09-01-10

Autism » Learning to Live with Autism: Discovery and Diagnosis updated.

07-08-10

06-22-10

Breaking News » Michigan Career & Technical Institute East Campus Officially Opens in Detroit - The Michigan Career and Technical Institute (MCTI) East campus officially opened today to provide state-of-the art vocational and technical training services to adults with disabilities in Southeast Michigan. MCTI East will primarily serve Michigan Rehabilitation Services customers in Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties, Ann Arbor and Flint.

Breaking News » Peeking at the Negative Side of High School Popularity - Prom time has come and gone, and while it didn’t affect me or my sons this year, it still caused a reminiscent tightening in my stomach. The prom, along with its endless pre- and post events, is just one more social trial that adolescents face in their school years and yet another test of their relative popularity, of fitting in, of being accepted. And it got me thinking about popularity. It’s important for most teenagers, but sometimes even more so for their parents.

06-21-10

Autism » Map of Michigan Parent Support Options: Autism Spectrum Disorders updated.

05-22-10

05-14-10

05-07-10

Individualized Education Program (IEP) Topics » Michigan's Individualized Education Program (IEP) Development Process - In an effort to build an integrated system to implement requirements and practices that are compliant AND focused on results for students, the Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services (OSE-EIS) has developed the following awareness documents and training materials for the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Development Process.

Breaking News and Obesity » 'Phantom Tumors': Painful Epidemic in Children Linked to Obesity - It's a Friday night, and Lauren Ashley just wants to hang out with friends. But instead, the 15-year-old high school freshman is at home buried in homework. At age 5, she was diagnosed with a rare condition that causes massive headaches that strike without warning. Since then, the Gahanna, Ohio, teen has missed so much school that she is forced to spend most weekends and every summer bent over her desk to keep up with classmates.

04-30-10

Homework & Study Topics » Bridges4kids Featured Math Resource: Math Worksheets - Over 2,000 free printable math worksheets for teachers.

04-12-10

Breaking News and School Climate/Bullying in Schools » A 'Watershed' Case in School Bullying? - At first, it seemed like a morality play: school officials stand by as an innocent high school freshman, new in town, is harassed into suicide by a pack of older teens. A week after criminal charges were filed, the case of Phoebe Prince seems more cloudy and complicated, much like the insidious national problem that may have helped kill her: school bullying.

Breaking News » MI The Adapted Cognitive Assessment Lab (ACAL) at U of M - The Adapted Cognitive Assessment Lab (ACAL) at the University of Michigan has a new website and opportunities for children with cerebral palsy (CP) to participate in research. Over the past five years the ACAL has focused its research on adapted cognitive assessments for children with CP. Through the ACAL, researchers have effectively assisted parents and educators of children with CP by providing them with accurate information about each child's cognitive abilities. These findings contribute to promoting appropriate supports in school, home, and community settings for these children and their families. Visit the new website to find consumer-related and scientific resources as well as information about participating in one of the ACAL studies.

03-21-10

Breaking News » Legal Rights of Juvenile Offenders - The American Bar Association has a new guide for attorneys who represent or advocate for juvenile status offenders. The document, called “Representing Juvenile Status Offenders”, is now freely available for download.

03-15-10

Breaking News » Draft of National Math, English Curriculum Released - A draft of common national standards for English and math was recently released. The proposal includes specific benchmarks that students should achieve at each grade level. For example, by the end of eighth grade, students should be able to "informally explain why the square root of 2 is irrational." The effort -- endorsed by 48 states -- is being praised for its attempt to bring an "ambitious and coherent" curriculum nationwide, while others are critical of a "one-size-fits-all" approach. [source: edweek.org]

03-06-10

IEP Issues » Passing Math: The Michigan High School Diploma and the “Personal Curriculum”

03-03-10

02-26-10

Autism » Map of Michigan Parent Support Options: Autism Spectrum Disorders updated.

02-18-10

College » Bridges4Kids Featured Resource: We Connect is dedicated to uniting college students with disabilities in access to higher education and employment issues.

02-15-10

02-10-10

Breaking News » MI Resolving Special Education Disputes: Complaints

Breaking News » Check Off IEP Issues With Free iPhone App - "I thought IEPs went high-tech when case managers in our district started filling in the blanks online instead of waiting for a secretary in the special-education office to type everything out. I thought it was cool when they started feeding in goals from a computer database instead of flipping through gigantic notebooks full of lists. Today, though, I spotted a gadget that not only puts a new-tech spin on those big piles o' paper, but does it in a way that particularly empowers parents. Meet the IEP Checklist app for iPhone and iPod Touch."
 

02-05-10

Breaking News » Administration Outlines Proposed Changes to ‘No Child’ Law - The Obama administration said on Monday that it would ask Congress to raise education spending by about $3.5 billion, a 7.5 percent increase, for the 2011 fiscal year, even as it sought to limit other categories of domestic spending.

Future Planning » A Practical Guide to Estate Planning for a Family with a Special Needs Child - Based in Troy, MI, Sebastian V. Grassi, Jr. is a nationally recognized tax and estate-planning practitioner and author of several tax and estate planning guides. He and his wife, Elizabeth, a special-education teacher, are the parents of three children; one of them, Laura, is an adult special-needs child with severe cerebral palsy. The book is divided into two parts: 17 chapters that present a clear and comprehensive overview of the essential elements of special-needs planning and five appendices that provide special-needs trust forms and practical, detailed commentary by Mr. Grassi and other noted lawyers on technical aspects of planning for a special-needs child.

02-03-10

Autism » The Center for Autism provides the most comprehensive outpatient services to families struggling with autism across West Michigan. The Center focuses on treating autism spectrum disorders from a multi-disciplinary approach that includes psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, behavior analysts, speech and occupational therapists. Our highly specialized clinicians assess and treat autism and other neuro-developmental disabilities, as well as learning disabilities, ADHD, and social/emotional disorders. By providing all of our services in one location, it reduces the stress of multiple locations for the individual and their family. In addition, all the specialists are in one location so we can work together to treat symptoms and behaviors to maximize the individuals potential.

Autism » A Fascinating Compilation of Savant History and News

01-31-10

Breaking News » CPS Tactics Found To Violate Civil Rights: Ruling from 9th Circuit - This is a new published 9th Circuit civil rights case from Oregon holding common CPS investigation tactics to be unconstitutional under either the 4th or 14th Amendment despite evidence that the child they sought to protect was at risk.

01-29-10

Legal Resources » Bridges4kids Featured Resource: LawSchool.org

01-25-10

Upcoming Events » MI Autism Society of Michigan's spring conference, Annual 5K Walk/Run for Autism Acceptance, and Spring Focus Workshop Series are now available for registration at http://www.autism-mi.org (click on events and calendar).

Upcoming Events » MI Autism in the Classroom: Simple & Effective Strategies to Learn Today and Use Tomorrow will take place on March 12, 2010 from 9am-5pm at Hyatt Place, 2150 Metro Ln, Wyoming, MI 49519. Discover the 10 Concepts That Will Transform the Way You Understand and Teach Students with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders. For more information, visit http://www.horizonsdrcworkshops.com or info@horizonsdrc.com.

Upcoming Events » MI Day of Change: A Groundbreaking Workshop for Parents of Children with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders will take place on March 13, 2010 from 9am-5pm at Hyatt Place, 2150 Metro Ln, Wyoming, MI 49519. During this Day of Change we will show you five simple but powerful concepts to help you permanently impact your child’s communication, behavior, and relationships for the better. For more information, visit http://www.horizonsdrcworkshops.com or info@horizonsdrc.com.

01-11-10

Breaking News » WI State Rejects Seclusion Rooms for Students with Disabilities - The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has rejected the Greenfield School District's plan to use federal stimulus dollars to construct seclusion areas for students with disabilities and informed districts statewide that federal special-education funds should not be used for such purposes.

01-09-10