Discover the Hidden Depths of Truancy vs School Refusal: A Crucial Insight Series

When you think of truancy, what comes to mind? Perhaps images of rebellious behavior, a child who is using drugs, or juvenile delinquency surface. How about a student with overall disdain for authority and the sarcasm to prove it?

What if I told you that for a significant number of students in the Truancy system, there's a deeper layer, a tangled web of unaddressed mental health issues intertwined with...

 Alternative Facts, Intentional Ignorance, or Misrepresentation

As a Board-Certified Education Advocate, I often work with parents who are understandably frustrated after attending numerous meetings with their child's school that seem to go nowhere. All parents want for their child is to receive the appropriate supports and services to succeed, yet far too often schools provide misleading or false information to avoid responsibility.

A recent case that came across my desk is a perfect...

Key Advocacy Techniques for AAC/SGD Implementation

Welcome back to our blog series on Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) and Speech Generating Devices (SGDs). As advocates we are always filling in the blanks looking for the needs missed, incompetence presumed, challenges not considered etc., etc. In this day and age you would think that the provision and implementation of AAC/SGD devices would have little resistance, especially since the positives so outweighs the...

SLPs Drive the Success of ACC & SGD Implementation

Welcome to the final part of our blog series on Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) and Speech Generating Devices (SGDs). In our last post, we delved into the key responsibilities of speech and language pathologists (SLPs). Now, let's continue to explore their crucial role in AAC/SGD implementation.

More Responsibilities of an SLP

1. Providing the Appropriate AAC/SGD System: SLPs provide the appropriate AAC/SGD system and...

Welcome back to our blog series on Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) and Speech Generating Devices (SGDs). Now that we have debunked the common myths surrounding AAC/SGDs, let's move on to understanding the roles and responsibilities of speech and language pathologists (SLPs).

The Responsibilities of an SLP Implementing ACC/SGD's

SLPs hold a pivotal role in the implementation of AAC/SGDs. They work as part of a team that may also include an assistive technology specialist....

Sometimes Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) and Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) are held back from children even though communication is essential if one is to be able to maximize function and learning within a society.  Speech being the accepted primary means of communication, when children have impediments to speech and language that does not mean that they can not learn. It just means that we have to provide appropriate bridges that facilitate language acquisition...

Neuro-Educational Science Supports the

Call to Social Justice

Special education advocacy, particularly for students with learning disabilities, represents a critical intersection of social justice and cutting edge research in neuro-educational science. At present, there's an alarming disconnect between research and practice, spanning decades. This chasm underscores the urgent need to understand special education not merely as a prescriptive curriculum, but as a comprehensive approach rooted...

ADVOCACY'S COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

Education advocates recognize and understand that education is not solely about the acquisition of knowledge and skills but also about fostering a student’s holistic well-being and fulfillment. By promoting a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and individualized approach to special education. Education advocates emphasize the development of

• Self esteem
• Character
• Inclusion
• Being valued
• Essential life skills academically, socially, and...

Special Education Advocates Are Highly Valued -

By The U.S. Department Of Education

In a land where coffee flows like rivers and memes reign supreme, there exists a peculiar group known as special education advocates. These valiant warriors of inclusion, armed with stacks of paperwork and hearts full of compassion, have a single mission: to ensure that every child receives the education they deserve. Yet, despite their noble cause, they find themselves trapped in a vortex of...

You know what I mean.  We’ve all seen that poor frazzled mom in the grocery store, right?  Talking through her teeth, trying to reason with a crying child, while both voices escalate and frustration bubbles over.  Then, what follows is the inevitable look of defeat on one of their faces, depending on who won the battle in the checkout line over the candy bar.  You glance her way with a sympathetic nod to show your solidarity, quietly letting out a small sigh of...