In a nutshell, my son is 7 years old, going into 2nd grade next year. He is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADHD, and Anxiety Separation Disorder. He has been receiving Special Education Services since age four. His strengths are in Fluency/Comprehension and Spelling. His weaknesses are in the Personal & Social Development area. His placement is in a self-contained/ small class setting for Language Arts Literacy and Mathematics and in mainstream classes with adult support for all other subjects. I want to learn to create SMART IEP goals for his areas of weakness. I am having a hard time figuring out how to make to make behavior goals SMART – specific, measurable, use action words, realistic, and time-limited. I appreciate suggestions or examples.

In the title of this post I’ve linked autism and AAC for a specific reason. A lot of the points here are equally applicable to people who have a different disability but my argument in this particular post is for ALL autistic people to have access to AAC, regardless of whether they can speak. More on that later. If you make it to the end of the post I’ve got some news about price drops for two very good AAC apps and a giveaway for one of them.

Months after prevailing in a guardianship battle that drew national attention, a woman with Down syndrome is the namesake of a new center challenging an “over-reliance on guardianship” for those with disabilities. Margaret “Jenny” Hatch, 29, won the legal right earlier this year to make choices about where she lives and works. Her mother had sought guardianship and wanted Hatch to continue living in a group home where her decision-making abilities were limited. Now, Hatch is the public face for a new effort known as “The Jenny Hatch Project” that will share resources and knowledge gained from her case and promote alternatives to traditional guardianship for other people with disabilities.

A novel autism intervention program using theatre to teach reciprocal communication skills is improving social deficits in adolescents with the disorder that now affects an estimated one in 88 children, Vanderbilt University researchers released today in the journal Autism Research. The newly released study assessed the effectiveness of a two-week theatre camp on children with autism spectrum disorder and found significant improvements were made in social perception, social cognition and home living skills by the end of the camp. There were also positive changes in the participants’ physiological stress and reductions in self-reported parental stress. Called SENSE Theatre, the Social Emotional Neuroscience & Endocrinology (SENSE) program evaluates the social functioning of children with autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders.

Most of my articles were born from my personal experience – sometimes from anger at obstacles that I encountered, sometimes from an “aha” moment, but usually from my excitement about my children’s little achievements.  Friends also started asking me questions that I had to look up, and I often overheard things that I could turn into a blog. So here’s a list of my 15 favorite essays for the Friendship Circle:

About 36 million people living in the United States use Spanish as their first language. We gathered together a list of the best Special Needs Resources available in Spanish. Please pass these along to anyone who many benefit from such resources.

Aspyn Schnetter, 15 and a freshman at Senior High this year, finished at Lewis and Clark Middle School in May and decided she was going to try out for the high school’s cheer squad.For Kristy, it was a little concerning. But not necessarily surprising. It was just one more example of her daughter’s indomitable enthusiasm and life-loving drive. Aspyn has Down syndrome.

Welcome to the 2013 edition of Uncover Missoula. This is the 26th year the Missoulian has published this guide to the community's resources and nonprofit organizations.

Contrary to popular belief, a new study suggests that being a caregiver for a family member with a disability may lead to a longer life.

Dawn Villarreal has two special needs children. When she learned of her children’s disabilities she found it difficult to find answers. “In many cases, physicians give parents the devastating news that their child has a lifelong disability and then send them on their way,” Villarreal said. “At a time when parents need the most support, they find they are on their own.”

Young children with Autism respond well  to structured routines and familiar surroundings. But life has a way of throwing unexpected curve balls, and people need to adapt. Psychologists call this resiliency; the ability to “go with the flow” when things don’t go your way. Resiliency is honed in neurotypical children through their development of play and self regulation skills, as well as a sense of humor.

A child’s serious illness can cast a very long shadow across a family, often for years after the crisis has passed. A mother sat in our clinic recently, crying because her older child was having trouble in school. She blamed herself. A couple of years ago, her younger child had been very sick, and she felt she had been so consumed with worry — at the time and ever since — that she made mistakes parenting the older child. Behavioral and academic problems were the result, she insisted, and she would not be dissuaded.

In your view, what role should teachers play in informing parents about the common standards? How can they effectively help parents and other stakeholders understand why and how instruction is changing? Have competing viewpoints about the standards affected your approach to talking to parents about them?

Every day individuals advocate on behalf of themselves or others to communicate needs, share experiences, and take steps to get what they want and need. The online Advocacy ATLAS is a toolkit created by Genetic Alliance, Parent to Parent USA, and Family Voices that provides individuals with special healthcare needs and their families with tools and strategies to advocate for whatever they may need. Resources are grouped by category on the Advocacy ATLAS landing page. Simply click one of the ten topic areas to get started browsing accessible tools!

WASHINGTON, DC (October 10, 2013) -- Autism Speaks today issued autism-specific resources to help families understand the Affordable Care Act and the new changes that will affect health insurance coverage, beginning in 2014. These resources are a prelude to the “Autism Speaks Insurance Link,” a new interactive web tool Autism Speaks will unveil shortly to help families determine whether they are eligible for autism benefits under their current coverage.

A lack of providers who will see children with mental illness or emotional or behavioral challenges; waiting lists to see mental health professionals or therapists; and coverage issues combine to form a quagmire that advocates and professionals from around the state struggle to solve.

 The good news is that there are many theme parks that welcome guests with disabilities and make special accommodations for them.  Some of these are big-name parks with multiple locations, others are small, family-owned parks highly rated by theme park aficionados.  A big bonus is that the whole family can have a great time at a fraction of the cost of a Disney vacation.  Here’s a list of 39 theme parks to consider for your next vacation.

Peace, Purpose and a Pool: Sweetwater Spectrum, a California residence for autistic adults, hopes to become a model for like-minded experiments across the country.