Recently, I’ve been hearing the term “educational autism” floating around. It has been used by parents, school professionals, and other clinicians. Most often, there is confusion surrounding the term and no one knows what it means. The reason there is such confusion is that “educational autism” is not really a “thing;” my best understanding of…
Tag: special education
Extended time is one of the most common accommodations given to individuals with attention problems. It is usually granted on the assumption that the person is easily distracted when completing tasks and, therefore, needs a longer time to complete them. While this assumption may be true for some people with attention problems, it is not true…
Hard work is a value that is often celebrated and rewarded in American culture. The notion that anyone can do anything that they want as long as they work hard is an ingrained belief for American society. But what happens when working hard simply isn’t working? Many children and adults with learning or developmental differences…
When a child is struggling with learning, parents may wonder what to do. Usually, the first step is to get a comprehensive evaluation in order to identify the nature and severity of the child’s problem and determine what interventions are likely to be useful and helpful. Under the Child Find provision of IDEA, states are required to…
Parents of children with special needs or those facing behavioral or emotional challenges are often told to have their children “evaluated.” Similarly, adults with learning differences or challenges, neurological injuries or illnesses, or behavioral and emotional concerns may be told to get an “evaluation.” But what will an evaluation tell you about your child (or…
