Navigating Legal Challenges in Autism Healthcare: Ensuring Access to Services and Insurance Coverage

• By: Eileen M. Mendes Cathy Booth, CCC-SLP, BCBA, LABA Autism Care Partners Ashley Williams, PhD, LABA, BCBA-D Learn Behavioral
• July 5th, 2023
• access to services, Affordable Care Act, early intervention, federally mandated services, healthcare, IEPs, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, insurance coverage, legal protections for access to care, parity, state mandates, Summer 2023 Issue
• 457    1

Prevalence rates of autism are at an all-time high, and we know that early and intensive treatment produces the optimal outcomes for autistic individuals. According to the CDC, “most children (85%) identified with ASD had concerns about their development noted in the records by 3 years of age.”...

The Power and Potential of the IEP

• By: Ellen D’Amato, PhD Zakkiyyah Sally, MEd, MA Kathleen McCarthy Gorski, MEd. Adm, MAT Georgia Efthimiou, MA, BCBA Kristen Daneker, MS, BCBA, LBS-PA Howard Savin, PhD First Children Services
• July 5th, 2023
• accommodations, advocacy, children, classroom, IEP non-compliance, IEPs, legal issues, modifications, out of district placement, parental involvement, resolving disagreements, school, service eligibility, special education, students, Summer 2023 Issue
• 543    0

To address the inequity of limiting special needs children from obtaining an appropriate public education, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) was implemented in 1975 across the United States school systems. The IEP is an educational road map for children with disabilities. It is required by...

How to Advocate Successfully at School for Your Child with Autism

• By: Marina Sarris SPARK | Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative
• January 2nd, 2023
• advocacy, autism service disparities, developmental evaluations, early diagnosis, early intervention, economic disparities, IEPs, intersectionality, racial disparities, Winter 2023 Issue
• 501    0

You want what’s best for your child with autism, but you’re not a teacher or a speech and language pathologist. How do you get the school’s special education team to listen to your ideas? What do you do if you suspect your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) is failing...

Autism Advocacy Advice for Families of Color

• By: Marina Sarris SPARK | Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative
• January 2nd, 2023
• advocacy, autism service disparities, developmental evaluations, early diagnosis, early intervention, economic disparities, IEPs, intersectionality, racial disparities, Winter 2023 Issue
• 846    1

Autism occurs equally in people of different races, ethnicities, and income levels, but autism services are not distributed equally, according to research. As a group, children who are Black, Hispanic, Asian-American, or low-income often receive fewer therapies and services for autism.1-2 They...

Research-Based Recommendations for Building Self-Advocacy Competence

• By: Carly Werner, MEd, MS Dianne Zager, PhD Boca School for Autism
• January 2nd, 2023
• advocacy, advocacy skills, IEPs, self-advocacy, self-determination, self-regulation, strength-based approach, student involvement, transition planning, Winter 2023 Issue
• 615    0

Self-advocacy, an essential ingredient in our quest for satisfaction and fulfillment in life, is a learned skill that involves self-awareness, social and communication strategies, and behavioral competencies. Self-advocating involves communicating a person’s needs so that another person is able...

“Putting Me in My IEP”: Encouraging Self-Advocacy in Younger Students

• By: Amanda Bailey The Autism/Asperger Network (AANE)
• January 2nd, 2023
• accommodations, advocacy, children, disclosure, IEP team meetings, IEPs, school, self-advocacy, self-awareness, self-determination, Winter 2023 Issue
• 697    0

Parents and guardians may not know that students can participate in their Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meetings at any age and not just during post-secondary transition planning in high school. In describing the IEP team, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act states “the...

“Infinite Solution Finders:” AHRC New York City’s Educational Advocacy Guides Parents of Students with Disabilities

• By: Dylan Watton AHRC New York City
• March 26th, 2021
• advocacy, educational advocacy, evaluation, IEPs, Spring 2021 Issue, students, supports and services
• 1183    0

Rosemeri Linares embraced the challenges and the need for knowledge when she found out her son Adrian was on the spectrum. “Adrian was diagnosed with autism a little before he turned two. I had to quickly learn all the things that come with having a child with a disability,” she recalled. “I...