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Pathways to Resolution of Special Education Conflicts
When conflict arises in an educational setting, there are multiple ways to resolve it. Some are small and easily resolved but may potentially lead to bigger conflicts and issues. Sometimes the conflict is substantial, and a resolution harder to achieve. Understanding different available methods of...
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“Putting Me in My IEP”: Encouraging Self-Advocacy in Younger Students
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...
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A Meeting of Worlds: Multidisciplinary Teams in Autism Treatment
As Dr. Stephen Shore said, “if you’ve met one individual with autism, you’ve met one individual with autism.” Autism is a spectrum disorder with great variability in support needs from one person to the next. Given the spectrum of the disability, services and care for children with...
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Preparing School-Age Students for Post-Secondary Education
Preparing school-age students with autism for the transition into post-secondary education is perhaps as challenging for teachers as it is daunting for parents. According to a National Autism Indicators Report, “Young adults with autism have a difficult time following high school for almost any...
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Considerations for Choosing a College for Students on the Autism Spectrum
Choosing a college requires careful planning. This planning often starts in a student’s freshman year of high school, but usually not later than their sophomore year. When a student is on the autism spectrum, transition planning is a high priority, indeed it is required by law. The Individuals...
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Implementing Peer Support Arrangements in Schools
Students with autism often require support in developing communication, social, and academic skills (Chan et al., 2009). One treatment approach, peer-mediated intervention (PMI), utilizes neurotypical peers to support students with autism in building these skills (Laushey & Heflin, 2000)....
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A Constructive Approach to Conflict for Better Educational Outcomes
Whether you are a parent, guardian, or educator, you have likely faced some sort of conflict involving a student. Conflicts took many shapes and sizes during my son’s special education school experience, and now as he attends college. Sometimes conflicts are with the people involved, other times...
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Reflection of a Former Defiant Preschooler
I was once an impudent preschooler who ignored clear directions. Or so I must have seemed to my teacher. My classmates and I were gathered around for an activity, the nature of which I cannot recall. I do remember that it involved the children being asked, one at a time and more or less at random,...
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The School Consultation Project: An Avenue to Support Autistic Students and Empower Educators
Autistic individuals who exhibit challenging behaviors are increasingly likely to hold communication deficits, require supports in daily routines, and are less likely to be placed in inclusive school settings (Lory et al., 2020; Iadarola et al., 2017). As such, challenging behaviors pose a...
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10 Tips to Help Autistic Kids Transition Back to In-Person School
Transitions are tough. As many schools make plans to shift from distance learning to in-person instruction, families, students, and educators face an adjustment period. That’s especially true for students with autism spectrum disorder, because transitions can be particularly stressful and...
