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Berklee to Launch the Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs This Fall
Berklee will launch the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs in the fall of 2017. The institute will provide opportunities for individuals with special needs to learn about, experience, and create in the arts. It will offer community programs, learning opportunities for...
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Promoting Student Independence and Successful Inclusion Through Systematic Use and Fading of Supports
Being able to be as independent as possible often substantially impacts future success in all aspects of life (Causton-Theoharis, 2009; Hume, Loftin, & Lantz, 2009). Therefore, as a student moves through adolescence, it is essential for the educational team and family to place increasing...
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“The Lighter Side of the Spectrum – a Mom’s View” I Know Why He Has Autism
Hi, my name is Carrie Cariello. I am forty-two years old. I am married to a man named Joe and we have five children. Twelve years ago, I gave birth to a baby boy with a neurological disorder called autism. It impacts the way he eats, sleeps, talks, and thinks. He is considered special needs,...
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Addressing the Care and Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Complex Disabilities
There are currently 492 children living in 12 Children’s Residential Programs (CRPs) in New York State. Children who live in residential placements often present with complex learning and behavioral profiles that require highly individualized care and support. Children with severe and complex...
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Early Start: Preparing Adolescents for the Transition Years
The transition years prepare adolescents for life as an adult, including living as independently as possible, securing and maintaining employment and effectively interacting in the community. Children with autism spectrum disorders approaching adolescence and their families are faced with great...
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Facilitating Self-Advocacy for Adolescent Middle / High School Students with ASD through Person-Centered Internet Sites
Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who attend AHRC New York City Middle / High School (M/HS) in Brooklyn are engaged in an exciting collaboration with students from the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems of Pace University. M/HS students are participating in...
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Finding David’s Space
I want to share a story from my recent experience or, more accurately, a story about the long journey leading to the experience. As I’m sure many of you know, the job of a speech-language pathologist is hard sometimes, but those challenging days also make the work overwhelmingly worthwhile. I’m...
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Facilitating Plugged In: Helping Teens with ASD Navigate Life with Technology
Technology use is ubiquitous among today’s youth (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). This probably does not come as a surprise because it seems that kids and their gadgets are everywhere. The current generation of youth has even been referred to as the iGeneration or the app generation. From...
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The Face of Grief Before and After the Autism Spectrum
My husband Cedric and I used to joke we should have known from the beginning our extremely introverted daughter preferred not to be bothered with the rest of the world. Despite trying to arrive early at 35 weeks, at 42 weeks labor was induced and Jordan arrived. I remember the nurse saying,...
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Providing a Safe Haven for Special Siblings
We know that, in most families, the longest lasting relationship one has is with his or her sibling. When one of those siblings has a special need, the dynamic of this lifetime relationship can be significantly impacted. For some, a brother or sister learns to quickly adapt to new routines of...