Encouraging families living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and other Invisible Disabilities
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Parent Experience is Invaluable In 2019, my family moved from Los Angeles, CA to St. Augustine FL. I chose this small city because the school district is the best in the state. Changing schools in the middle of high school was hard. The improvements were immediate and life-changing. I have learned from years of experience with two children in special education. The best way to help other families is with...
Time to Organize Parents whose children have medical and educational challenges accumulate tons of paperwork. Although it might not be evident when a child is young, this paperwork could be critically helpful when applying for future services. Here are the steps parents can take to learn how to organize special education paperwork. By the time a medically fragile or developmentally delayed child reaches the age of three, the paper trail...
Fetal Alcohol vs. Snickerdoodles Spring break is over. It was time to tackle the activities in my previous post Coping with Unplanned School Closings. Miss Bee chose to bake. Piece of cake, I love baking. Baking is our school closure math. Our math infused baking activity became a three-day challenge. It was frustrating to be defeated by an elegant little cookie. After a week of idleness cooped up in the...
Disaster preparedness planning is complicated when a child in your family has a disability. Intellectual disability causes my daughter to perceive stressful incidents through a different lens. Her predictable responses (based on experience) were considered as I formulated our disaster plans. The prospect of K-12 schools closing due to the coronavirus is looming. Colleges and Universities throughout the country have already begun closing. Coping with unplanned school closings requires planning...
Just Like the Families in the News This was a hard post to write. It is hard to read. Every word is the truth. I researched the laws for the time period that restraints and seclusion were inflicted on my child. The evidence was withheld until Mac left his Non-Public School (NPS). He was severely injured twice in less than a month. This is how restraints and seclusion hurt...
Special Education is Complicated Updated 11/28/2021 My daughter was placed with me as a newborn from foster care due to prenatal exposure. She qualified for the Early Start Program through the Regional Center in California. The Regional Center provides assistance to children and adults with developmental disabilities and at-risk infants through age three. Here is what special education parents need to know in order to successfully advocate for their child. ...