and taking care of your special needs child can be overwhelming.  In this episode I will discuss, what I feel, are four essential practices that I have witnessed succeed for many of my clients which translates into a more positive and functional home life for the entire family.